Pixel 6 XL expected to be equipped with a 5x periscope telephoto lens

Earlier today, Google launched the third beta version of Android 12 to Pixel phones. The latest beta version adds some new features, such as scrolling screenshots, smarter screen auto-rotation, etc. In addition to new features, there are also updated system applications, including the new WallpaperPicker and the new Google Camera application.

The latter has been updated to version 8.3.252, which is a significant improvement compared with the previous version 8.2.400. On the surface, the new Google Camera update seems to only bring support for the Android 12 dynamic theme system. However, in the APK, evidence found by XDA Developers suggests that Pixel 6 XL (or Pro) may have a 5x zoom periscope telephoto lens.

APK disassembly can usually predict the features that may appear in the future update of an application. XDA premium member cstark27 found a new line in the layout file of the zoom user interface of the Google Camera application. The id is zoom_toggle_ultratele and the text is 5x, indicating that a new 5x zoom option will be displayed in the viewfinder.

Digging deeper into the Google Camera application, foreign media found the word “Ultratele”, and cstark27 found that the real optical zoom level of a telephoto camera may be 4.3 times. For reference, the real optical zoom level of the Pixel 4 is 1.6x, although the Google Camera app shows 2x.

Last week, the whistleblower Jon Prosser disclosed the specifications of the Pixel 6 series. The leaked information indicates that the smaller Pixel 6 will have a dual rear camera consisting of a 50-megapixel wide-angle and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, while the larger Pixel 6 XL/Pro will have three rear cameras, consisting of a 50MP wide-angle plus a 48MP telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide-angle.

There have been rumors that Google will use a periscope telephoto lens for one of its Pixel 6 series devices, and the leaked CAD renderings seem to confirm this possibility. A still image of the user interface of the Google Camera app taken in a video shared by Google at the 2021 I/O conference also shows that the app will get a 5x zoom option, but today’s app update points to the new 5x ultra tele The first conclusive evidence of the zoom option. Google will hold a Pixel 6 series conference later this fall.

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