The Pixel 11 Pro’s 120x zoom is ridiculous, but is it actually useful?

Google has never been shy about pushing smartphone cameras to their limits. In fact, some might say, eking out the maximum using software instead of hardware is Google’s entire shtick with the Pixel lineup. With the Pixel 11 Pro, the company is taking things even further, quite literally, with 120x Pro Res zoom. That’s a step up from 100x on the Pixel 10 Pro and a ridiculous amount of magnification for a phone. Google claims its brighter telephoto camera can capture more detail from farther away – when combined with generative AI, of course. But just because a phone can zoom in that far doesn’t mean the results will be any good. My previous experience with such bold claims has often fallen flat. So, I was curious to see if Google could do any better.

I spent the past week testing the Pixel 11 Pro’s zoom in different situations to see if it actually holds up or is just something …