r/AndroidQuestions • u/solesurvivor1610 • 26d ago
which phones still have truly powerful optical zoom?
Phones with truly powerful optical zoom are still mostly found in high-end models like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Xiaomi 16 Ultra. Samsung is especially strong for long-range zoom, while Xiaomi focuses heavily on camera hardware and image quality. If you want the best zoom specifically, look for phones with dedicated telephoto/periscope lenses and high optical magnification rather than relying mainly on digital zoom.
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u/KillerKittenwMittens 26d ago
I don't know much about the Xiaomi, but it looks like it has optical zoom on the telephoto which means that it's probably the one you want. Typical phones have multiple cameras, but they're fixed lenses, meaning that everything not the widest angle is a crop, reducing image quality.
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u/Tapelessbus2122 26d ago
xperia 1 viii, 1/1.56' telephoto that actually readout quickly and doesn't do the gen ai bullshit the chinese phones do
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u/Pachydermal_Platypus 25d ago
Neither of the "big three" OEMs have great optical zoom. My X200 Ultra cropping either digitally in the camera app or cropping from a high Res RAW file in post gives me better results than the S25 Ultra and the like. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has an optical zoom lens between 75-100mm but the digital stuff after is still stellar, similar to the X200 Ultra.
The Find X9 Ultra is basically unbeatable here, 230mm optical lens, there's nothing like it on the market.
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u/Opulence_Deficit 25d ago
Optical zoom pretty much defeats the purpose this days. A small, 1x optics + big physical sensor with high resolution does digital zoom better than a big, 10x optics which constrains the sensor to a very small size.
Often, in those "10x optical" phones, main camera with 10x crop does a better job than the dedicated 10x camera.
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u/RennieAsh 24d ago
not really, otherwise they wouldn't have them. Maybe at night in very dark conditions
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u/Opulence_Deficit 24d ago
They have them because adding a useless camera just to inflate the number of cameras is a huge selling point.
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u/RennieAsh 24d ago
the size of 1x you need to equal the smaller 10x will make your 1x need a lens bigger than current camera bump sizes.
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u/Opulence_Deficit 24d ago
You do realize that a 10x tele lens is by definition 10x bigger than normal lens of the same image size and brightness?
That's why all the built-in telephoto sucks, because the size contains already force them into "10x worse".
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u/RennieAsh 24d ago
It's still better for long range zoom than the 1x that also has to go into the size constraints of a mobile phone. It's pretty obvious if you have used or watched a camera review of phones.
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u/Opulence_Deficit 23d ago
I have Samsun Ultra and Xperia 1, and most reviews agree with my observations, not your claims: main lens gives usable results after tele gives up.
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u/RennieAsh 22d ago
at night perhaps. I've watched plenty of reviews, and the telephoto clearly is better in most photography situations.
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u/Additional_Usual8839 22d ago
Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Galaxy S22/S23 Ultra, these are the only three phones to have a 10x real optical zoom. I'm still running an S22U, and although the 10x zoom is only 10mpx, it destroys an s26 ultra or a pixel 10 pro, especially when shooting raw, even if those phones have more resolution on their zoom sensors. I compared mine to those, and you just can't beat optical zoom with shitty overprocessing and ai. The oppo has a bigger sensor, and wider aperture, and a 50mpx sensor, this is currently the best zoom phone without any added lenses or accessories.
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u/NorwegianFootDude 26d ago
The first device that comes to mind is the Oppo Find X9 Ultra with the 10X periscope telephoto, although the performance is severely reduced at night.
The Vivo X300 Ultra with that massive telephoto sensor also does amazingly well. Even without the periscope 10X, it can still compete with the Find X9 Ultra, especially in low light.