The leak of the Google Pixel 10 serves as a signal for Apple to enhance its iPhone offerings.

      Google's Pixel phones have built a strong reputation for their exceptional camera capabilities. In 2025, Google is expected to advance this with the Pixel 10, potentially surpassing flagship iPhones in the process. According to a new leak, the upcoming baseline flagship is set to elevate zoom photography significantly.

      The team at Android Headlines, in partnership with @OnLeaks, has shared purported product renders of the Pixel 10, showcasing a triple-lens camera setup on the back. Buyers will find a dedicated telephoto zoom camera on this model.

      Up to now, Google has only included triple rear cameras on its flagship devices, while its entry-level phones have featured just two lenses for regular and ultrawide photography.

      An impressive zoom capability

      This zoom system isn't an ordinary stacked lens configuration. The rectangular lens cutout suggests a periscope-style folded lens setup, akin to the Pro models, indicating higher optical zoom performance.

      The Pixel 9 compensates for the absence of a dedicated zoom camera with a sensor-cropped 2x zoom feature. Additionally, the camera app provides Google’s 8x Super Res Zoom mode to assist with long-distance shots.

      This feature activates when users deeply zoom into a frame, initiating what Google describes as “HDR+ with bracketing.” This process takes multiple photos at varying exposure levels, followed by a remosaicing tool that manages the hardware-software processing workflow.

      This software technique captures sensor-cropped images at a lower resolution than the camera’s native size — such as producing 12MP images from a 48MP sensor — to minimize noise. While impressive, zoom images derived from the main sensor cannot compete with the output of a dedicated telephoto sensor.

      With the Pixel 10 incorporating a specialized telephoto array, users can anticipate more “natural” long-range shots and improved zoom capabilities. This represents a substantial enhancement, especially given the price point of entry-level Pixel phones.

      For instance, the Pixel 9 began at $799 in the US, comparable to the iPhone 16, both of which offer a similar dual-camera arrangement. If the Pixel 10 does feature a dedicated zoom camera without increasing its price, Apple may need to step up its game.

      The Galaxy S25 stands out with its dedicated zoom camera at a similar price, but it only offers a standard telephoto lens, unlike the more powerful periscope zoom of the Galaxy S25 Ultra or the Pixel 9 Pro.

      A suitable silicon upgrade

      Regarding design, the Pixel 10 will closely resemble the current Pixel 9 Pro, retaining the chassis style and the pill-shaped camera bump. It appears Google is prioritizing significant upgrades over redesigning the aesthetic this time.

      This approach is welcome!

      In terms of hardware enhancements, Google is set to offer a double upgrade this year. Leaks suggest that the Tensor G5 processor will feature a more formidable CPU core cluster. The chip will maintain its eight-core structure, but the core distribution is expected to be more robust.

      For demanding tasks, a single Arm Cortex-X4 core will be included, while the Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 series features three Cortex-A720 cores for mid-tier tasks. The Tensor G5 is rumored to incorporate five Cortex-A725 cores, with two Cortex-A520 cores for less intensive processing. This suggests a stronger multi-core performance in the Pixel 10 series, not only due to the more capable Arm cores but also because of the increased number of mid-range processing cores.

      Apple's dual-camera system may be overshadowed by the Pixel 10.

      On the graphics front, Google may replace Arm’s Mali GPU with a unit from Imagination Technologies. The rumored dual-core IMX DXT graphics engine is likely to introduce hardware-accelerated ray tracing and GPU virtualization to Pixel phones for the first time.

      This should result in a significant enhancement in visual quality for high-end mobile games. Additionally, a more powerful GPU will improve certain camera-related functions.

      Racing ahead of Apple in software

      The Pixel line is seen as the optimal choice for those looking to experience the best use of “smartphone AI.” This is attributed to Google having control over both the hardware accelerator stack and the underlying OS, along with the Gemini AI framework.

      The Pixel 10's AI capabilities are also expected to see advancements. The Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) in the Tensor G5 chip is said to provide a 14% increase in AI performance, rising from 13 (INT8) / 6.5 (FP16) TOPS in the Pixel 9 series to 18 (INT8) / 9 (FP16) TOPS in the Pixel 10 line.

      According to the latest leak, the standard Pixel 10 will have a 6.3-inch display, consistent with its predecessor. If the Pixel 9 serves as a benchmark, the upcoming model is expected to feature an OLED display with FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

      While leaks have remained