When it comes to choosing a new phone, one of the key features I always look at is the camera performance — specifically, how well the telephoto lens handles zoom shots. In 2025, Android phones continue to dominate the scene with a wide variety of options, offering different zoom levels, apertures, sensor sizes, and even attachments to enhance photography. But having a 5x telephoto lens on paper doesn’t mean all cameras perform the same in real life.
After testing some of the top contenders, including the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Oppo Find X8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, I’m here to share which phone truly stands out for 10x zoom photography and beyond. Spoiler: it’s not just about specs — real-world use tells a different story.
Table of Contents
- 📸 Meet the Contenders: Specs and Setup
- 🔍 First Test: 10x Zoom in Good Light
- 🌳 Tackling a Tricky Scene: Detail and Dynamic Range
- 🔋 Power Up: The CUKTECH 15 Ultra Power Bank
- 🌙 Low Light Challenge: How Do They Perform?
- 🔎 Pushing Limits: 30x Zoom Showdown
- ⛪ Extreme Zoom: 30x on the Church
- 🏆 Final Verdict: Who Wins the 10x Zoom Battle?
- 📚 FAQ: 10x Zoom Camera Phones in 2025
📸 Meet the Contenders: Specs and Setup
I wanted to include my favorite phone of the year, the Oppo Find X8 Ultra, but since it doesn’t have a global release, it missed the chance to compete. Instead, I settled on four powerful phones:
- Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Known for its large one-inch sensor and a high megapixel count.
- Oppo Find X8 Pro: Offers the longest optical zoom at 6x but has the narrowest aperture.
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Features strong zoom capabilities, though with a smaller sensor.
- Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Balances between zoom and sensor size, with Google’s computational photography magic.
On paper, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s one-inch sensor should dominate. The Oppo Find X8 Pro boasts the best optical zoom at 6x, but with a narrower aperture. The rest of the phones have fairly similar sensor sizes, but specs don’t always translate to better photos in real life.
🔍 First Test: 10x Zoom in Good Light
At 10x zoom, you’d expect all phones to handle the shot easily, but even here, some struggled.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra showed a slight halo effect around the flower edges, likely due to lens aberration or multi-frame processing errors. The details were soft, and there was noticeable noise in shadow areas.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL improved slightly with less noise, probably thanks to HDR brightening shadows, but it was still only marginally better than the Samsung.
The Oppo Find X8 Pro applied some denoising even in good light, smoothing out textures like grass and flower pots. However, it excelled in producing vivid colors and strong contrast, outperforming the Pixel and Samsung in this regard.
But the clear winner was the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. It delivered the most accurate details, especially in the grass, with minimal noise and no over-sharpening. This phone truly shines in well-lit 10x zoom shots.
🌳 Tackling a Tricky Scene: Detail and Dynamic Range
Next, I tested a more challenging scene with finer details and varying light.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra, with its tiny sensor, struggled again, showing severe edge aberration and soft details.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL offered more detail but lacked crispness and dynamic range, especially in the tree backgrounds.
The Oppo Find X8 Pro impressed with good dynamic range and fine details, though it relied heavily on sharpening, causing some artifacts along roof tiles.
Once again, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra came out on top. It captured strong details across the entire frame, maintained good contrast and color accuracy, and showed minimal signs of heavy processing, even though the image was slightly underexposed. Its ability to pull 50MP data from the sensor for an effective 8.6x zoom (despite a 4.3x optical zoom) is reminiscent of Google’s computational zoom approach.
🔋 Power Up: The CUKTECH 15 Ultra Power Bank
Before diving into low-light shots, a quick word about the CUKTECH 15 Ultra power bank that kept me powered during testing. It packs a massive 20,000mAh battery and can charge a Galaxy S24 Ultra to over 60% in just 30 minutes — perfect for on-the-go charging.
Features include a 1.3-inch TFT display for real-time data and alerts, compatibility with Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi phones, and three ports (two USB-C and one USB-A). The USB-C port supports up to 140W fast charging, and with beast mode activated (using two chargers simultaneously), it can reach 165W, fully charging the power bank in just 45 minutes.
If you’re interested in a reliable, fast-charging power bank to complement your phone photography adventures, check out the CUKTECH 15 Ultra in the description below.
🌙 Low Light Challenge: How Do They Perform?
Low light is where many phones falter, and these four were no exception.
The Oppo Find X8 Pro’s smaller aperture and sensor size meant it relied heavily on sharpening and multi-frame processing, resulting in less accurate colors and hard-to-read small text.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL suffered from significant noise, making small text equally difficult to decipher.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra struggled with noise too, producing a photo I wouldn’t call great, with almost unreadable small text.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra was still not perfect, but thanks to its larger one-inch sensor and wider aperture, it captured a better photo overall. The small text was more legible compared to the others, which is impressive in such conditions.
🔎 Pushing Limits: 30x Zoom Showdown
At 10x zoom, phones are expected to perform decently, but what happens when you jump to 30x?
The Pixel 9 Pro XL struggled the most here, especially around fine details like signage. Larger text was readable, but smaller text was not, and overall softness marred the image.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra did better, making smaller text somewhat legible and even showing embossing on signs — a notable achievement at this zoom level.
The Oppo Find X8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra surprised me by handling smaller text better than expected. Oppo’s sharpening added edge definition and refinement to stone textures, while Samsung’s photo was softer but managed to keep text readable, although with some clipping and brightness issues.
⛪ Extreme Zoom: 30x on the Church
To really push these cameras, I shot the church again at 30x zoom.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL struggled the most, producing soft images with little detail, making them nearly indistinguishable and both disappointing.
The Oppo Find X8 Pro improved the image with software processing, adding detail that initially looks good but ultimately feels somewhat cartoonish and flat compared to real life. Edges were defined, but the photo lacked natural realism.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra delivered the best-looking shot — more natural colors, minimal distortion, and balanced sharpening and noise reduction. It’s not flawless, with some multi-frame processing artifacts, but it offers the most usable and realistic image among the four.
🏆 Final Verdict: Who Wins the 10x Zoom Battle?
Photography is subjective, but based on these tests, here’s how I rank the phones:
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Some noticeable fringing and aberration, especially at 10x zoom, and struggles in low light.
- Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Performs poorly in low light and at extreme zoom, with noisy and soft images.
- Oppo Find X8 Pro: Surprises with solid performance in good light and good zoom detail, though sometimes over-processed.
- Xiaomi 15 Ultra: The clear winner for consistent performance across bright and dim conditions, delivering detailed, natural photos even at challenging zoom levels.
While the Xiaomi 15 Ultra didn’t dominate every single shot, its overall consistency, especially with bright and dim lighting, and ability to capture detail at extreme zooms with a 4.3x optical lens (boosted computationally) makes it stand out as the best 10x zoom phone camera in 2025.
Let me know if you agree with this assessment — I’m curious to hear your thoughts since photo preferences can be quite personal!
📚 FAQ: 10x Zoom Camera Phones in 2025
Q: Why does sensor size matter for zoom photography?
A larger sensor, like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s one-inch sensor, captures more light and detail, which is crucial for maintaining image quality at higher zoom levels and in low-light conditions.
Q: Can software processing compensate for smaller sensors or apertures?
Yes, computational photography techniques like multi-frame processing and sharpening can enhance images, but they sometimes introduce artifacts or unnatural effects, as seen with the Oppo Find X8 Pro at extreme zoom.
Q: Is a higher optical zoom always better?
Not necessarily. While the Oppo Find X8 Pro offers the longest optical zoom at 6x, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s combination of sensor size and computational zoom techniques delivers better overall image quality at 10x and beyond.
Q: How do these phones perform in low light?
Low light remains challenging. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra performs best here due to its large sensor and wider aperture, while others struggle with noise and loss of detail.
Q: What should I consider if I want the best zoom camera phone?
Look beyond just optical zoom specs. Consider sensor size, aperture, image processing quality, and real-world performance in various lighting conditions for the best results.
