Ultra-wide, wide or telephoto: choosing your phone’s lens
Most phones have three or more lenses. Learn the strengths of each and when to switch for better photos.
Modern phones offer several lenses, each with a different field of view and quality.
Main wide lens (1x)
The largest sensor and brightest aperture. Best quality in all light, especially at night. Use it as your default.
Ultra-wide (0.5x)
Captures huge views: architecture, interiors, landscapes and group shots. Distorts faces near the edges, so keep people in the center. Image quality drops in low light.
Telephoto (2x to 5x)
Flattering for portraits, isolates details and compresses backgrounds. Great for food, architecture details and street photography from a distance.
Macro mode
Many phones use the ultra-wide for close-ups of flowers, textures and small objects.
Digital zoom between lenses
Intermediate zoom levels often crop from a lens. Quality is acceptable on high-resolution sensors but declines as you go further.
Low light
In dim light, phones may silently switch from telephoto to a cropped wide lens. Use the main lens when light is low for the best quality.
Practice
Take the same scene with each lens to learn what each does.
