The telephoto lens is the standout feature of smartphone cameras.

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How it started
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra may not have been the first smartphone to sport a periscopic telephoto lens—Huawei and Oppo had that covered—but it was the first in the US to really hype it up. The marketing blitz for the S20 Ultra revolved around its so-called Space Zoom, featuring a 5x optical folded periscope lens that could digitally zoom even further. Samsung even emblazoned “Space Zoom 100x” on the back of the phone, just in case anyone missed the point.

The phone stirred up quite a debate. Many questioned the need for a camera that could zoom in so far you could peek into the upper floors of a skyscraper; some suggested it was only useful for unsavory purposes; others simply noted that most photos taken at 100x zoom were pretty terrible. Samsung and its rivals took this feedback to heart, shifting their focus away from 100x zoom in favor of promoting better quality shots at shorter distances in their marketing.

However, the competition in telephoto cameras didn’t slow down. Apple launched its first iPhone with a 3x telephoto, the 13 Pro, in 2021, although it wouldn’t introduce a true periscope until two years later. That same year, Google added a 48-megapixel, 4x periscopic telephoto to its Pixel 6 Pro, while Samsung upped the ante with a 10x telephoto on its S21 Ultra, a feat Huawei had already accomplished a year prior. Alongside these longer zooms, manufacturers began incorporating larger sensors, faster apertures, and more pixels to stay competitive.

Cameras have always been a battleground for smartphone makers, and for good reason: a 2023 survey revealed that over half of US flagship phone buyers consider photo quality a crucial factor in their purchasing decisions, with battery life being the only feature deemed more important. As other specifications have become more uniform, cameras provide a unique opportunity for differentiation, from eye-catching lens designs to high-resolution sensors, resulting in notable variations in photo quality, color accuracy, and exposure.

Telephoto cameras have gained particular attention because main cameras have reached a level of excellence that makes them hard to improve upon. Even budget Android phones can capture stunning photos in various lighting conditions—low light, once a fierce battleground for manufacturers, is now largely a solved issue. Selfie and ultrawide cameras are also quite capable, but they don’t attract the same level of scrutiny regarding their photo quality. Telephotos, on the other hand, still carry a reputation for producing grainy images of distant subjects, leaving plenty of room for manufacturers to innovate and enhance their offerings.

How it’s going
Manufacturers are now exploring increasingly elaborate hardware configurations to gain an edge. Vivo has pushed for higher resolutions, introducing a 200-megapixel telephoto in its X100 Ultra, a feature that has since been adopted by Honor, Xiaomi, and others. Samsung is among several brands that have included dual telephoto lenses on a single device, each offering different zoom capabilities. Sony attempted to outdo the competition with continuous optical zoom on its Xperia 1 IV, while Xiaomi recently revived this concept for its 17 Ultra, adding a rotatable zoom ring to the camera module. Last year’s Huawei Pura 80 Ultra featured two telephoto lenses atop a single sensor, utilizing a movable prism to direct light from the appropriate lens, allowing for a larger sensor than typically found in other phones.

The latest trend in competition has extended beyond the phone itself. Vivo was the first to introduce a telephoto extender for its X200 Ultra, an add-on lens that attaches to the phone via a special case, achieving 8.7x optical zoom from a lens the size of a Coke can. Others quickly followed suit, with Oppo and Honor offering similar extender lenses, although some third-party manufacturers have been providing comparable add-on lenses for years.

Increasingly, manufacturers are realizing that longer zooms aren’t always the best approach. Recent Ultra models from Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi have reverted to shorter 3-4x optical zooms, which are more practical for portrait and product photography. Larger sensors and faster apertures allow these cameras to capture more light than older telephotos, perform better in low light, and create natural bokeh without needing a dedicated portrait mode. When using these phones, I often find myself taking most of my photos with the telephoto cameras, as they provide more appealing framing and depth compared to the flat, wide main cameras. Telephotos are not just improving—they’re becoming the standout cameras on smartphones.

What happens next
For now, expect the competition to keep heating up. We’ll likely see imitators of Xiaomi’s innovative continuous zoom and Huawei’s dual-lens systems, while traditional telephotos will continue to feature larger sensors and wider apertures. More add-on lenses are on the horizon, likely becoming longer and larger, and possibly incorporating their own continuous zoom capabilities.

One clear area for growth is AI zoom. Smartphones have leveraged machine learning to enhance digital zoom for years, but we’re now seeing generative AI applied for similar effects, particularly in the Pixel 10 series’ Pro Res Zoom. This raises questions about the nature of photography, with Google wisely disabling the feature when faces are detected to avoid potential issues. However, with rising costs driven by the RAM crisis, manufacturers are likely to explore new software solutions to enhance photos rather than relying solely on increasingly expensive hardware.

Low light photography remains a challenge for many telephotos compared to main cameras. Smaller sensors and apertures, along with stabilization issues in delicate periscopic setups, make it tough to achieve great results in dim conditions. However, significant improvements have been made in recent years, and I expect this trend to continue.

Beyond that, the future is uncertain. We’re nearing a point of diminishing returns for telephoto lenses, especially outside of the rarely used 100x zoom capabilities. While Ultra phone telephotos still hold a significant advantage over those in standard flagships or budget devices, that could change, prompting manufacturers to seek new avenues for competition.

By the way
* Apple is taking a unique approach by claiming that its various digital focal lengths equate to telephoto lenses. This means even the iPhone Air’s single physical lens can provide “a total of four lenses in your pocket.”
* To clarify, “zoom” and “telephoto” aren’t synonymous. A zoom lens can shift between different focal lengths, while a telephoto lens has a long focal length. Very few smartphones feature true zoom lenses; most have telephotos.

Read this
* An outlet provides a solid introductory explanation of how periscope lenses function and the physical limitations of this design.
* Another outlet offers an entertaining overview of the early days of optical zoom in feature phones and the first smartphones, showcasing some truly wild designs.