Pixel 4 Probably has a Telephoto Lens (Updated: 16MP)

Pixel 4 the Zoom God.

Thanks to an early outing of the Pixel 4’s camera by Google, we know that Google’s new phones will have more than one camera on their backsides for the first time. Speculation over what that camera might do covers everything from ultra-wide shooting to the zoom or telephoto action we’ve seen from various smartphone makers. The latest Google Camera app may have confirmed that it’ll be the latter.

The folks at XDA dug into Google Camera 6.3 from an early release of Android Q Beta 5 and found “telephoto” references in a couple of places. The first was in relation to Google’s Super Res Zoom, as if the Pixel 4 with a telephoto lens may be able to take advantage of that AI magic. The other is a straight-up sensor ID called “GCAM_SENSOR_ID_REAR_TELEPHOTO.”

Since there isn’t currently a Pixel phone with a rear telephoto camera sensor, I’m not sure what else this could be referring to other than the Pixel 4, which we know has a secondary rear camera.

• UPDATE: The crew at 9to5Google dug deeper into Google Camera 6.3 and discovered that the Pixel 4 telephoto camera might shoot at a 16MP resolution.

So if you were considering the new Pixel 4 already, but curious about that secondary camera, I think we have a good idea as to what it’ll be. While ultra-wide cameras are a lot of fun, a telephoto secondary shooter is probably the more practical addition for most people.

• Poll: Would you rather have a telephoto or ultra-wide secondary?

// XDA