It’s 2024, and the zooming capabilities of smartphones are reaching new heights (literally). While Samsung’s eye-popping 100x zoom is a headline-grabber, the competition is fierce. Major players like Huawei, Apple, and Google are also pushing the envelope with their zoom features. But have you ever wondered how the zooming mechanism works on a smartphone? If the answer is yes, you’re in for a treat. In this week’s MSP Explained edition, we’re diving deep into how smartphone Zoom works and what makes it so fascinating.
What is a Smartphone Camera Zoom?
Smartphone zoom refers to the ability to magnify a subject within a frame. Unlike traditional cameras, smartphones use a combination of hardware and software to achieve this effect. Primarily, there are three types of zooming mechanisms used on a smartphone: optical, digital, and hybrid. Here’s what it means:
Optical Zoom
Optical zoom is the real deal. It uses physical lenses to magnify the image, much like a traditional camera. This means you get a closer view without sacrificing image quality. Think of it as using binoculars to see something far away – you’re getting a clearer, more detailed look.
However, you might wonder how optical zoom works on a smartphone, especially when camera lenses move to achieve zoom and smartphone lenses don’t protrude.
Today, most smartphone makers use a periscope-like lens setup to achieve the same effect without affecting the phone’s appearance. In smartphones, the lenses don’t move to achieve optical zoom. Instead, the phone seamlessly switches to a camera with a higher magnification factor.
What Is a Periscope Lens?
A periscope lens, inspired by submarine technology, uses mirrors and prisms to bend light, allowing smartphones to fit longer lenses inside their compact bodies. This clever design enables higher zoom levels without sacrificing image quality, providing users with better photography capabilities.
In our previous MSP Explained guide, we have covered everything about periscope lenses on smartphones, including what they are and how they work. You can read that detailed explanation here.
Digital Zoom
Digital Zoom, on the other hand, relies on software rather than hardware. It crops and enlarges a portion of the image, making it appear closer. However, this comes at the cost of image quality. As you zoom in digitally, the image becomes increasingly pixelated and blurry. It’s like enlarging a small photo.
However, it’s not that digital zoom is completely useless. Today, most budget smartphones come with digital zooming capabilities. To improve the zooming experience and help users take good photos, smartphone companies have started implementing software and AI enhancements to make digitally zoomed photos more acceptable.
Hybrid Zoom
As the name suggests, Hybrid zoom is a combination of optical and digital zoom. Smartphones use software to blend the two, delivering better results than digital zoom alone. While it’s not as good and pure as optical zoom, it can offer a decent balance of reach and image quality.
This approach is similar to Night Mode and HDR but focuses on detail rather than exposure. Today, most smartphones have multiple camera setups. Manufacturers use the phone’s different sensors and focal lengths to capture details from various cameras simultaneously. This information is then intelligently used to enhance the digitally zoomed photo.
How Much Zoom is Sufficient for a Smartphone?
No one answer fits all; it all depends on your needs. For casual photography, a 2-3x optical zoom is often enough. If you’re a keen photographer, a higher optical zoom, like 5x or even 10x, can be beneficial for capturing distant subjects. Beyond that, digital zoom takes over, and image quality starts deteriorating rapidly.
Phones with Best Zooming Capabilities
| Smartphone | Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom | Hybrid Zoom |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | 10x | Up to 100x | Yes |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Up to 5x | Up to 25x | Yes |
| Xiaomi 14 Ultra | Up to 5x | Up to 30x | Yes |
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | Up to 5x | Up to 30x | Yes |
| OPPO Reno 12 Pro | Up to 2x | Up to 20x | Yes |
| Vivo X100 Pro | Up to 4.3x | Up to 10x | Yes |
| OnePlus 12R | Up to 3x | Up to 20x | Yes |
| Nothing Phone (2) | No optical zoom | Up to 5x | No hybrid zoom |
| Motorola Edge 50 Pro | Up to 3x | Up to 30x | Yes |
| iPhone 14 | Up to 3x | Up to 15x | Yes |
| Google Pixel 8a | No optical zoom | Up to 5x | No hybrid zoom |
Conclusion
So, that covers everything about smartphone zooming capabilities. Now, the question is, which type of zooming mechanism is better, and what should you consider when buying a new smartphone? Well, the answer is quite simple,
- If zooming is important to you and your budget allows it, opt for a smartphone with optical zoom capabilities. Most flagship phones use this technology.
- If you’re okay with average zooming capabilities, want a device that takes good pictures, and use the zooming feature mainly to create a better frame and composition, a hybrid mechanism is a good choice. It offers the best of both worlds without breaking the bank.
- Digital Zoom is perfect for someone who doesn’t care much about Zoom. If you’re a casual user who wants a decent camera and likes to open the camera app and tap the shutter button, digital zoom will suit you just fine.
While good zooming capabilities help you capture far-off objects better, it is up to you what you want to focus on!
