Apple could be eyeing up a major leap forward in iPhone photography, with rumors suggesting a future model could boast a whopping 200-megapixel camera sensor. According to the usually-reliable tipster Digital Chat Station, Apple is actively testing this ultra-high-resolution sensor, which would be a significant leap from the 48MP cameras featured in recent Pro models.
Although a 200MP camera might sound excessive for everyday use, it would dramatically improve digital zoom capabilities. Just like how the 48MP camera on the latest iPhones can simulate a 2x zoom using the central 12MP of the image, an even higher-resolution camera would maintain clarity and detail when zooming.
This upgrade likely wouldn’t mean that your iPhone snaps enormous 200MP pictures every time you tap the shutter, though. Apple already uses a technique called pixel binning to produce high-quality 12MP images from the 48MP camera by merging four pixels into one larger pixel. This “quad-pixel” approach helps capture significantly more light and detail, particularly in low-light conditions, without ballooning the image file size too dramatically. Again, adopting a 200MP sensor would likely follow this same logic.
That said, if this does end up producing substantially larger image files – potentially tens or even hundreds of megabytes each – you’d hope Apple will finally reconsider the rather stingy 5GB free iCloud storage it currently offers.
It’s also worth remembering that Apple traditionally prioritizes image quality, color accuracy, and overall experience over chasing headline-grabbing specs. It will only make the jump to such a crazy number if it will really make a difference to everyday photographers.
As always with leaks and rumors, nothing is confirmed until Apple officially announces it, but the move would certainly help the iPhone keep pace with rivals like Samsung, who have featured similar 200MP sensors in their recent Galaxy Ultra series since 2023.