A Phone With 200MP Camera Is Coming Soon, Not From Samsung, But Motorola

Motorola is believed to be launching its first 200MP camera next year. (photo credit: pixabay)

JAKARTA – Mobile photography has grown rapidly in recent years. Less than 10 years ago, cell phone cameras captured very grainy and unattractive photos. Currently, handsets like the iPhone 13 and Pixel 6 can produce images that look like they came from a professional DSLR.

However, like everything in the smartphone market, camera technology is constantly improving. Companies perfected their processing software, added new shooting modes, and used more advanced camera sensors. 108MP is the current limit for most of the megapixels available in phone cameras. However, in the not too distant future, the world will soon get a phone with a 200MP camera.

Back in September, Samsung announced the ISOCELL HP1 as the industry's first 200MP camera sensor for mobile phones. Samsung didn't confirm the availability of the sensor at the time, but the new rumors now offer some interesting information. According to leaker Samsung Ice Universe, the first company to launch a phone with a 200MP camera wasn't Samsung, Apple, or Google. Instead, it was none other than Motorola.

For anyone who's followed Motorola phones for years, this is a shocker. It's true that most Motorola phones don't have a capable camera system.

If you go out and buy a current Moto G handset, chances are it will have a pretty typical 48 or 13MP main camera. However, Motorola has dabbled with the 108MP camera sensor in its Motorola Edge lineup. If Motorola wants to keep up the megapixel race, it's not hard to imagine the 2022 version of the Edge debuting with a 200MP sensor.

Following Motorola, Ice Universe says Xiaomi will be the next company with a 200MP device "in the second half of next year." From there, Samsung should launch its first phone with a 200MP camera "by 2023."

Some previous rumors suggested the Galaxy S22 Ultra would get a 200MP camera, but now it's widely expected to sport an upgraded 108MP sensor. Considering this and Ice Universe's recent reports, it seems likely that the 200MP camera won't be Samsung's focus until the Galaxy S23.

With new technology like this, it's important to remember that being first doesn't automatically make one device better. In fact, there is an argument to be made that waiting longer can be beneficial.

Motorola may have its first phone with a 200MP camera, but Samsung will have an extra year to tweak and fine-tune things to potentially better implement it.