Apple is cooking up a major camera upgrade for future iPhones. The plan is to swap out the current 48MP main camera for a whopping 200MP sensor. This means sharper photos with way more detail.
This rumor comes from Digital Chat Station, a Chinese source on Weibo with a decent track record of predicting Apple products. They say Apple is already testing samples of this new sensor in the lab.
Future iPhones might get a major camera boost
But don’t expect this upgrade to land on the 2025 iPhone models. Instead, it might show up on the iPhone 18 in 2026 or even the 20th-anniversary iPhone in 2027.
The same leaker says some iPhone 18 models might hide the Face ID components under the screen, leaving just a small hole for the front camera.
Under-screen cameras are on the way
By the time the iPhone 19 rolls around in 2027, the selfie camera might also be tucked under the screen. This would give the phone a sleek, continuous look.
So, what’s the big deal about a 200MP sensor? For starters, it would let Apple use digital zoom with better quality. You could crop in on a photo without losing much detail.
Currently, the 48MP sensors on iPhones use a technique called pixel binning. This combines groups of pixels to improve low-light performance, resulting in 12MP photos.
With a 200MP sensor, pixel binning would give you 48MP photos that perform better in low light. You could also shoot at the full 200MP resolution, which would be great for printing large photos or cropping in without losing quality.
Other smartphones, like Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, already have 200MP sensors. But if Apple pulls it off, it could be a major selling point for future iPhones.