A reviewer says telemacro, a close-up mode that uses the zoom lens, is the one camera feature he now demands, and no major US flagship Android phone has it.
A tech reviewer at Android Police says he will not buy an Android phone in 2026 without telemacro, a close-up photo mode that uses the zoom lens. His reason is simple: it makes small, near subjects much easier to shoot. The catch for US readers is that the phones he used are not sold here.
Macro mode takes extreme close-ups of things like food, plants or small objects. Most premium phones offer it. Telemacro is different. It uses the telephoto camera, the one built for zooming in, along with a floating lens. That lets a phone focus up close while you stay at a comfortable distance from the subject.
Standard macro mode uses the ultrawide camera. To fill the frame, you have to move very close to the subject. That can block the light and cast your shadow on the scene. Even a slight hand movement can ruin the shot. The reviewer says he tried macro on a Pixel 8 Pro and a Galaxy S23 Ultra a handful of times and then forgot about it.
After switching to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, he says he took more macro shots than ever. He kept the habit through the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and now the Vivo X300 Pro. In two years, he says he captured tens of macro photos, and none felt forced. His point is that the feature worked because it removed the effort.
According to the review, Samsung, Google and Apple have not adopted telemacro. Their flagship phones support macro, but through the ultrawide camera. The Pixel 10 Pro has a 5x periscope telephoto camera, but it uses its 48MP ultrawide for macro shots. The Galaxy S26 Ultra does not use telemacro on its 5x periscope camera either. The reviewer concludes that no major flagship Android phone available in the US supports it.
If close-up photos matter to you, check which lens a phone uses for macro before paying $1,000 or more. The review is one person's view, and it does not say whether Samsung, Google or Apple plan to add the feature. He notes that the technology has been around for a few years and does not need radical hardware changes.
Before buying a $1,000 phone for close-up photos, check whether its macro mode uses the ultrawide lens or the zoom lens.
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