Pixel 10 allegedly adds a telephoto camera to the base model, leaker claims

According to a leaker’s claim, Google’s upcoming Pixel 10 may upgrade the camera setup with a periscope telephoto lens on the base model, something that’s been missing previously.

One of the biggest differentiators between the base Pixel “flagship” each year and the “Pro” model has been the telephoto camera lens, or lack thereof. Google’s first devices of the Tensor era established the trend, with the Pixel 6 only having main and ultrawide cameras, and the Pixel 6 Pro having the addition of a periscope telephoto lens for better zoom. This came as a big downside to those who preferred the smaller size of the “base” model as opposed to the large displays of the Pro.

Google kept up that pattern until 2024, when the Pixel 9 series introduced a smaller Pixel 9 Pro which had the same camera setup as the larger Pro XL.

For 2025, it seems Google is changing things up again, as a new leak claims that the base Pixel 10 will have a telephoto lens.

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Visible in the CAD-based renders that leaked earlier today, @OnLeaks claims that the base Pixel 10 will have a telephoto lens of some kind. The specs are unclear, but the additional lens is shown in these leaks. However, we’ll have to take this with a huge grain of salt.

First and foremost, we have to look at the camera module itself. Google has adjusted the width of the glass portion of the camera bar on this device, seemingly leaving room for an additional lens. In fact, as seen below, the new glass portion is exactly as wide as it is on the Pixel 10 Pro. This does suggest that additional camera hardware is being added.

That said, the placement of the lenses on the base device are different from the Pro, with the claimed telephoto lens simply looking far too narrow compared to most others we’ve seen. It seems possible that some other camera tweak is being misperceived as a telephoto camera. A recent error with CAD-based Galaxy Z Flip 7 leaks from the same source suggests an error like this is entirely possible.

Differences between the Pixel 10 and the Pro devices will still be present even if a telephoto camera is added. For instance, the temperature sensor introduced on Pixel 8 Pro is still visible in this leak. Google also left Pixel 9 with less RAM and thicker display bezels compared to its Pro devices. It also stands to reason that, if a telephoto camera is added, it may not be as strong as the one in the Pro devices.

What do you think?

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