Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
Virtually all Android phones have preset zoom buttons in the camera app. For example, the Google Pixel 9 offers 0.5x, 1x, and 2x levels while the Pro models have an extra button for 5x zoom thanks to the periscope zoom camera.
These preset buttons are very convenient, but it got me wondering about people’s camera zoom habits. Just how many people only use these pre-defined buttons or always zoom freely via the slider? Or is it a mix of the two? We posted a poll article earlier this month, and here’s how you answered it.
Do you only use the preset zoom levels or do you freely zoom?
Just over 1,100 votes were counted in this survey. Almost half (47.43%) of all respondents said they mostly stuck with preset zoom buttons when using their phone camera, but sometimes zoomed freely.
Reader Will Peck was one of these voters, and he outlined his reasoning in a comment:
I have a Pixel and have the zoom presets set to the individual cameras. Most of the time I just switch between them and only use pinch zoom when the ideal shot falls between lenses.
This approach makes sense as these preset buttons typically offer the best image quality and are easily accessible. However, there are times when you might want to prioritize framing over picture quality, necessitating a pinch. Furthermore, Google’s Pro phones have good 10x cropped zoom, but the camera app doesn’t offer a 10x button on these devices. So you’ll need to pinch or use the slider if you want a 10x shot.
Chaldon Pretorius also noted that he “generally” stuck to the preset zoom buttons:
I generally stick with the preset zoom levels because they are guaranteed to offer the best quality at the different zoom levels. The intermediate zoom levels between the preset ones are almost always worse quality.
In addition to quality concerns, reader Adrian Scarlett rightfully pointed out that preset zoom levels are often easier to use than the “clunky” slider. True enough, many top camera phones don’t offer an easy way to use the zoom slider with one hand.
Meanwhile, ~26.6% of surveyed readers said they always zoomed freely when using their camera app. We didn’t see any comments from readers who chose this option. We’re guessing that these respondents valued the framing above all else, or simply didn’t know that the preset buttons generally offer the best picture quality.
Finally, almost 26% of polled users said they only used the preset camera zoom buttons. So we hope phone manufacturers offer more preset camera zoom buttons, while also improving interstitial zoom quality.
