Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

TL;DR

• Morgan Stanley has reported that Apple will only adopt 200MP cameras on the iPhone 21 series in 2028.
• By contrast, Android phones first adopted 200MP sensors in 2022, and a growing number of OEMs use them for their main or tele cameras.
• If confirmed, this means Android manufacturers will enjoy a major hardware advantage for several more years.

Android phones have long offered 200MP cameras, with Motorola, Xiaomi, and Samsung initially leading the charge. We’ve since seen 200MP sensors used on Android phones by OPPO, realme, HONOR, and vivo. What about Apple, though? Well, it sounds like we’re in for a long wait.

According to an investor note by Morgan Stanley (spotted via AppleInsider), Apple will only adopt 200MP cameras on the iPhone 21 series in 2028. Of course, Apple is tipped to skip the iPhone 19 name in 2027 in favor of iPhone 20.

Leaker Digital Chat Station also claims the iPhone 18 series won’t have a 200MP camera, but that Apple is testing a Samsung-made 200MP sensor. The tipster didn’t mention whether this sensor would land on a specific iPhone generation.

Nevertheless, this means Apple will lag massively behind Android OEMs when it comes to adopting 200MP cameras. It’s also unclear whether Apple will adopt this high-resolution sensor for the main or telephoto camera.

So what’s the reason for this delay? Morgan Stanley claims that Apple wants to diversify suppliers as part of a potential bid to reduce costs. Samsung has long been the only manufacturer of 200MP smartphone camera sensors, but Sony recently joined the party with the technically impressive LYT-901 sensor.

The ups and downs of 200MP cameras

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

Motorola’s X30 Pro was first to adopt a 200MP sensor back in 2022, followed by the Xiaomi 12T Pro later that year, and then the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in 2023. Motorola, Xiaomi, and Samsung used this sensor for their main cameras. However, the vivo X100 Ultra debuted a 200MP 3.7x periscope camera in 2024. Other Chinese manufacturers have followed suit in using 200MP sensors for their zoom cameras.

Virtually all 200MP phones shoot at a pixel-binned resolution by default, resulting in cleaner, brighter images. However, one notable benefit of 200MP sensors is that they offer better hybrid zoom due to all those megapixels. That means a 200MP main camera can capture 2x to 4x photos at a lossless resolution, albeit without the benefits of pixel-binning. Meanwhile, OPPO says the Find X9 Pro‘s 200MP 3x camera can capture 13.2x zoom at lossless resolution. So this is one way to achieve improved long-range zoom without adding a second zoom lens or using a bulky continuous/variable zoom module.

It’s possible to shoot photos at the full 200MP resolution, but this process takes several seconds and results in large file sizes. It’s also worth noting that these full-resolution snaps tend to fall apart in anything other than ideal lighting. Nevertheless, new phones like the vivo X300 Pro deliver full-resolution shots that are a significant improvement over snaps from first-generation 200MP cameras. So we’re keen to see whether Apple can deliver standout photos with this technology.

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