Samsung Galaxy S22 leak teases killer camera upgrade to battle iPhone 13

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Olympus
(Image credit: Technizo Concept/LetsGoDigital)

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra rumors are already here, and they’re claiming that the phone could come packing a crazy 200MP camera lens when it arrives next year.

That’s according to Weibo posts from leakers Ice Universe and Digital Chat Station (via IT Home). If true, it means that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra could deliver some enormously detailed and high resolution photos, as well as get a boost to low-light photography. 

Samsung has already teased the possibility of a 200MP camera last month. A blog post from Samsung Semiconductor revealed new ISOCELL 2.0 tech, which promised larger cameras that captured more detail and color, plus better low-light photography.

Likewise the company has openly teased the prospect of a 200MP camera, and the fact that Exynos 2100 chipset already supports camera sensors of this size.

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The only question we have is how much credence we should give to this rumor. After all there were several rumors claiming that the Samsung Galaxy S21 would have extraordinarily large camera resolution that never came to be. 

Numbers like 150MP and 180MP were thrown around quite a lot, but in the end the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra had a similar 108MP lens to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Meanwhile the standard Galaxy S21’s highest resolution camera was the 64MP telephoto lens.

Then again it all depends on where Samsung’s priorities are. We’ve already seen a number of other brands have been pushing the limits of their camera technology where resolution is concerned.

ZTE has all but confirmed a 200MP camera lens will come with the ZTE Axon 30 Pro smartphone. Meanwhile Xiaomi is also set to be launching a phone with a 200MP camera, though reports claim this will be a Samsung-made sensor.

We’re going to have to wait and see what happens with the Galaxy S22. We know that the phone may come with Olympus branded camera lenses, but beyond that it’s still very early in the rumor cycle. 

The Galaxy S21 range only just launched, after all, and we still have a long time to wait before we’re likely to start hearing anything concrete. But we'd expect improved cameras and a boost in performance to be the main upgrade areas for the next Samsung flagship phone. 

Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.