The latest generation of Android flagships from Vivo, Oppo and even Samsung have a 200MP sensor that is used as a main camera or a telephoto camera. However, the next generation of Android flagships could have three 100 MP sensors.
You heard that right. According to Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station, “some” (that could be more than one) smartphone makers are testing “three 100-megapixel lenses” or cameras.
Three 100MP cameras? That’s the rumor
Although the tipster doesn’t elaborate on the nature of these cameras, they could easily be primary, telephoto, and ultra-wide cameras. This is one of the most interesting approaches I’ve heard of recently. Here’s why.
It might sound like a 100MP primary sensor, and a 100MP telephoto sensor is initially a downgrade from the current 200MP standard. However, only the Oppo Find X9 Ultra has been confirmed to have dual 200MP cameras on the back.
The others, including the Vivo X300 Pro, the Find
With 100-megapixel primary and telephoto sensors, brands could still shoot at a lower standard resolution, scale up significantly when needed, and use less storage or recording time than a 200-megapixel sensor.
The ultrawide camera could finally get a serious update
So far I haven’t talked about the ultrawide sensor because it reaches a maximum resolution of 50 MP on the flagships. Therefore, a 100MP ultrawide camera (if our interpretation of the tweet is correct) would be a dramatic improvement.
It could allow for more detailed macro shots (if the sensor doubles as a macro shooter) or allow for greater post-shot reframing potential. In addition to the rear-facing cameras, the leaker also claims that a “100-megapixel front camera” with a “small pixel sensor” is in the works.
Given that the Galaxy S26 series appears to have a 12MP front camera and Chinese flagships use a 50MP sensor in their most expensive variants, a 100MP selfie shooter could provide a noticeable upgrade.
Since it’s a sensor with small pixels, taking photos in low light could be a problem, but I think smartphone manufacturers should be able to use computational tricks to fix the problem.
