The base Google Pixel 10 model will reportedly get a telephoto camera

Google's product strategy for differentiating the base and Pro models could change this year, starting with the camera hardware on the Pixel 10 series.

A source reportedly provided Android Authority with documents detailing the camera specs of the upcoming Pixel 10 series. 

Unlike previous base models, Google is believed to be adding a telephoto camera to the Pixel 10. The camera module is said to be the same as the one on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which offers 5x optical zoom with 20x Super Res Zoom. This would put the base Pixel 10 on par with its Pro siblings for the first time since the debut of the Pixel 6 series in 2021. 

Sadly, that's where the good news ends. The primary sensor on the Pixel 10 will reportedly be smaller than its predecessor—1/1.95-inch vs 1/1.31-inch—which will likely hurt low-light photography.

The ultra-wide camera sensor is rumoured to also be smaller—1/3.1-inch vs 1/2.55-inch—and will have a lower resolution of 13MP—down from 48MP. If you think about it, given this camera setup, the Pixel 10 appears to be a refreshed Pixel 9a but with an added telephoto camera.

Unfortunately, rumours say there is no camera hardware upgrade in store for the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL. As for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, that will likely see a switch in primary camera supplier from Sony (IMX787, 64MP, 1/1.73-inch) to Samsung (GN8, 50MP, 1/1.95-inch). 

That said, Google might have new software tricks to compensate for the lack of significant hardware upgrades on the Pixel 10 series. It introduced some AI image editing tools for the Pixel 9 series, which included the "Add Me" feature to help users take group photos, and the Auto Frame feature to fix photo composition.

Source: Android Authority

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