This PIXEL 10 Pro camera feature sets a high bar to defeat the iPhone 17 Pro.

Key takeaways of zdnet

• The new Pro Race Zoom of Google Pixel 10 uses AI to create 100x zoom photos which is very useable.
• Google phone is ahead in the initial comparison shots with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
• The ball is in Apple’s court to give a long distance zoom on the iPhone 17 Pro which is as competitor.

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I like zoom photography a lot, and I am thrilled to see Google using AI to elevate zoom photography on smartphones in new Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL,

I take a ton photo on the smartphone – over 100,000 shots on iPhone and Android – and over the years, many of them have become difficult to tell in addition to professional photos shot on Sony Mirrorless cameras. But phone shots that still do not measure enough-and where I still have to take out a large camera-there are zoom shots of distance.

With the new Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL, Google is upgrading its Pro Race Zoom to capture a lot of expansion using the combination of the new tensor G5 chip and Google has used its “biggest AI model on a pixel camera.”

Also: Everything built by Google Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more

It is an excellent use of generic AI. Google depicts it as “all new generic imaging models wisely correct and replenish complex details” and claim that it can fill a lot of details up to 100x in zoom shots.

If it works, it will be a great step for zoom capture on the phone. And the initial signs are that it is very good. ZDNET’s Kerry Wan has already got a chance to test the Pixel 10 Pro, and is one below. Compare He did the new Pixel 10 Pro Zoom vs. Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra Zoom at the same distance. The Pixel version is very useable and does not look granulated and pixelated.

I am testing the version of Samsung’s 100x “Space Zoom” since the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and I currently use the Zoom of S24 Ultra regularly as it is my Android Daily Driver and my business phone. However, I only use 5X and 10X zoom lenses on S24 Ultra – and I only use 5x zoom lens on iPhone 16 Pro Max. Once you go beyond those focal lengths, images on both phones become very pixelized and unusable-at least for the kind of crisp, professional looking photos that I am trying to make.

The picture below shows the S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max’s zoom quality that I took during an evening in New York.

For photographers there, the 5x zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro Max is equivalent to about 120 mm focal length on a full-frame camera, and the 10x zoom on Samsung S24 Ultra is equal to about 200 mm focal length on a full-frame camera.

Also: I went to hands with every Google Pixel 10 model – and I loved the most, I loved the most

So the 100x zoom which is talking to the Pro Race Zoom on the Google Pixel 10 Pro model is a long distance compared to any current standard lens that exists for a professional full-love camera. So if Google can make those photos useable – unlike the current maximum digital zoom on Samsung, iPhone and other smartphones – then it will give your phone a capacity that not only has other phones, but professional cameras can not match either.

Here is the example that Google showed 100x zoom in action during the launch event for new pixel hardware.

It is very impressive, and eventually very usable-with post-processing. Let’s keep in mind that this is clearly a day shot with some good cloud cover. I want to see how well the new Pro Race Zoom of Pixel is in low light and incomplete light. And I will get my chance soon because I am going to test it and report the results on ZDNET and on My Instagram,

Also: Google’s new AI tool makes photo editing as easy as asking – and Pixel 10 gets it first.

Even if Google’s Pro Race Zoom is not right on 100x, if it can effectively use generic AI to make digital zoom photography a more viable option to take high quality photos, it will be a huge win.

It also encourages me to see if Apple is doing something similar in AI for its zoom photography, when it announces the iPhone 17 Pro model in September – because the only company that can currently compete with Computational photography with Google is Apple.