Optical Zoom vs Digital Zoom — What to Know Before Buying

Zoom camera marketing is full of exaggeration. 3x optical = real 3x lens. 100x Space Zoom = 5x optical + 20x digital crop = poor quality. The rule: optical zoom number is real quality, digital multiplier is marketing. Best optical zoom phones: iPhone 16 Pro (5x tetraprism), Galaxy S25 Ultra (5x + 50MP 3x), Pixel 9 Pro XL (5x periscope). For zoom beyond 10x, all phones degrade — invest in a compact camera instead.

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