Google’s Pixel 10 phones are among the best camera phones on the market, and this generation marks the first time in a while that the entire series offers a telephoto camera. The Pixel 10 ships with a 10.8MP 5x camera, while the Pixel 10 Pro phones pack a great 50MP 5x periscope camera.

There’s one big feature missing from Google’s telephoto cameras, though, and I really hope to see it on the Pixel 11 Pro line. Of course, I’m talking about telephoto macro capabilities.

Do you use macro photo mode on your phone?

81 votes

Why move closer to get closer?

For what it’s worth, the Pixel 10 lets you use the ultrawide camera for macro photography. This requires you to move your phone virtually on top of whatever you’re snapping, which has various downsides, from lackluster bokeh to potentially ruining your photo’s lighting.

Instead, I love the ability to take macro photos with a telephoto camera; it’s great for grabbing a close-up shot without physically moving closer to the subject. That’s handy if you’re capturing a skittish subject (e.g., insects, little animals) and are worried that you might chase it off.

Telephoto-based macro photography also has picture quality benefits compared to macro mode on ultrawide cameras. For one, you don’t have to get so close that your shadow falls onto the subject itself. You also don’t have to deal with a very distorted field of view, as seen from ultrawide cameras, although many phone makers crop the image from the ultrawide camera to limit this issue.

Macro mode telephoto lets you get close-up snaps without being on top of the subject.

The ability to focus up close with the telephoto camera also has ramifications for general photography. This feature gives you more flexibility if you’re taking photos in tight spaces or in situations where the tele camera would ordinarily lose focus.

I also find this feature handy for product photos, as I frequently put down my standalone camera and take snaps with a phone at product briefings. In fact, I used my phone to take plenty of close-up device shots at CES, MWC, and Samsung’s pre-briefings in 2025.

This might require a Pixel 11 Pro downgrade, though

Joe Maring / Android Authority

There is one potential obstacle standing in the way of the Pixel 11 Pro phones getting a telephoto-based macro mode. The reality is that 5x cameras and higher generally don’t offer macro capabilities due to technical challenges. It’s simply difficult to achieve close-up focusing on a camera with such a long focal length.

One potential workaround would be for the Pixel 11 Pro phones to offer a shorter zoom range, such as 3x to 4x. Phones like the vivo X300 Pro, OPPO Find X9 Pro, and Xiaomi 15 Ultra offer macro functionality via their 3x to 3.5x cameras. Meanwhile, the HUAWEI Pura 80 Pro has a 48MP 4x camera and 5cm macro focusing.

The switch to a slightly shorter focal length would also be welcomed for portrait photography, as ~35mm to ~90mm is considered the sweet spot for portraits compared to 120mm (~5x). This has long been a complaint about Pixel Pro handsets among some enthusiasts.

However, long-range zoom quality would certainly take a hit if the next Pixel Pro phones dropped below the 5x mark. So I’d definitely prefer if Google did the technical legwork to bring macro mode to its 5x cameras. Failing that, we’ve seen manufacturers adopt 200MP periscope cameras in the last couple of years, using all those megapixels to achieve good long-range zoom. Google also offers its Pro Res Zoom feature for better long-range zoom, although I’m not a fan of such heavy-handed generative AI usage. Nevertheless, the pieces are here for future Pixels to maintain good long-range photo quality while adding macro functionality.

In any event, I love telephoto macro capabilities on modern flagship phones. I’m not the only one, either, as colleague Ryan Haines praised this feature on the Nothing Phone 3. So I’d like to see Google step up to the plate and offer this versatile camera option on the Pixel 11 Pro range.

Follow

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.