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The ultimate zoom comparison: is the Samsung S24 Ultra better than the S23 Ultra?
by Lorenz Keller
No good photos, but like having a handy pair of binoculars: the Pro Res Zoom on the Pixel 10
14.10.2025
Translation: Katherine Martin
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
I used to think 100x zoom on phones was a nonsensical gimmick. The Pixel 10 changes that with its Pro Res Zoom – but not because of its image quality.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL features the new Pro Res Zoom. The up to 100x zoom is digital. An AI-powered feature from Google is used to post-edit the image. Sharpening works surprisingly well – at least as long as no writing is involved. I’m still not convinced by the quality of the photos. But the Pro Res Zoom means the phone is a good substitute for binoculars.
What’s that up there on the mountain?
On vacation in Crete, I look up from our roof terrace on the coast towards a 600-metre-high mountain and see there’s something there. A ruin is marked there on OpenStreetMap. But it should actually be behind the hilltop. I don’t have binoculars with me, but I remember the Pixel 10 Pro XL has Pro Res Zoom.
The subject doesn’t move, so I can use my phone to take good photos of it from very far away. Later, when I want to know whether eagles or vultures are circling overhead, the phone is no help. They move too fast for the small field of view.
Back to the mountain: the 100x zoom provides a definite answer. What I see is a tree and not a ruin. I find it impressive how well the AI resharpens the tree and the rock.
For comparison: this is the view of the mountain with the main camera. The tree is even less visible here than in real life with the naked eye.
How does the Pro Res Zoom compare?
Back in Hamburg, I want to know: how does Google’s Pro Res Zoom compare to other 100x digital zooms? I still have the Xiaomi 15 Ultra to hand, and it even has 120x digital zoom. I use the 100x zoom on it for comparison.
On a sunny afternoon, I climb the outside steps of the Green Bunker on Feldstrasse and look towards St. Michael’s Church.
With the 100x zoom, I only have the clock of Hamburg’s main church in the image. The two phones seem to focus on different things. Both phones sharpen the clock face so that it’s easily recognisable. But while the Pixel optimises the exposure to the clock in the shade, the Xiaomi opts for the clock face in the sun.
Xiaomi also runs software over the photos. But editing takes less time than on the Pixel. Instead, I only get to see the edited version of the image.
The second attempt is a look at the Millerntor. Here’s the photo taken by the main camera first again.
This time, the AI also has to edit text. The Pixel does a good job with the Rabauken Block, but is stumped by the St. Pauli flag – and doesn’t even seem to recognise the iconic skull and crossbones. The lettering on the flag isn’t perfect with the Xiaomi either, but it’s still visible and not completely distorted. The Rabauken Block, on the other hand, appears less accurate.
My new digital binoculars
Although the AI often ensures a sharper image with the Pixel 10’s Pro Res Zoom, text and graphic elements in particular push the AI to the limits of its capabilities. The image quality of the 100x digital zoom has improved to «I can make something out», but remains modest.
I’ll still not use the 100x zoom for photos – but it’ll make a perfectly good substitute for binoculars.
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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