I tested 100x zoom on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Pixel 10 Pro, and Razr Fold - here's who won
A zoom shootout found Samsung lagging behind, while the Pixel 10 Pro and Razr Fold produced cleaner long-range shots.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
ZDNET’s Adam Doud compares 100x zoom photos from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Pixel 10 Pro, and Motorola Razr Fold at different distances. Across most daylight tests, Samsung trails while the Pixel usually looks best and Motorola sometimes edges it out.
This story is like a camera race from far away. Three phones try to take the clearest picture of things that are too distant to see well.
The Pixel 10 Pro usually does the best job. The Razr Fold is sometimes even better on little details. The Samsung phone, which used to be the zoom king, often looks messier here.
Think of it like three kids drawing the same picture from memory. One draws it cleanly, one adds nice texture, and one misses some important parts. That is why this comparison matters.
Analysis
What the test was
Adam Doud compares 100x zoom on three phones: the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Google Pixel 10 Pro, and Motorola Razr Fold. He uses real-world subjects at long distances, including a river at the Grand Canyon, a statue, a clock face, and stuffed-animal prizes at an amusement park.
What he found
The repeated pattern is clear: Samsung often performs worst, with images described as blurry or splotchy. The Pixel 10 Pro generally does the best job cleaning up the zoom shots, and Doud notes that it visibly processes photos with a sparkle animation after capture. The Razr Fold also does well and, in some cases, looks better than the Pixel on texture and lighting, though it can look more pixelated when enlarged.
UI and processing differences
Doud also calls out how each phone handles post-processing. The Pixel gives a visual cue that work is happening. The Razr Fold improves the shot after a delay, but without much user feedback. The Samsung, by contrast, appears not to do much visible cleanup in these samples, which he finds surprising given how much AI branding surrounds the phone.
Night test setup
The excerpt ends as Doud moves into a moon-shot comparison at night. He says he expected Samsung to look stronger there, but the provided text cuts off before the full result is shown. Even so, the overall framing is that Samsung’s super-resolution zoom is no longer the clear leader it once was.
Key points
- The article compares 100x zoom on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Pixel 10 Pro, and Motorola Razr Fold.
- Samsung is described as slipping behind both Google and Motorola in long-range zoom quality.
- The Pixel 10 Pro usually produces the cleanest processed images in the daylight tests.
- The Razr Fold sometimes matches or slightly beats the Pixel on texture and lighting.
- The excerpt ends as the author begins a moon-shot test at night.
