But why? Maybe because of 8K video?

So why did Samsung choose to basically include a second 64 MP wide-angle lens instead of a real telephoto camera? Well, while we do not know for sure, we do have our suspicions. Thanks to the Snapdragon 865, the Galaxy S20-series is capable of 8K video recording. This, however, requires a 33-megapixel sensor or higher; anything below simply does not cut it. That is why the 12-megapixel main sensor is not used if you record 8K video with the new Galaxy phones. Instead, the Galaxy S20 will activate the 64-megapixel sensor automatically thus it needs to have a similar field of view as the main camera.

Maybe Samsung considers this 64-megapixel sensor to be of inferior quality to the main 12-megapixel sensor and therefore decided to keep both? We don't know. This does result in a bit of a mess, though, because the main sensor is useless for 8K video and the 64-megapixel wide-angle camera doubles as a fake telephoto zoom lens. We know that most people who just want to "zoom in onto an object" will not be able to spot a difference between optical magnification and cropping; however, there are creative differences for instance regarding depth of field or background-to-foreground separation. Neglecting this and calling a wide-angle lens "Telephoto Camera" with "Hybrid optic zoom" could probably be criticized as deceitful marketing practice.

If you want real zoom, get a Galaxy S20 Ultra!

There is a solution for Samsung fans, if you are willing and capable to spend $1399 and up. The Galaxy S20 Ultra does indeed feature real optical zoom. Here the Telephoto-Camera starts off based on a 4x-5x optical periscope lens with a very narrow 24-degree field of view - probably comparable to a 35 mm lens with 100 mm focal length. It then adds up to 5x crop into the 48-megapixel image which results in up to 10x hybrid optic zoom. On the Galaxy S20 Ultra, this term can be considered truthful. Also, the 108-megapixel main camera is capable of 8K video so there is no need for a second wide-angle camera.