Entire Pixel 10 series’ camera specs revealed, and its a mixed bag of upgrades and downgrades

As we are inching closer to the official unveiling of Google’s Pixel 10 series, leaks are also revealing certain aspects of the devices under development. According to a recent report, the base Pixel 10 would finally snag a telephoto lens, aligning it with the Pro models. Now, thanks to insider documents viewed by Android Authority, we’ve got the full camera specifications of all models—and it’s a mixed bag of upgrades and compromises.

The addition of a telephoto in the Pixel 10 is accompanied by downgraded main and ultrawide

Since the Pixel 6, the base models have included only wide and ultrawide lenses on the back, while Pro models pack an additional telephoto lens. The Pixel 10 series rewrites that script. The base Pixel 10 gains an 11MP Samsung 3J1 telephoto—borrowed from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

But here’s a catch: its primary sensor swaps the hefty GNV (1/1.31″) for the smaller Samsung GN8 (1/1.95″), and the ultrawide drops from an IMX858 (1/2.55″) to a Sony IMX712 (1/3.1″). Notably, these are the exact same sensors the Pixel 9a uses, which is a bit disappointing.

Smaller sensors have weaker low-light performance, a trade-off Google’s AI and algorithms can only soften, not erase. The selfie cam holds steady from last year, but the rest feels like a Pixel 9a remix with an added telephoto.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL keep their camera hardware unchanged, leaning on the Tensor G5’s custom ISP and fresh algorithms to squeeze out improvements. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold gets a minor tweak, ditching the Sony IMX787 (Pixel 8a) for the GN8 (Pixel 9a), but it hardly deserves a headline.

Google is widening the gap between its base and Pro tiers, a trend that kicked off last year. The Pixel 10’s camera downgrade—swapping bigger sensors for smaller ones—likely offsets the cost and space of that new telephoto lens. Later this year, we’ll see if Google’s gamble pays off. Despite the smaller main and ultrawide sensors on the base model, the final output may not differ much compared to the Pixel 9—since image processing plays a major role and can improve independently of the sensors.

Don’t miss a thing! Join our Telegram community for instant updates and grab our free daily newsletter for the best tech stories!

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

(Source)