Google certainly went deeper with AI this year with its Pixel 10 lineup. As much as I prefer the lower cost of the Pixel 10 and how it finally embraces a proper triple camera system, there’s one exclusive feature that makes the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL — it’s Pro Res Zoom.
I briefly got to test out this AI-enhancing tool that leans on generative AI models to tweak photos captured on the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL at up to 100x using their dedicated telephoto camera. The results were promising, so I ended up taking out my Pixel 10 Pro XL over the weekend to capture even more zoom photos.
What’s interesting is how well Pro Res Zoom works because gone are the days of faraway subjects looking like painted artwork. Instead, Pro Res Zoom adds an incredible amount of detail — most of the time — to zoom photos that would normally look soft and muddy. Just take a look at the shot above that I captured of the Empire State Building with the Pixel 10 Pro XL's 50MP main camera at 1x zoom, followed by the Pro Res Zoom shot at 100x.
Here’s what I noticed capturing photos with Pro Res Zoom.
It’s really good at sharpening words
I must’ve captured a dozen or so signs way far in the distance with the Pixel 10 Pro XL at 100x zoom. In each and every one of those shots, the words on the sign were constantly sharpened and defined. Just take a look at all the samples above to see it in action.
Those fuzzy, not-in-focus words in all of those signs suddenly become crystal clear — making the shot seem like I was very close to it. However, there are still some instances where it fails. For example, the smaller words in some of the signs have the characteristic failures I’ve seen from AI trying to decipher those words.
Still, I have to hand it to Pro Res Zoom to make these words much more legible. In fact, it beats my vision without having to reach for my glasses.
Textures become more defined
The Pixel 10 Pro XL's Pro Res Zoom does an admirable job of drawing out textures. The Pixel 10 Pro XL did very well with astrophotography when I tried out a moon shot. In my original shot, it’s clearly out of focus without any enhancements, but I love how the Pro Res Zoom photo adds a realistic amount of clarity and definition.
Many of the craters look pretty convincing, but not entirely accurate. I know this because I took the same moon shot with my Unistellar Odyssey Pro smart telescope and I can see how the generative AI model of Pro Res Zoom doesn’t quite get it right all the time. Then again, that's a $2,000+ specialized piece of equipment versus a phone.
I tried a moon shot with the @Google 10 Pro XL and @Unistellar. No comparison of course. pic.twitter.com/nSwYB5HFuWAugust 31, 2025
In another set of photos, I pointed my Pixel 10 Pro XL towards my neighbor’s wooden fence. With the original, unaltered 100x zoom shot, the wood grain of the fence looks soft and out of focus — but Pro Res Zoom then adds definition to show the distinct outlines of the wood grain.
Pro Res Zoom also did an amazing job drawing out textures in the many flower shots I captured. The Pro Res Zoom images add more detail to some of them, like the wrinkles in the flower petals.
Animals look way more realistic
The biggest boost in performance I’ve seen with Pro Res Zoom centers around animals. Google’s clearly been training its generative AI models to know exactly how to best tweak zoom photos of animals.
In the first set of shots of a pigeon, it’s really impressive to see the magic that happens when Pro Res Zoom applies its enhancements. I was probably 25 feet away from the pigeon when I snapped those first set of shots. The amount of detail and sharpening applied to the pigeon is impressive, while the close shot of its neck again shows how the AI model is trained to add those proper textures.
I was even more impressed with the squirrel image that I snapped in my backyard. Again, I really enjoy how the squirrel’s fur becomes more defined with the Pro Res Zoom shot, but I’m even more blown away by the closer shot of its ear. The original shot is tough to distinguish on its own, but Pro Res Zoom makes it look like I was using a super zoom lens on a professional mirrorless camera to get it.
People can be hit or miss
For my final test, I pointed the Pixel 10 Pro XL at random people to see how well Pro Res Zoom does to enhance the original photos. In my experience, it can be hit or miss. With far away subjects, the Pixel 10 Pro XL struggles to add meaningful detail to the faces. In fact, many of the shots above with faces in them look more like painted pieces of artwork than actual photos.
However, the first set of photos with the woman show how Pro Res Zoom adds unprecedented detail. I’m impressed by the night-and-day difference, but I wish it were more consistent. It could be due to how she was closer to me than all the rest of the photos.
Bottom Line
I won’t deny that Pro Res Zoom is a neat trick that makes zoom photos look way better, but it does beg the question: how much is too much AI? For most of the shots, I think the generative AI models that Pro Res Zoom is trained on does nicely to fill in the gaps where the details are soft.
I also like how the Pixel 10 Pro XL saves both the original photo and the enhanced one with Pro Res Zoom. That way, I can visually see the improvements.
While it's not perfect with everything just yet, I know that the results will only get better. I wouldn’t be shocked this time next year if Google rolled out this AI-assisted enhancement to every photo you capture.
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