Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple is apparently testing a 200MP periscope telephoto camera.
- This comes a couple of years after Chinese brands like vivo, HONOR, OPPO, and Xiaomi first adopted 200MP tele cameras.
- It sounds like Apple won’t adopt this tech for at least a couple of years.
Android phone makers were the first to adopt 200MP cameras, marking a major step forward in terms of resolution. Samsung has resolutely stuck with 200MP main cameras, while many Chinese brands are using these high-resolution sensors for telephoto cameras. We previously heard that Apple is testing a 200MP main camera, but it looks like the firm could also be taking a page from Chinese brands.
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Leaker Digital Chat Station posted on Weibo that Apple is testing a 200MP periscope telephoto camera. You can view the machine-translated screenshot below.
Don’t hold your breath for the iPhone 18 series or iPhone 19 range to get this tech, though. The leaker suggested in a follow-up comment that the first iPhone with a 200MP tele camera might only debut in 2028. Android OEMs would therefore enjoy a lengthy head start with this tech.
The vivo X100 Ultra was first with a 200MP tele camera back in 2024, but other phones like the OPPO Find X9 Pro, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and HONOR Magic 7 Pro have since adopted this tech. In fact, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra incorporates a 200MP variable telephoto camera.
So why should iPhone owners look forward to a 200MP telephoto camera? This high-resolution sensor enables lossless-resolution zoom for improved long-range image quality. OPPO claims that the Find X9 Pro’s 200MP 3x camera can take ~13x lossless-resolution shots, while our own experience with other phones shows that you can still get good-quality 10x snaps. Most of these phones also let you shoot a full-resolution 200MP snap via their telephoto camera, giving you enough detail to zoom in after the fact and still have a good-quality cropped image.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Apple testing a 200MP sensor, though. Digital Chat Station previously reported that Apple was testing a 200MP 1/1.12-inch main camera, which sounds an awful lot like the Sony LYT-901 sensor. Does this latest leak mean Apple is switching from a 200MP main camera to a 200MP tele shooter? Not quite. The leaker suggested in another follow-up comment that Apple might debut the 200MP main camera first and then launch a phone with a 200MP tele camera. This suggests that the iPhone 20 range could follow the OPPO Find X9 Ultra and vivo X300 Ultra by offering two 200MP cameras.
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