This is not the first time that a rumour about Apple planning to use a 200-megapixel camera has surfaced online.
Apple may use the sensor could be used as early as next year
Apple may be exploring a major upgrade to its iPhone camera hardware, with recent leaks pointing to testing of a high-resolution sensor. The development suggests the company could be considering a shift towards higher megapixel counts, an area it has largely avoided so far. While details remain limited, the move aligns with broader industry trends focused on advanced imaging capabilities. The sensor is also expected to appear in an upcoming flagship from a rival Chinese smartphone maker.
Tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) has suggested in a post on Weibo that Apple is testing a 200-megapixel 1/1.12-inch sensor, which is also expected to feature in the upcoming Oppo Find X9 Ultra. The leak suggests the sensor could be used as early as next year, hinting at a shift in Apple's camera strategy as it explores higher resolution hardware for future iPhones.
The post also points to Oppo's plans for the Find X9 Ultra, which is tipped to feature dual 200-megapixel cameras and a 10x telephoto lens. The tipster claims Oppo is currently ahead of Apple in hardware, with the device expected to launch in April.
As with any leak, there's no confirmation from the Cupertino company at this point, and Apple does not typically reveal any new hardware details before it launches new devices. Readers are advised to take all details with a grain of salt, as final specifications may differ at launch.
However, this is not the first time that a rumour about Apple planning to use a 200-megapixel camera has surfaced online. In May 2025, the same tipster suggested that an unspecified future iPhone model is expected to debut with a 200-megapixel sensor.
A report from January, citing a Morgan Stanley research note, claimed that the iPhone 21 series, expected to launch in 2028, could be the first iPhone lineup to be equipped with a 200-megapixel camera sensor. The report indicated that the Cupertino-based tech giant had planned to source the CMOS sensor from Samsung, with production to be set up at its Texas facility. It also noted that Samsung was preferred over Sony due to better performance, while Apple had explored STMicro as a potential alternative supplier for LiDAR sensors.
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