Pixel 11 Pro's telephoto camera has an upgrade Google forgot to mention

The Pixel 11 Pro comes with quite a few low-key upgrades, including a new telephoto camera sensor. The new sensor is the same 48-megapixel resolution as the one used in the Pixel 10 Pro and 9 Pro, but the 11 Pro’s version is a little larger compared to the one used in the previous to generations. That should make for better low-light performance, but the upgraded telephoto hardware also brings another, smaller improvement: it can focus on closer subjects.

As shared by user pcman2000 on Reddit early this morning, the Pixel 11 Pro’s telephoto camera is apparently able to focus much closer to the phone than the telephoto in the Pixel 9 Pro. They shared an image showing their Pixel 11 Pro next to a 9 Pro, both with their camera apps in manual mode and their telephoto cameras’ focus sliders set to the minimum distance. The 11 Pro is sharply focused on its box situated a couple of feet away, while the 9 Pro’s image is very blurry.

Both the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 10 Pro feature Sony’s IMX858 sensor in their telephoto cameras, a 48-megapixel, 1/2.55″ model. The 11 Pro, meanwhile, uses a 48-megapixel, 1/1.95″ sensor that, as far as I know, hasn’t been publicly identified yet.

The option to focus on closer subjects using a telephoto camera might not seem all that important, but that flexibility makes for more options when framing a shot, which is always a plus.

We don’t have official info about either camera’s minimum focus distance, but pcman2000 says the 11 Pro’s seems like “about half (or maybe even slightly less) the distance of my Pixel 9 Pro’s 5x camera.” Google didn’t make this upgrade part of its pitch for the Pixel 11 Pro, but a win’s a win. As of publication, Google hasn’t responded to Android Authority‘s request for more info.