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ZDNET key takeaways

Three smartphones were tested for long range zoom photography performance.
Models included the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Pixel 10 Pro and Motorola Razr Fold.
Samsung needs improvement to match current competitors.

During a recent review of the Motorola Razr Fold on a press trip to the Grand Canyon the device super res zoom feature produced a convincing 100x image of a distant river. The same scene was captured with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra which has long been known for strong zoom capabilities yet the Samsung result appeared noticeably inferior while the folding Motorola delivered sharper detail. Side by side the Samsung image showed blur and uneven patches whereas the Razr Fold version held up well on the phone screen though minor pixelation appeared at full crop. This pattern repeated across further tests.

Six Flags test

Back home additional checks were performed at a local Six Flags park in Chicago with the Pixel 10 Pro added for comparison. Distant objects were photographed at 100x zoom and reference images were taken with Meta Oakley HSTN glasses to illustrate actual distances. The Pixel displayed a brief sparkle animation during processing of each super zoom shot.

My results

The Razr Fold applied cleanup after capture without on screen indicators while the Pixel offered clearer feedback during processing. The Samsung S26 Ultra applied no visible processing step despite heavy AI use elsewhere on the device. A statue of Foghorn Leghorn roughly 250 feet away was photographed first. The Galaxy S26 Ultra left the image largely unrefined the Pixel produced a smooth result and the Razr interpreted surface reflections as added texture yet both latter devices outperformed the Samsung. A clock face about 450 feet distant was next. Samsung again produced the softest output followed by the Razr while the Pixel returned the cleanest detail. A stand of stuffed prizes roughly 325 feet away yielded closer results with the Razr slightly ahead on texture and lighting though the Pixel remained very competitive.

At night

Evening moon shots were taken to favor Samsung strengths. The Pixel proved difficult to frame with erratic viewfinder movement and often overexposed results. Both the Razr and Samsung captured comparable images with the Razr showing marginally better sharpness. On phone screens or social media the two appeared similar yet the broader AI approach on the Razr and Pixel handled varied scenes more consistently than Samsung scene specific tuning.

Bottom line

Samsung has fallen behind in super resolution zoom and requires updates to regain ground. Notably the Motorola device is a foldable where camera performance is often traded off yet it matched or exceeded expectations here highlighting strong engineering progress.