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Google’s Pixel 6 XL might come with the company’s best zoom lens

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The Google Pixel 6 could be Google’s first Pixel to ship with a 5x “ultra tele” camera, a new app teardown from XDA Developers implies.

This report comes from code found in Google’s camera app in the Android 12 beta, references were found to a toggle for a new zoom lens, likely set for one of Google’s next Pixel phones. In said code, references were found to the “ultratele”, as well as 5x zoom more than a few times. More references noted the camera would have an actual optical zoom level — a measure of the number of times the camera can zoom in before it resorts to digitally cropping images — of 4.3x, a major upgrade over the Pixel 4’s real optical zoom level of 1.4x.

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As for which Pixel would be equipped with the aforementioned camera capability, it is likely to be the larger Pixel, previously said to be the Pixel 6 Pro but more likely to ship as the Pixel 6 XL. As reported by reliable leaker Jon Prosser, the Pixel is said to have a 50MP wide camera with a 48 MP telephoto and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens. Prosser also pegs Google to be dropping telephoto for the smaller Pixel and going with the much-lauded wide and ultra-wide combination that shipped in the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G.

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Google’s Pixels have typically been great for taking still shorts and portrait images, but it has fallen far behind on optical zoom. Even with the software-powered super-resolution zoom and the telephoto hardware chops of the Pixel 4 and 4 XL.Google fell far below the standards set by Samsung and even OnePlus as far as zooming goes. With the Pixel 6 and 6 XL, the company has a chance to steal its crown back.

Google’s Pixel 6 comeback goes beyond the camera. To recap the specs of the Pixel 6 and 6 XL (or 6 Pro), the smaller Pixel will have a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and a battery with 4,601mAh. The Pixel 6XL will have a larger 6.71-inch P-OLED display, 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and a 5000mAh battery. Google is expected to launch both these phones in October.

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Michael Allison
Michael Allison
Mobile News Writer
A UK-based tech journalist for Digital Trends, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a…
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