I tested the 100x zoom cameras of Samsung, Google, and Motorola phones - this model won

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

We tested 3 smartphones successful long-range zoom photography.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Pixel 10 Pro, and Motorola Razr Fold.
Samsung has immoderate catching up to do.

About a period ago, I was successful the midst of reviewing the Motorola Razr Fold portion connected a press travel to the Grand Canyon. The Razr Fold has a Super Res Zoom diagnostic that volition instrumentality a 100x photograph and cleanable it up beauteous convincingly. So, I saw a stream successful the region and pulled retired the Razr Fold to drawback a shot.

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Then, I remembered I had the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra successful my pocket. Samsung is similar the OG of ace res zoom, truthful I decided to drawback the aforesaid shot. The lone occupation is that the Samsung changeable looked truly bad, portion the Motorola -- the folding Motorola -- came retired crispy. Here are the two, broadside by side.

gc-galaxy-s26-ultra-motorola-razr-fold-2026-4k

The Samsung illustration is blurry and splotchy. The Razr Fold illustration looks large connected the tiny surface of the phone, but it gets a spot pixelated erstwhile you stroke it up to a 100% crop. This is simply a taxable you volition announcement implicit time.

Six Flags test

When I got location from the Grand Canyon, I wanted to spot if this was a one-time happening oregon if this was a theme. Just for funsies, I added successful different telephone shaper that besides boasts ace solution zoom capabilities -- the Pixel 10 Pro. I headed disconnected to my section Six Flags amusement parkland present successful Chicago and recovered immoderate of the furthest shots I could find.

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For comparison, erstwhile possible, aft shooting assorted objects astatine 100x zoom, I grabbed a illustration with my Meta Oakley HSTN glasses arsenic adjacent arsenic I could get to amusement you however adjacent each telephone got.

One absorbing happening I noted was that erstwhile you instrumentality a super-zoom photograph with the Pixel and unfastened the photograph close away, it has a small sparkle animation that plays implicit the photograph to bespeak that it's processing. You tin spot that below.

My results

The Razr Fold processes the image, but successful that case, it conscionable cleans it up aft a small delay, with nary UI cue that thing is happening. I similar the Pixel's UI successful that case. The Samsung S26 Ultra doesn't look to process the image, which I find to beryllium incredibly ironic considering however overmuch AI is utilized virtually everyplace other successful the phone. So, without further ado, present are the shots I took.

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I started disconnected by capturing a statue of Foghorn Leghorn. On the near is however helium looked lasting nearby. On the close is however acold distant I was erstwhile I took the changeable -- astir 250 feet. To springiness you an thought of however acold distant I was, I've circled him successful yellowish successful this image:

Now, here's however the res photos turned out. I apologize for the cropping here. My instrumentality went a small wonky, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra didn't cleanable up the representation astatine all. The Pixel 10 Pro really did a nice, creaseless job, portion the Razr seems to person interpreted reflections connected the statue arsenic texture. Still, the second 2 did a acold superior occupation to the Galaxy. This constituent goes to the Pixel.

Next, I grabbed a changeable of a timepiece look from astir 450 feet away. Here's the timepiece look from arsenic adjacent arsenic I could get.

Clock faces are easier due to the fact that they're familiar. There are tons of photos of clocks, aft all, truthful AI has much to enactment with. All the same, successful bid of blurriness, erstwhile again, Samsung was the worst, followed by the Razr, and yet followed by the Pixel, which returns a precise cleanable representation indeed.

Next up, I changeable a basal of stuffed carnal prizes from astir 325 feet away. I was elevated successful this lawsuit due to the fact that I was lasting connected the level for a adjacent roller coaster. Here's the basal from adjacent up.

This peculiar examination is closer, and I deliberation the Razr edges retired the Pixel (no pun intended), but not by a lot. Arguably, the Pixel's representation is simply a spot smoother, but I deliberation the Motorola captures the texture and lighting better.

At night

When I got location that night, I decided to stack the platform successful Samsung's favor. Ever since the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung has boasted 100x zoom, and 1 of the champion ways it manifested was successful photos of the moon. So, I took each 3 cameras retired and changeable the satellite connected a bully acheronian night.

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In this case, the Pixel fought maine a lot. Grabbing an representation of the satellite proved to beryllium truly difficult. The viewfinder jumped astir erratically, and successful astir cases, it conscionable showed a pinpoint of light. Only erstwhile I zoomed backmost retired and zoomed successful dilatory was I capable to seizure the photo, which ended up overexposed anyway.

The Razr captured an representation akin to the Samsung telephone -- some are a tad blurry, but the Razr managed a spot much sharpness than the Samsung. On the smaller telephone surface (and connected societal media), some photos are arsenic good. I deliberation this is the cardinal quality betwixt AI connected the Samsung telephone and the different 2 -- country recognition.

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When Samsung knows what it's looking at, it tin find immoderate large settings for a coagulated shot. But erstwhile it doesn't, it conscionable has to guess. The Razr and the Pixel some bash the same, but the AI is much wide and tin cleanable up much images.

Bottom line

Samsung is slipping down its competitors successful the super-resolution zoom category, truthful it's clip to get caught up. It's besides important to retrieve that successful this case, the Motorola telephone is simply a foldable -- a class that often compromises with the camera. The information that this examination is adjacent imaginable is simply a testament to Motorola's camera technology.

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