Apple Testing 200MP Telephoto iPhone Lens That Could Ship Next Year

[MacRumors]

Apple is evaluating a 200-megapixel telephoto camera sensor that could potentially ship in an iPhone as soon as next year, according to Digital Chat Station, a leaker on Chinese social media platform Weibo with a decent track record.

In a post shared today, the leaker said Apple is actively testing a 200-megapixel 1/1.2" sensor similar to the one rumored for Oppo's upcoming Find X9 Ultra.

On the already-released Find X9 Pro, Oppo debuted a 200-megapixel periscopic telephoto lens with a large 1/1.56" sensor that's far bigger than typical zoom cameras. An earlier leak by Digital Chat Station suggests Oppo's upcoming Ultra model will push this further by introducing a 1/1.28" sensor.

The leaker's latest claim is a notable development. In January, they said 200-megapixel camera sensors were being discussed in Apple's supply chain, but that they had not appeared in engineering prototypes. At the time, Apple's development work was said to remain focused on refining its existing 48-megapixel systems.

January was also the month that Morgan Stanley reported Apple is working to bring a 200-megapixel camera to the iPhone as soon as 2028.

Samsung introduced a 200-megapixel rear camera on its Galaxy S23 Ultra in 2023, and the follow-up models also have one. With a 200-megapixel camera, an iPhone would be able to shoot photos with greater detail. The increased megapixel count would also result in higher-resolution photos, which can be cropped further and printed at larger sizes without a loss of image quality.

In early 2027, Apple is expected to release the regular iPhone 18 as part of a new split-launch cycle, with next-generation Pro models following during the usual September time frame. Next year could also usher in a 20th anniversary iPhone, which could be either a Pro equivalent or perhaps a higher-tier premium model, similar to Apple's iPhone X.

Article Link: Apple Testing 200MP Telephoto iPhone Lens That Could Ship Next Year

 

[boswald]

Now that's interesting. Finally, they're trying to compete with Samsung's level of photography (as they're the main competitor here). The Chinese OEM's still have the advantage, however, with emerging technologies, so I hope Apple can get ahead and keep up the momentum, at least for a little bit.

 

[tyranne201]

90% of users are gonna take pets pics with this.

 

[Wando64]

Hardly anyone taking a photo with their phone in 2026 wishes it had a bigger resolution.
My ancient DSLR with 12Mp still takes better photos, so the challenge is elsewhere.

 

[TVreporter]

90% of users are gonna take pets pics with this.

… on social media sites that compress the photos to absolute crap - looking at you Instagram and Facebook!

 

[Maxis]

What I prefer is excellent Macro photos. I want to have a magnifying glass for tiny things! The more pixels, the better!

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

so dumb

 

[t0rqx]

Cancelled my iPhone 18 Pro preorder.

 

[vegetassj4]

Hmmmm…from the how to make users pay for more ram department

The new iPhone - Storage Starting at “You’ll Need More” — Because each photo is now the size of a small novel.

 

[JoeSilver]

90% of users are gonna take pets pics with this.

I only have 365 pics of my cat but she's looking forward to having another hundred in 200MP

 

[DocMultimedia]

90% of users are gonna take pets pics with this.

Or babies.

 

[cicalinarrot]

I'm still mad at how they called sometimes "optical-quality" (which is pretty misleading, but let's say it's ok) and sometime just "optical zoom" (which is just a lie) their digital crop on the iPhone 16 and 17 regular sensor.
Hope they don't start a battle on numbers and just give us clear information about this.

 

[DocMultimedia]

If quality is good sign me up. Adding MP doesn't necessarily lead to better quality files.

 

[UliBaer]

Taking a photo in 200 MP and afterwards scaling it down to 24 or 12 MP could achieve better results (in good light) than a lower resolution sensor and the pictures don't take up more storage space. The disadvantage is: Smaller pixels need more light and tend to gain more noise. Also pictures in low light conditions could be worse than taken with lower resolution sensors with bigger pixels.

 

[pcd213]

If they’re testing it now, highly doubt it makes the 20th anniversary iPhone.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Hardly anyone taking a photo with their phone in 2026 wishes it had a bigger resolution.
My ancient DSLR with 12Mp still takes better photos, so the challenge is elsewhere.

Agreed. I thought the everyone was over the megapixels war and realized that physical sensor size is much more important..but I guess not.

 

[HouseLannister]

The increased megapixel count would also result in higher-resolution photos, which can be cropped further and printed at larger sizes without a loss of image quality.

Umm... there will definitely be a loss of image quality if you are removing part of the picture or scaling it up. It will just be less lost relative to the current camera with a lower megapixel count.

 

[ifxf]

If quality is good sign me up. Adding MP doesn't necessarily lead to better quality files.

It gives AI more pixels to “improve” the photo.

 

[halo9]

This makes no sense at all. There is no way on earth the lenses on any smartphone out resolve 48mpx, let alone have the acuity to provide the detail necessary to make 200mpx worthwhile. This is nothing more than marketing department wet dream material, designed to appease measurebators. As a photographer I would take apple reducing to 24mpx, making a massive improvement in dynamic range and the actual lenses every day of the week over more mpx. Mpx just allows you to print bigger and crop more to create mushy crops, better lenses and DR improvements actually make better sharper photos.

Is it the mpx wars of the 2000’s all over again, god help us. Bring on the LOFIC sensor instead, now that will actually improve photos, not mpx.

 

[FrozenShivers]

Hardly anyone taking a photo with their phone in 2026 wishes it had a bigger resolution.
My ancient DSLR with 12Mp still takes better photos, so the challenge is elsewhere.

Not sure why someone left a laughing emoji as it is indeed not resolution that's the limiting factor for mobile phone photography.

 

[EugW]

Despite the usual sarcastic remarks here about iPhone cameras, there are actually significant improvements in iPhone image quality every few years. The number one reason I upgrade my iPhones is for the camera improvements.

 

[lepetitnicolas]

Leaker: Apple Testing 200MP Telephoto for iPhone Coming Next Year​

I guess the food will appear 200 times more appetizing.

 

[rymc02]

Camera size

 

[Keyser Tomassi]

There is a mistake.

The size mentioned in the Chinese post is 1/1.12 inch
The size in the article is 1/1.2 inch

They gotta fix it.

 

[Dirty Mac]

Might not be that bad... a 1/1.12" sensor is almost the same size as a 1" sensor, ok 89% or so if you want to be picky.