Pixel 10 Will Use Its Telephoto Camera For Macro Shots — Here’s Why That’s Smart

Over the last few months, we’ve seen more and more smartphones opt to use Tele-Macro on their smartphones. This is a feature where the phone uses the telephoto sensor for macro photography instead of the ultrawide sensor. This is actually not new; in fact, Samsung did it for a single year on the Galaxy Z Fold – the Galaxy Z Fold 4, to be exact – and then ditched it. But now it seems to be coming back into fashion.

OPPO announced the Find N5 earlier this year with Tele-macro capabilities, the OnePlus 13 technically does tele-macro, even though OnePlus never talked about it, and there are more coming soon that will also offer tele-macro. And that includes the Pixel 10.

Interestingly, Google is not removing the macro functionality from the ultrawide sensor. This is because the telephoto sensor’s minimum focusing distance is further than the ultrawide. So depending on how far away you are from the subject will determine which lens the Pixel 10 will use.

This is actually a really good move by Google. Telephoto sensors are typically better, optics-wise, than the ultrawide sensor. Providing a better quality image on macro. Additionally, using the telephoto sensor means you can be further away from the subject, which is great for capturing insects. But it also means that you and the camera won’t be blocking the light. Keep in mind that macro photography does need a good bit of light to produce a good image.

Google Pixel 10 will be announced on August 20

As we have already exclusively reported, the Google Pixel 10 release date is August 28, with the Made by Google event and pre-orders opening on August 20. This is a week later than last year, when Google announced the Pixel 9 series on August 13; however, the different Pixel devices did have different launch dates. So hopefully with this later announcement, all four Pixel 10 models will ship on the same date – August 28.

Google is also revamping the colors this time around, and ditching Obsidian and Porcelain. Instead, the Google Pixel 10 colors will include Ultra Blue, Limoncello, Iris, and Midnight as color options. The Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL will have Sterling Gray, Light Porcelain, Midnight, and Smoky Green, while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will only have Sterling Gray and Smoky Green as color options.