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Apple Working on 200 Megapixel Periscope Telephoto Camera for Future iPhone Models, Tipster Claims

Apple Working on 200-Megapixel Periscope Telephoto Camera for Future iPhone Models, Tipster Claims

Chinese brands have adopted 200-megapixel telephoto cameras in their flagship offerings in recent years.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 22 April 2026 12:35 IST

Apple Working on 200-Megapixel Periscope Telephoto Camera for Future iPhone Models, Tipster Claims

Photo Credit: Apple

iPhone 17 Pro Max features a triple rear camera system including a 48-megapixel main camera

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Highlights

iPhone with a 200-megapixel telephoto camera may not launch until 2028
Brands like Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi used high-resolution sensors
iPhone 18 Pro Max rumoured to feature a 24-megapixel front camera

Apple is likely to bring a significant upgrade to its iPhone camera system. A recent leak suggests the company is testing a high-resolution sensor for its future iPhone models, indicating a shift toward higher megapixel counts. Details about Apple's camera upgrade are still unclear, but this approach aligns with the industry trends set by several Android manufacturers in recent years. Brands like Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi have already used high-resolution camera sensors for their flagship smartphones.

Apple Said to Be Experimenting With High-Resolution Sensors

Tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) on Weibo posted that Apple is currently evaluating a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens. This suggests that the iPhone maker is testing high-resolution cameras for future iPhone models. However, this upgrade is unlikely to arrive with the iPhone 18 this year or the iPhone 19 series in 2027.

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In the comment section, the tipster stated that the first iPhone with a 200-megapixel telephoto camera may not launch until 2028. This sensor, however, would be a massive upgrade over the 48-megapixel sensors used in the iPhone 17 Pro models.

Apple's iOS 27 Update Might Drop Support for These iPhone Models

Chinese brands like Honor, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi have adopted 200-megapixel telephoto cameras in their flagship offerings in recent years.

Vivo's X series smartphones have a 200-megapixel telephoto camera. Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Galaxy S26 Ultra models also have similar high-resolution telephoto sensors. The 200-megapixel telephoto sensors are also used in handsets, including Oppo Find X9 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

Previous leaks have suggested that Apple could use a 200-megapixel camera in an iPhone in either 2027 or 2028.

Apple's current flagship smartphone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, has a triple rear camera system with a 48-megapixel main camera with OIS, a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 8x optical zoom and 40x digital zoom. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is speculated to retain this rear camera setup.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are rumoured to feature a 24-megapixel front camera, marking an upgrade over the 18-megapixel unit on the iPhone 17 lineup.

iPhone 17

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Transformative and brighter ProMotion display
Powerful performance
Meaningful camera upgrades
More value-for-money
Great battery life

Bad
iOS 26 has glitches
Ineffective anti-reflective coating

Read detailed Apple iPhone 17 review

Display 6.30-inch

Processor Apple A19

Front Camera 18-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 26

Resolution 1206x2622 pixels

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iPhone 17 Pro

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.30-inch

Processor Apple A19 Pro

Front Camera 18-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 26

Resolution 1206x2622 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 17 Pro Max

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
The boldest redesign since the iPhone X
Bright and stunning display
A19 Pro under the hood guarantees excellent performance
Massive camera upgrade
Video quality gets a much-needed bump
Centre Stage camera at the front changes selfie game on iPhones forever
Improved charging speed

Bad
Aluminium body picks up scratches
Expensive
Heavier than the 16 Pro Max

Read detailed Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review

Display 6.90-inch

Processor Apple A19 Pro

Front Camera 18-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

OS iOS 26

Resolution 1320x2868 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Apple, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More