Google's Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL introduce an upgraded Pro Res Zoom that combines the Tensor G5 chip with the largest AI model ever used on a Pixel Camera. The generative imaging model is designed to intelligently recover and refine intricate details and to fill in detail for zoom shots up to 100x. The upgrade aims to make long-distance zoom captures more usable and less grainy compared with previous smartphone zooms. Early side-by-side comparisons show the Pixel 10 Pro producing clearer, less pixelated results than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra at identical distances. Competitors, including Apple, face increased pressure to match this camera capability.
I take a ton of photos on smartphones -- over 100,000 shots on iPhone and Android -- and over the years, a lot of them have become difficult to tell apart from the professional photos I shoot on Sony mirrorless cameras. But the phone shots that still don't quite measure up -- and where I still usually have to take out a big camera -- are the long-distance zoom shots.
With the new Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL, Google is upgrading its Pro Res Zoom to capture much greater detail by using a combination of the new Tensor G5 chip and what Google calls its "largest AI model ever used on a Pixel Camera." This is an outstanding use of generative AI. Google characterizes it as an "all-new generative imaging model to intelligently recover and refine intricate details" and claims that it can fill in a lot of details in zoom shots up to 100x.
If this works, it would be a great step forward for zoom captures on phones. And the early indications are that it's pretty good. ZDNET's Kerry Wan has already had the chance to test the Pixel 10 Pro a little bit, and below is a he did of the new Pixel 10 Pro zoom versus the Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra zoom at the same distance. The Pixel version is much more usable and doesn't look grainy and pixelated.
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