In an age of exciting upgrades, Google could downgrade the Pixel 10 instead

The camera on the Pixel phones is the stuff of legend: beyond anything else, it’s the camera that people talk about, making it one of the best Android phones.

However, Google could be planning to shake-up the camera system on its Pixel 10 models expected to launch later in 2025.

The Google Pixel is regarded as one of the best phones for mobile photography, not because of the range of lenses or through any partnership with a photography brand, but because Google has dedicated a lot to computational photography over many years. We now refer to this as AI, but long before people were talking about artificially intelligent tools, Google was refining the quality of images to give you better results.

Now Android Authority brings us some insight into the cameras on the Pixel 10 models and it might not be what you expect. Let’s break down what’s happening.

First of all, the Pixel 10 Pro is unlikely to see any changes from the Pixel 9 Pro. That shouldn’t be a surprise: for a long time, Google has used the same sensors in its phones with advancements coming through software. The argument is that if the hardware remains the same, software enhancements can roll from model to model.

But, the Pixel 10 could benefit from an additional lens. This would see a telephoto lens added to the basic model, so that both the Pixel 10 and the Pixel 10 Pro models have three lenses.

In the past, the basic Pixel model only had the main camera and an ultrawide, with the lack of a telephoto option being a big point of differentiation.

That sounds like it’s a good thing, but while Google appears to be giving with one hand, it’s potentially taking away with another.

It’s claimed that the Pixel 10’s other cameras (ie. ,the main and ultrawide) will be the same as the just-announced Pixel 9a. Effectively, the Pixel 10 could have the cameras from Google’s affordable phone, instead of the high-level cameras that it has now.

That could see the Pixel 10 using smaller sensors than the Pixel 9, which could have an impact on camera performance.

Google is repositioning its Pixel line-up

To summarise the changes, it looks like the Pixel 10 will have the same cameras as the Pixel 9a, but with the addition of a telephoto lens. The Pixel 10 Pro will have the same cameras as the Pixel 9 Pro. So why would Google do this?

It looks like Google is shuffling its Pixel line-up around, with the Pixel 10 Pro to be positioned as the model you’d choose for the best photography skills.

The regular Pixel 10 will probably have a more generalist positioning, slightly more affordable, still with a diverse camera system, but not targeting absolute quality in the same way. The aim might be to make the Pixel 10 more appealing to general users, while still being able to price the phone as a three-camera model.

That might also make the range a little more confusing, but we can’t be certain what will happen to prices. If the Pixel 9 stays at £799 / $799 but adds a telephoto camera, some will see it as adding value. But if the performance from the main camera drops, it will be viewed as a lesser device than the model before.

Ultimately, with the cameras being so close to the Pixel 9a, it’s worth waiting to see what the results are from that model’s camera.

In the past, we’ve seen Google demonstrate that camera hardware isn’t the sole defining component of a good photography experience. While other manufacturers are pushing resolution and sensor size, that doesn't always lead to better photos.

We just have to wait a few months to find out for sure.