Smartphone cameras are so impressive we sometimes just take it for granted. One area in particular that still feels like magic is zoom.
Getting close to a subject without losing detail is tricky when you’ve only got a few millimetres of space to work with inside a phone. No wonder phones still have somewhat huge camera bumps. They need the space to deliver great results.
These days, we’re seeing fewer big upgrades to the main camera, and manufacturers are turning their attention to zoom instead, and they’re all doing it differently.
Let’s talk Huawei, Samsung, and Sony and how they’re trying to solve the zoom problem.
What Do Sensors and Lenses Actually Do?
Before we get into the fancy zoom tricks phone makers are pulling off, let’s break down two key parts of every smartphone camera: the lens and the sensor.
Think of the lens as the camera’s eye. It’s a piece of glass that focuses light from the world onto the sensor. Some lenses are wide-angle and can see a lot of the scene; others are zoomed-in and can bring subjects closer.
Now, the sensor is the camera’s brain. Once the light passes through the lens, it hits the sensor. It is a flat chip that captures the image by turning that light into data. A bigger sensor can capture more light and detail, especially in low light, and that usually means better-looking photos.
In a regular smartphone camera setup, each lens usually has its own sensor behind it. So when you switch between the main camera, an ultra-wide, or a zoom lens, you’re not just changing your view, you’re switching to a completely different camera module.
Understanding this will help you appreciate just how clever these new zoom systems are.
The Dual Zoom level problem
Not all zoom is created equal. Sometimes you just want to zoom in a little, maybe to frame a person nicely without getting too close. Other times, you want to capture something far away, like a building across the street or a stage at a concert. The problem is that a single zoom camera can’t handle both well.
A 10x zoom camera is great for distant subjects but won’t work for everyday shots. Likewise, a 3x zoom might be perfect for portraits but not enough when you need to grab photos of the screen all the way in front in a hall.
That’s why manufacturers are now including multiple zoom cameras, each made for different distances.
If space weren’t an issue, they’d probably pack in even more, just to make sure you get the best possible shot no matter how far your subject is.
Huawei’s Dual-Lens, Single-Sensor Trick
You can see the two lenses side by side in that big one.
Huawei’s solution on the new Pura 80 Ultra is fascinating. Instead of just slapping on two telephoto sensors like others, they’ve developed a dual-lens system that shares a single sensor.
That means instead of having two separate cameras for zooming, Huawei built a clever system where one big camera sensor handles two different levels of zoom.
This allows Huawei to save space inside the phone while still giving you sharp photos whether you’re zooming in a little or a lot.
One lens gives you around 3.7x zoom, the other pushes to 9.4x, and a mechanical prism shifts to direct light from either lens onto the same large sensor.
We’re talking about two lenses, one huge sensor, one module. That’s something most setups that require two zoom cameras can’t match due to space challenges.
The advantage of Huawei’s solution is consistency. Because it’s the same sensor doing the work at both zoom levels, colour science and image characteristics don’t shift much. Also, using one big sensor means better low-light performance at long zooms.
The downside is mechanical complexity. Moving prisms can fail, and you only get full-resolution output at one zoom level. The further zoom is essentially a crop from the same sensor, meaning you get 12.5MP images at 9.4x.
At 3.7x zoom, the full resolution of the sensor is used, capturing 50MP images. However, at 9.4x zoom, the image is just a crop from the same sensor, meaning the effective resolution drops to 12.5MP. This happens because the sensor isn’t physically changing, it’s just using a smaller portion of its pixels to achieve the higher zoom level.
Samsung’s Dual Telephoto Modules
Samsung took a simpler trick with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and its predecessors: just give each zoom level its own camera. One 3x telephoto camera, one 5x periscope, each with its own lens and sensor. No moving prisms, no shared anything.
This setup makes for quick, clean switching between zoom levels. The phone picks the best camera based on where you’re zooming, and the results are often excellent.
But of course there are size and sensor limitations. Both the 3x and the 5x camera modules have a smaller sensor than Huawei’s giant one, and because they’re separate, you sometimes get colour and exposure shifts when switching between lenses.
Also, unlike the Sony below, there’s no in-between zoom without leaning on digital tricks.
Still, Samsung’s system is reliable and versatile, and they’ve had years to refine it. It works, and for most users, that’s enough.
Sony’s Mechanical Zoom
Sony is doing something a bit different from Huawei and Samsung. Instead of using separate lenses for different zoom levels or switching between two fixed zoom positions, Sony built a single lens that can smoothly zoom in and out just like a traditional camera.
In the Xperia 1 VII, Sony uses a special moving lens system inside the phone that lets you zoom from around 3.5x to 7.1x. That means you’re not jumping from one zoom level to another, you can stop anywhere in between, and the zoom is all optical, not digital.
Think of it like turning a zoom ring on a proper camera. It gives you more control and flexibility because it’s not locked to preset zoom steps.
It sounds amazing on paper. But there are catches.
Sony’s sensor on this zoom module is smaller than Huawei’s or Samsung’s, which means it struggles in low light. And because it’s so hard to fit a high-quality zoom lens in a phone, the range is limited, you don’t get that 10x reach Samsung and Huawei offer.
Also, this is Sony, so software isn’t their strong suit. You really have to dive into the pro camera modes to get the best out of it. So far, the reviews I’ve seen show that the Sony phone can’t quite match the competition with its variable zoom.
Still, this is the most camera-like zoom system in a phone right now — even if the execution isn’t perfect.
The 3 solutions
Huawei wants to give you multi-level zoom with one large sensor and complex optics. It’s ambitious but may not last as long, time will tell.
Samsung wants to cover multiple zoom levels with dedicated hardware. It’s reliable and well-supported by software.
Sony wants to bring the old-school camera feel to phones, with a physical zoom lens. This could be the best and so fingers crossed Sony tweaks it in later phones so it can compete and even surpass the others.
Each approach has strengths. Huawei gives you better sensor quality at every zoom level. Samsung gives you flexibility with less risk of mechanical failure. Sony gives you the most technically accurate zoom experience even if it’s not the most practical yet.
The fact that they are all doing their own thing tells you how hard this problem is. But it also means the zoom wars are far from over and that’s good news for anyone who still believes phones can replace cameras.
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