I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of this year thinking a lot about Google’s current Pixel lineup. Last week, I shared some of those thoughts ahead of this month’s rumored Pixel 9a unveiling, writing how that phone can and should finally shut down never-ending conversations surrounding the A-series’ price. I came out the other side feeling pretty optimistic; in my eyes, Google has finally cemented its lineup in a way that feels just easy enough to explain to anyone who walks into a carrier store.
So naturally, today’s Pixel 10 leak threw a wrench in my entire argument. While practically everything about our first round of renders for Google’s 2025 flagships points towards a spec-based refresh — with Tensor G5 being the thing that likely drives adoption — it’s the plain Jane Pixel 10 that has eyebrows raised across the web. If these CAD-based renders from well-known leaker OnLeaks are correct, the Pixel 10 is about to get some sort of telephoto lens, erasing one of the main differences between it and Google’s Pro-series of smartphones. And frankly, I’m not sure what to make of it.
The Pixel 10 could get a telephoto lens to match its Pro-siblings
But it’ll come at a cost
In case you missed the news, here’s what’s up. This morning, OnLeaks and Android Headlines released renders for the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL. By and large, these designs are virtually unchanged from their predecessors; even their respective dimensions are effectively identical. Certainly, the Pixel 10 series will sport some serious upgrades, and not just thanks to Tensor G5. Brighter displays, longer-lasting batteries, and maybe even a memory upgrade past 16GB for more on-device AI skills all seem like good guesses.
But going off these renders alone, only one thing truly stuck out: an additional sensor on the regular Pixel 10. OnLeaks followed up his renders by clarifying that it seems to be either a telephoto or periscope lens of some kind, and indeed, these CAD-based images do display a Pixel 9 Pro-esque periscope sensor hiding behind the camera bar. That would represent a huge change to Google’s lineup, axing one of the few things that currently has buyers paying $200 extra for the Pixel 9 Pro.
I’m just not sure this makes much sense to me. Last year, AP’s EIC James Peckham already found few reasons to pick up the Pixel 9 Pro over the cheaper Pixel 9, and delivering any kind of telephoto sensor would see Google ditching the most important one. In a world where the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro both offer main, ultra-wide, and telephoto sensors, the list of differences between these two devices starts looking pretty thin.
Sure, there’s the RAM allotment. Google used 12GB in the regular Pixel 9, but 16GB in the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL. I would expect to see a difference once more, even if memory increases for models across the board. The Pixel 9 uses Google’s Actua display, while the Pixel 9 Pro has a Super Actua display. No doubt the Pixel 9 Pro has the better, brighter, sharper panel, but I think both look good to my eye, and Super Actua certainly isn’t worth the $200 price difference on its own.
Otherwise, I’m struggling to think of differences. Google swaps the matte and glossy finishes between the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, but I don’t think anyone’s making their decision based on that — especially when a case covers it all up anyway. And all that has me wondering what purpose the smaller Pixel 10 Pro would serve sandwiched between two smartphones that make a whole lot more sense on paper.
A Pixel 10 telephoto lens makes some sort of sense
Just don’t expect the same sensor across all three phones
Okay, so what do I think is happening here? Well, OnLeaks’ record speaks for itself; I definitely think something is happening with the Pixel 10’s camera module, but there are more possibilities at play here than you might think.
Let’s start with the most obvious: the Pixel 10 actually getting a telephoto lens. Although they’re fairly rare on anything but the higher end of flagships, you can find both telephoto and periscope sensors on cheaper devices. Nothing’s Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, for example, come equipped with a 2x telephoto sensor and a 3x periscope sensor, respectively. If the Pixel 10 is, in fact, getting a zoom-based upgrade, I’d look for something like either of these, a far cry from the 5x sensor seen on the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL.
But for my money, Google has the best digital zoom in the game right now, so even a 2x telephoto sensor could help boost its telephoto game on its starter flagship. That could allow the Pixel 10 to move up to, say, 16x Super Res Zoom, rather than being stuck at just 8x like the current Pixel 9.
The Pixel 9 Pro… or is it the Pixel 10?
Obviously, your guess is as good as mine when it comes to the specific sensor, but I’d be shocked to see the same 5x periscope lens show up on the regular Pixel 10, and not just because it would render the Pixel 10 Pro redundant. Ben Schoon at 9to5Google put today’s renders up against each other and found that, while the Pixel 10 has room for an additional sensor compared to the Pixel 9, the lenses in these rumors are clearly located in different places. It’s an odd alignment, and suggests the two models won’t share sensors.
I feel pretty confident Google wouldn’t want to step on its Pro-series shoes, even if adding any kind of telephoto sensor probably guarantees some Pixel fans will stick to the cheaper option. But since we’re likely five or six months out from the Pixel 10’s debut, why not spend some time dreaming up what else this space could be used for! Here are my “best” theories:
- A LIDAR sensor. Google is going all in on Android XR this year, thanks in large part to its partnership with Samsung. A LiDAR sensor would give a boost to the Pixel 10’s AR abilities, but it also wouldn’t make much sense to appear here and not on the Pixel 10 Pro or Pro XL. In other words, it’s probably not this.
- Nothing. Seriously. Maybe Google just enlarged the uncovered space on the Pixel 10’s camera bar to make it look more in line with the Pixel 10 Pro. Stranger things have happened, but I have to imagine something is going into that space.
- A macro sensor. Honestly, I just think this would be funny. Can you imagine an $800 Pixel 10 with a useless 2MP macro sensor that only exists to pad out the specs sheet? It even has an ultra-wide sensor capable of macrophotography, and yet, this being the final outcome of my endless speculation would honestly leave me laughing. Let’s do it, why not?
This far out from launch, your guess is as good as mine
Except my macro sensor guess. That one’s even better
The more I think about it, the more I think Google must be adding a (likely) telephoto sensor to its starting model in the Pixel 10. That’s good news for consumers looking to get the most bang for their buck, but that always comes at the risk of burning a higher-tier model in the process. My hope, of course, is that Google follows this by delivering an even bigger boost to the camera systems found on the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL. If I’m getting tired of the way the Pixel’s photos look, delivering bigger, better sensors is one way to win me back.
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