Chances are high, you’ve got seen a surprising live performance video on a social media app like TikTok or Instagram. One that appears just like the particular person recording is true subsequent to your favourite artist or band, besides they’re actually within the higher decks. The unsung hero making all these spectacular pictures and recordings potential is the trendy telephoto lens on the finest smartphones.
Telephoto lenses make the most of specialised digital camera {hardware} to offer optical zoom — in different phrases, they will zoom in with out compromising picture high quality. A extra widespread type of smartphone zoom is digital zoom, which is lossy. It is like once you zoom into a photograph you’ve got already taken and it begins to get grainy and noisy. For that reason, telephoto lenses are most popular, however they are not ubiquitous on all smartphones but.
I used a telephone with a telephoto lens for 2 years earlier than switching to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which does not embrace one for the sake of thinness. After testing telephones just like the iPhone 16 Professional, Google Pixel 9 Professional XL, and Samsung Galaxy S25 — all of which included telephoto cameras — I anticipated to overlook it quite a bit. To seek out out simply how a lot, I took my Galaxy S25 Edge to a live performance, and this is the way it went.
The Galaxy S25 Edge has satisfactory zoom capabilities… to a degree
I took the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge to a couple occasions at MetLife Stadium, together with a live performance and a FIFA Membership World Cup match. Often, I would have a telephone with a telephoto lens with me, however I solely carried the Galaxy S25 Edge for these journeys. That left the smartphone’s most important 200MP sensor and secondary 12MP ultrawide as my solely choices for capturing content material whereas out and about.
Because it seems, a few of the criticism in regards to the Galaxy S25 Edge not having a telephoto digital camera is a bit overblown. The large 200MP, f/1.7 most important digital camera sensor allows Samsung to make the most of a helpful trick referred to as sensor crop. Primarily, Samsung can use solely a part of the big 200MP sensor to seize a close-up model of the photograph with out sacrificing high quality.
At smaller zoom lengths, like 2x or 4x zoom, you must get a high-quality picture. Since 2x zoom makes use of solely in-sensor crop, which is lossless, meaning you get nice pictures akin to a telephoto lens when utilizing it. Within the gallery under, the primary picture is captured at 1x zoom, and the second was taken with 2x zoom.
Picture 1 of 2
As you’ll be able to see, there isn’t any noticeable high quality loss between the 2 pictures. Nevertheless, that is solely relevant at actually low zoom lengths. It isn’t as helpful for concert events for that motive, as a result of something past 2x zoom is digital with AI enhancements. The outcomes could be hit and miss.
As you’ll be able to see under, there is a large dropoff between the primary photograph (1x zoom) and the second photograph (~10x zoom). The standard loss is very large, granted, I used to be fairly distant. Longer pictures captured with digital zoom on the Galaxy S25 Edge are nonetheless satisfactory, however fall quick at getting all the finer particulars proper.
Picture 1 of 2
There is not sufficient element to even inform what precisely I used to be capturing within the second photograph, which was totally counting on digital zoom and AI enhancements. In actuality, it was the DJ working below the clear tent close to the middle of the body. The digital zoom high quality simply wasn’t ok at 10x zoom or increased for that to be clear.
On this occasion, I would most likely desire a telephone with a telephoto digital camera, just like the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL. Whereas it maxes out at 5x optical zoom, the advantages would’ve additionally been prevalent at longer zoom lengths.
How significantly better are telephones with telephoto cameras?
In case you are interested in how significantly better a telephone with a telephoto lens is at capturing zoom pictures, let’s check out digital camera samples from my iPhone 16 Professional. That is the telephone that the Galaxy S25 Edge replaces in my on a regular basis carry, and it has a telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. Unsurprisingly, the zoom pictures from my iPhone 16 Professional turned out higher, even though I used to be a lot increased up.
They don’t seem to be successful any awards and definitely look grainy in some locations, however you’ll be able to inform precisely who’s performing and what is going on on. That is true despite the fact that I zoomed in far past the iPhone’s 5x optical zoom capabilities to seize pictures of Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and DJ Mustard.
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For perspective, I used to be sitting within the 200 degree of MetLife Stadium after I took pictures with the Galaxy S25 Edge. In the meantime, the pictures you are seeing from the iPhone 16 Professional have been shot from the second-to-last row of the 400 degree of State Farm Stadium. If you have not been to those venues, that is wonderful; all you want to know is that I used to be means increased and pictures nonetheless turned out sharper with the iPhone and its telephoto lens.
I would not put zoom pictures taken at 10x zoom or higher on my wall from both digital camera, however there is not any doubt that the telephoto lens on the iPhone 16 Professional improved live performance photograph high quality. The identical could be true with a comparable Android telephone just like the Pixel 9 Professional XL or Galaxy S25 Extremely.
Why I did not really feel misplaced and not using a telephoto digital camera
On the finish of the day, these digital camera exams led me to a stunning conclusion — I can stay and not using a devoted telephoto lens if a telephone’s most important digital camera is sweet sufficient. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge’s zoom pictures left a bit to be desired, however I obtained a few of my favourite live performance pictures ever out of the 200MP most important sensor. That features this low-light shot under, that includes a bunch of lights and shiny fireworks in movement.
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For that reason, I would not say that telephoto lenses are important for flagships in 2025. There are different causes I would be prepared to sacrifice one, like in favor of a extra compact design or a greater most important digital camera. I additionally would not say they’re overrated, both. Telephoto lenses are actually excellent additions to the finest digital camera telephones, and we should not take them without any consideration.
My stunning favourite
Regardless of not having a telephoto lens, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge turned in a few of my favourite convert pictures but. Paired with its thinness and different options, I am proud of my alternative to go away telephoto lenses behind — for now.
Nice for live performance pictures
Sure, the telephoto digital camera with 5x optical zoom on the iPhone 16 Professional makes an enormous distinction when taking pictures from distant. The distinction was stark in comparison with my Galaxy S25 Edge.
A telephoto champ
The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL is a thicker Android telephone than the Galaxy S25 Edge, nevertheless it packs a devoted telephoto lens with help for as much as 5x optical zoom.
