In August 2019, Samsung announced the world’s first 108-megapixel camera for smartphones. This camera debuted on a Xiaomi smartphone. With Samsung reportedly developing a 200-megapixel smartphone camera, Xiaomi is apparently once again preparing to launch it.
A few months ago, Weibo Leaker Digital Chat Station claimed that the fast-growing Chinese phone maker would be the first OEM to launch a smartphone with a 200-megapixel camera. The same source has now reiterated this report and released some additional information about this development.
It looks like we can see a new camera phone from Xiaomi that uses a 200MP sensor developed by Samsung. These new rumors suggest that this upcoming Xiaomi phone could be the Xiaomi Mi 12, which will replace the Xiaomi Mi 11 series.
As camera phone technology advances, we’re starting to see sensors with megapixel numbers blowing even the best medium-format cameras out of the water. While it would be unrealistic to expect a cell phone camera sensor to deliver comparable image quality like a Hasselblad, these high megapixels can still deliver impressive results.
According to the latest report, the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone will feature an upgraded dual-curved display with a single hole for the front camera. The new device will also use the SM8450 platform. Well, that’s another unannounced product. However, recent reports, as well as the part number, suggest that it is the successor to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC (which bears the part number SM8350).
However, we are not talking about the just-announced Snapdragon 888 “Plus”. This chipset is a minor iteration upgrade that only brings a few improvements. The so-called SM8450 is a completely new solution that will power many flagship Android smartphones in 2022.
Renowned tipster Evan Blass recently claimed that the new platform will use a 4nm manufacturing process. So it should deliver improved energy efficiency. According to reports, it will also feature the Snapdragon X65 5G modem RF system for 5G connectivity. Last but not least, the new platform will feature the Adreno 730 GPU and a Spectra 680 ISP.
The Xiaomi Mi 12 series could debut the 200-megapixel Samsung camera
It is unclear which Xiaomi smartphone will introduce the world’s first 200-megapixel smartphone camera. But a calculated guess points to the Mi 12 series. The devices will follow the company’s Mi 11 flagships that hit the market earlier this year. Xiaomi’s new flagships are expected to arrive in the first quarter of next year.
For that, however, Samsung has to announce the new 200-megapixel camera for smartphones. The Korean company is collaborating with the experienced Japanese camera brand Olympus for the next-generation image sensor. It will reportedly feature 16-by-1 pixel binning technology to produce effective 12-megapixel images.
In any case, it can be assumed that the world’s first smartphone with a 200-megapixel camera will not come on the market soon. The leaks may have started to come in, but we still have a long way to go before things really take shape. We’ll keep you posted as more information comes out.