I am shocked this Pixel 10 function is not normal on all smartphones

It is necessary to deal with any rumor with skepticism, however one of many extra persistent claims concerning the Google Pixel 10 is that the telephone may have triple cameras on the again, as an alternative of simply the first and ultra-wide cameras on the Pixel 9. The third, after all, is anticipated to be some type of telephoto unit, making use of periscope know-how to deal with the tiny quantity of house out there in a telephone’s digital camera bump.

This would possibly all be trivial aside from one factor — we’re nonetheless getting pricey “normal” (non-Professional) smartphones with twin cameras, and even single cameras, regardless of in the event that they’re within the mid-range or premium worth tiers. The iPhone 17 Air, for instance, is anticipated to be a single-camera gadget, regardless of a price ticket larger than the bottom iPhone 17. Google’s transfer ought to hopefully put overdue stress not simply on Apple, however on each holdout within the smartphone business.

What is the large cope with triple cameras?

The realities of digital life

Pocket-lint / Apple

It was once that any digital camera on a cellphone was a novelty. A few many years in the past, in reality, there was a short-lived area of interest of “digital camera telephones” — units that weren’t but smartphones within the fashionable sense, however did allow you to take mediocre pictures that proved you’d gone someplace or been with somebody. Even on the time, I by no means actually bought the attraction, because you’d get much more out of the devoted point-and-shoot cameras that had been out there. It was higher to purchase an inexpensive flip or candybar telephone and spend the true cash on a Canon PowerShot.

Immediately, cameras on telephones should not solely significantly better, however just about a necessity. Many companies assume you are ready to scan QR codes for issues like menus and waiver kinds. Extra importantly (for the sake of my argument), the marketplace for point-and-shoots has successfully dried up, leaving individuals to decide on between telephones or shopping for hobbyist- or professional-grade tools — and nobody actually wants a Nikon Z30 to take pictures of their child at a park, a lot much less a Z6 III or Z8.

All that is to say that whereas a number of telephone cameras would possibly superficially sound like a luxurious, they’re actually not within the context of shopping for a tool priced upwards of $800, just like the Pixel 9. In one thing that costly, it is cheap to count on a digital camera system that may produce respectable to wonderful pictures in any frequent state of affairs. For me, which may imply taking a close-up of my son making music — for you, which may imply snapping surroundings on a visit, or getting everybody within the body at a household cookout.

My problem with dual-camera telephones is that they inevitably go away an necessary vary out of on a regular basis protection: zoom. You get a wide-angle digital camera as your fundamental, however your solely different is an ultra-wide — which truly pushes your topic(s) additional away whereas including a distorted perspective to something that is not dead-center. As I’ve argued many instances earlier than, it is extra helpful to zoom in.

One of many normal guidelines of picture composition is to fill the body along with your topic. Regularly, optical zoom is the one strategy to get cheap element. The iPhone 16 might have a wonderful 26mm fundamental digital camera, however even AI-enhanced digital cropping is not going to get you an honest picture of a singer at a live performance, say, or a mountain within the distance.

Triple-camera methods remedy that hole. I am not anticipating something on par with the 80-200mm Nikkor lens I used to make use of for professional pictures, however in 2025, it is completely cheap to need a smartphone digital camera that may snap a headshot from the opposite aspect of your front room. Economies of scale have pushed components prices down, particularly since telephone makers have been promoting telephoto-equipped units for a few years at this level.

The Pixel 10’s potential influence

It isn’t concerning the brief time period

As I advised, probably the most direct stress may very well be on Apple, which is Google’s fundamental rival within the North American telephone market. Do not get me improper, iPhone gross sales vastly dwarf any Pixel launched thus far — no matter whether or not the Pixel 10 is a runaway hit, it will not put a dent in Apple’s market dominance.

Apple cannot afford to disregard the optics of a triple-camera Pixel, although, pun supposed. The corporate is already dealing with the truth that Apple Intelligence is years behind Google Gemini, and triple cameras might give the Pixel 10 one more edge over the iPhone 17 and 17 Air, not less than amongst customers who aren’t chained to a single ecosystem. Merely put, it dangers reinforcing the view that Apple is stagnating, obsessive about minor refinements within the title of protecting its revenue margins protected.

Google’s affect would not imply as a lot besides that Samsung, Motorola, Nothing, and OnePlus are already within the triple-cameras-as-standard camp, due to units just like the Galaxy S25 and Moto Edge. Google becoming a member of go well with is rubbing salt within the wound, making Apple look outright backwards.

Worldwide, you may nonetheless discover different manufacturers making an attempt to get away with dual-camera units at elevated costs, equivalent to Honor. However for them, Google could also be a tipping level, since if it may discover a strategy to make triple cameras inexpensive in North America, there should not be something stopping its competitors elsewhere.

How quickly will Apple observe go well with? It is arduous to say. It is too late to vary the iPhone 17 and 17 Air, since with their launch simply two months away, these units ought to already be in manufacturing. I would not be shocked to see Apple swap up the iPhone 18, provided that it is more and more tough for the corporate to seek out new promoting factors. It can be extraordinarily cussed, nevertheless — it held on to Lightning years after different telephone makers switched to USB-C. In that regard, it is not inconceivable that we’ll have to attend for the iPhone 19 earlier than we are able to actually take triple cameras with no consideration.