Although we're all about the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro these days, both phones build on the legacy laid out by their predecessors. Just like on Google's 2022 flagships, the periscope telephoto lens was one of the main differentiators between the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, forcing photo bugs to spend an additional $300 for the additional sensor.

Banner with the AP logo in black along with a black and gray smartphone. The text "Mobile Photography Week" appears horizontally and a "2023 flag is diagonally positioned in the right corner.

Believe it or not, the fancy folded zoom lens is a bit more complicated than you might expect, which has led to plenty of confusion about how the camera system works on the Pixel 6 Pro and its successor. With most smartphones, changing the zoom level in the camera app should be enough to switch between ultra-wide, primary, and telephoto lenses. Still, if you've ever used a Pixel 6 Pro, you'll know Google Camera operates a little differently.

How the telephoto lens works on the Pixel 6 Pro

Photo of a dog laying on grass

Two optical magnification levels are available in the viewfinder with quick taps — 2x and 4x — but only one of them is ever using the zoom lens. A crop of the primary camera is used for 2x shots, which produces typically great images thanks to its large new 50MP main sensor. If you switch to 4x, this is when you can expect to engage the periscope lens. You'll see this happen in the viewfinder. The perspective will shift a little, and the camera will need to refocus.

This is also where things get a bit complicated, as the dedicated zoom lens is only activated in the right conditions. In anything other than a very well-lit scenario, a crop of the main camera continues to be used up until around 7x or 8x, when the 6 Pro might finally decide it has to use the periscope lens in conjunction with digital Super Res zoom. Even in broad daylight, you'll struggle to get the Pixel 6 Pro to use its telephoto lens at 4x indoors. The minimum focus distance for this lens is quite long, so you can't use it at all on objects that are too close (more on that later).

On the other hand, it is sometimes possible to get the telephoto to work in low-light situations. It even supports Night Sight, which allowed us to take that excellent fireplace photo below. Since there are no consistent rules around when the Pixel 6 Pro engages its telephoto — and Google doesn't offer any advice on this — it's likely that many casual users will never know which camera their zoom photos are coming from. This is no doubt intentional, as it's part of the Pixel camera's shtick. It's supposed to be able to take the best possible photo without requiring you to mess with settings or manually adjust anything.

Photo of a fireplace where the logs are obscured in shadow

Night Sight with the primary camera.

Photo of a fireplace where the flame is burning a bit brighter, illuminating the scene around it

Night Sight with the telephoto lens, which is far more impressive.

It's a shame that Google doesn't let us decide when to use the 4x periscope lens, but this may change with an update (or so we hope). When you get it to work, it's one of the best zoom cameras on a smartphone, with many reviewers agreeing that it beats out the 3x telephoto on the latest iPhone Pro. This is partly due to the excellent detail captured by the Pixel 6 Pro's telephoto camera's 48MP sensor, which uses pixel binning for sharp 12MP images.

For those with a Pixel 7 Pro, the sensor works in much the same way, albeit with a completely different model. Google uses a GN1 sensor for its telephoto needs on its latest smartphone. While the quality of the shots is unchanged, the 7 Pro is capable of 5x zooms with up to 30x Super Res Zoom for getting even closer on certain subjects.

Does the Pixel 6 Pro support macro shots?

The primary sensor works in the same way, binning down to 12.5MP photos from the 50MP sensor. The additional detail from the larger sensor allows Google to use cropped main camera images as zoom photos instead of changing the focal length. This brings us to the confusion around the Pixel 6 Pro's macro mode. In the tweet below, a photo taken at 4x zoom is mistaken for a macro shot, even though this isn't a feature present on the Google flagship.

Many phones have a dedicated macro mode, but they use the ultra-wide camera and can focus at very short distances. For example, the camera on the Vivo X70 Pro+ automatically switches to the ultra-wide lens for Super Macro Mode when you get within a couple of inches of a subject. The Pixel 6 Pro has no such feature, automatic or otherwise.

What people are finding, though, is that you can zoom in on objects with the 6 Pro to produce half-decent imitations of macro shots. It almost exclusively uses the main sensor crop rather than the periscope lens in these situations, but it doesn't matter as long as users are happy with the results. Look at some example shots taken using the Pixel 6 Pro compared to Vivo's macro mode.

Vivo macro vs. Pixel zoom.

Vivo macro vs. Pixel zoom.

Vivo macro vs. Pixel zoom.

Vivo macro vs. Pixel zoom.

Vivo macro vs. Pixel zoom.

Vivo macro vs. two attempts with Pixel zoom.

While the Pixel 6 Pro's zoom does an okay job here, it's still no match for a phone with a dedicated macro mode. The perspective of being very close to a subject is not something you can replicate with any kind of zoom. As you can see from the above shots, the Pixel 6 Pro doesn't quite match the Vivo X70 Pro+ for detail. While you get more of the subject in focus with the Pixel's zoom, that focus is softer than the sharpest part of the image for each Vivo sample, and that's what you're looking for with a true macro shot. The Pixel's fake "macro" photos are usable for most use cases. Still, with so many other premium flagship phones offering dedicated macro modes, it's a shame not to see Google among them.

What about macro mode on the Pixel 7 Pro?

Perhaps in response to our clamoring for more options on the Pixel 6 Pro, Google included a dedicated macro mode on its successor, thanks to its upgraded ultra-wide lens. At launch, opinions were mixed. In our review of the Pixel 7 Pro, we weren't impressed with its performance, particularly in low-light or indoor environments. Even months after arriving on store shelves, macro mode remains divisive. Focusing on the right subject, in particular, remains a challenge when compared to competing devices.

The Pixel 7 Pro sitting next to a muffin

Even more frustrating was how the Pixel's macro mode works. As you'd expect from a company that pushes simplicity in its camera experience, Google shipped the device with an automatic macro mode that could only be turned off when active. In other words, you had to wait for the phone to enter macro mode on its own rather than tapping a button in the UI. Thankfully, Google listened to fan feedback, shipping an update to its camera app that put macro mode settings in a drop-down menu with options for auto, off, and on.

It's all about the telephoto

Google continues to evolve its smartphone lineup with each successive entry, with the Pixel 7 Pro delivering what 6 Pro owners wanted more than anything. Although a proper macro mode never arrived in the form of a Feature Drop — something that plenty of users hoped for — getting "good enough" shots remains doable thanks to the 2x telephoto lens.

Despite including a real macro mode on the Pixel 7 Pro, it's not worth the year-over-year upgrade for most buyers. Thanks to an improved design, a faster processor, and a 5x telephoto lens with up to 30x Super Res Zoom, jumping between Pixel generations might make sense for some buyers — particularly if you can find the 2022 flagship at a lower price on sale.

Render of the Pixel 7 Pro in Hazel
Google Pixel 7 Pro

Google's Pixel 7 Pro refines the Pixel experience after the 6 Pro's initial stumbles last year, improving stability and taking the camera prowess to new levels with image fusing and 4K60fps video on all cameras. 30W fast charging and Pixel's addictive features like automatic Call screening and Pixel recorder help make the Pixel 7 Pro an alluring phone even as an iterative update.