The Dutch photo app Halide has received a nice update: you can now use a virtual telephoto lens to bring your object even closer. Even if your device does not support this. 
Virtual telephoto lens in Halide
On the iPhone Pro models you will find a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. This allows you to zoom in 3x to, for example, photograph an object from very close. Think of a close-up of an insect or a usable photo of a building that is far away. But yes, then you need a Pro model and that costs more money. Halide is now going to help people with an unsuitable iPhone by making the telephoto lens virtual. The feature is called Neural Telephoto and can be found in version 2.11 of Halide.
When using digital zoom, the quality of the photos deteriorates because the number of megapixels decreases. The result is a photo with visible pixels and a blurred effect. Halide solves this with virtual lenses, which use machine learning to ensure that you continue to see details. This works in the same way as Halide's macro mode, which has been around for some time.
The Neural Telephoto function works with photos in HEIC and JPEG format, but can also be used for non-zoomed RAW files. By default, Halide takes photos in RAW and JPEG format, so you can still choose. According to the makers of the app, the result is much better than 2x virtual zoom. But to experience it you will have to pay: new users pay a few euros per month or a little more than a tenner per year. You can also create ‘perpetual’ take out a license.