Apple's iPhones could soon feature a camera that matches even the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
This leak comes from known source Digital Chat Station on Weibo, claiming that Apple is testing 200 MP cameras. The post doesn't contain much information about which model this is for, but if true, it could be an indication that Apple's rumored move from Sony sensors to Samsung has gone through.
If this is the case, then it means that the iPhone 18 could feature a new “3-layer stacked” camera sensor from Samsung.
Apple improving its cameras to 200MP would be a pretty major jump, as both the iPhone 15 series and the iPhone 16 series have kept the same 48MP main camera. However, Apple has managed to get the absolute most out of its cameras, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max appearing in our best camera phones list.
Not only that, we also saw the device narrowly beating the Galaxy S25 Ultra when we put them through a 200-photo shootout.
With that in mind, I'd be curious to see what Apple can do with 200MP. Although it may need such an upgrade to keep up with Samsung, as it is rumored to be working on developing a 500MP camera.
What do we know about the iPhone 17 series cameras?
It's unlikely that we'll see a 200MP main camera in the iPhone 17 series. However, we have seen several leaks about possible improvements for the phones.
Rumors indicate that the iPhone 17 Pro Max model is tipped to get three 48MP cameras. Meanwhile, we don't know much about the rear camera layout for the iPhone 17, which has led many to speculate that the phone will keep the same 48MP main camera and 12MP Ultrawide.
With that said, it looks like there could be an upgrade coming for the iPhone 17's front-facing camera. According to a recent leak, Apple could include a 24MP selfie camera for the iPhone 17, which is a marked improvement over the iPhone 16's 12MP selfie camera.
There are also indications that Apple could include a camera lens with a variable aperture for the first time on an iPhone. The consensus also seems to be that the iPhone 17 Air will only feature a single 48MP main camera.
As it stand we can't confirm the rumor about a 200MP main camera, so it's worth taking it with a grain of salt. However, Digital Chat Station has a pretty good history of accurate predictions, so we'll keep our eyes open.
In the meantime, we're only a few weeks from WWDC 2025, where Apple will likely unveil iOS 19 and more. But if you're more focussed on hardware, make sure to check out our iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max hubs for all the latest rumors about all 4 phones.
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