iPhone leak hints at a massive camera upgrade – but when will it drop?

Phone Arena

7 days ago

A new rumor indicates a future iPhone could get a huge camera upgrade. The information comes from prolific leaker "Digital Chat Station", who now says the Cupertino tech giant is testing a 200 MP sensor.
Apple is known to adopt new technologies slowly, but nevertheless, slowly, but surely it does take its iPhone cameras to a higher level. Currently, Apple's cameras sport 48MP sensors and produce great photos. However, the tech giant is reportedly working on introducing a 200MP sensor to an iPhone in the future. Digital Chat Station posted on the Chinese social media website Weibo about the test, but they didn't go into much detail about it. Additionally, they don't say for which iPhone this new sensor is being tested or when will it arrive.
Digital Chat Station's post on Weibo, machine translated. | Screenshot by PhoneArena At the moment, it's also not clear who will make this sensor. A likely candidate is Samsung. Currently, its flagship models including the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the newly-announced ultraslim Galaxy S25 Edge feature 200MP cameras. Possibly, the South Korea-based tech giant is one of the candidates for supplier of this new camera, as Samsung's subsidiaries participate in Apple's supply chain. It's worth noting that testing a sensor doesn't necessarily mean it will be used in a future iPhone. However, with how the market is going, it's quite likely Apple to include a higher-resolution camera in its iPhones eventually. Right now, the main Fusion and ultra-wide cameras of the iPhone 16 Pro come with 48MP sensors. The telephoto camera on the Pro, though, is only 12MP. Rumors are saying the front-facing cameras of the iPhone 17 series may jump from 12 to 24MP.
Meanwhile, Apple's main competitor, Samsung, is already rocking 200MP main cameras on its most expensive phones. In fact, the Ultra model in the Galaxy S series has rocked a 200MP camera since the Galaxy S23 in 2023. Before that, the S22 Ultra came with a 108MP camera. But as you may know, the megapixel number isn't the only thing that makes a camera produce great images. In fact, things like software optimizations, aperture, and other factors are even more important when it comes to good-looking images. But overall, Apple introducing a 200MP camera on a future iPhone doesn't sound unlikely at all, but when, is another question.