The Google Pixel 6 XL will offer 5x optical zoom, according to code in the third beta of Android 12 which is currently being rolled out to Pixel handsets.
Until recently, Google’s forthcoming high-end flagship was referred to as “Pixel 6 Pro,” but documentation uploaded by Google for new Game Mode APIs kind of cemented that the maxed-out variant will use the XL moniker. It goes without saying that the standard model is named the Pixel 6.
Rumors and leaked renders have indicated that the Pixel 6 XL will come with a triple camera system, and while there seems to be consensus on the phone’s 50MP main and 12MP ultra-wide units, there are two camps when it comes to the telephoto unit, with one suggesting it will be a regular telephoto camera with a resolution of 48MP, and the other indicating it’s going to be an 8MP periscope unit.
The render in the header and leaked case images point to a periscope lens for the Pixel 6 XL, but the image on the right hints at a regular telephoto module
A video Google played during the 2021 I/O conference had indicated that a future Pixel phone would be capable of 5x zoom, and now, with the release of Android 12 beta 3, we are once again being reminded of the possibility.XDA Developers has discovered code snippets in the updated Google Camera app (version 8.2.400) that points to a 5x “ultra tele” zoom option. The Pixel 5 does not have a telephoto lens and the Pixel 4’s hardware is limited to 2x optical zoom, which can only mean that the option was added to the camera app for the Pixel 6 XL. The Pixel 6 is only expected to have a 50MP main and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
Pixel 6 rumored specs
The new phones are also rumored to get 120Hz screens, in-display fingerprint scanners, bigger batteries, and more storage than before. With these supposed specs, they sure have a shot at becoming one of the best phones of 2021.
