There have been plenty of camera phones with 200MP primary cameras, but a 200MP telephoto module is special
(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
In early September a rumor surfaced that Xiaomi's next flagship phone, the 15 Ultra, could sport a 200MP periscope telephoto camera. Now further information has emerged on Weibo about what form this camera might take, most notably that the 200MP sensor could be fronted by a 100mm (equivalent) lens with an f/2.6 aperture. This would therefore provide a 4.3x focal length increase, relative to the phone's primary wide-angle camera module (assuming that retains the same 23mm focal length as the module in the current Xiaomi 14 Ultra).
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra actually boasts a longer 5x optical zoom from its 120mm-equivalent periscope telephoto camera, but this additional zoom reach is possible mostly thanks to the relatively small 1/2.51" 50MP sensor used in the 14 Ultra's telephoto module. The 200MP sensor rumoured to be in the 15 Ultra is said to be a significantly bigger 1/1.4" chip. A bigger sensor necessitates a physically larger lens to achieve the same focal length, therefore the 15 Ultra would have to make do with less zoom in order to keep its telephoto lens small enough to fit into the phone's body. That's just the compromise that must be made if you want a large sensor for your telephoto module.
Leaked image apparently depicting the lens construction in the Xiaomi 15 Ultra (Image credit: Digital Chat Station, Weibo)
In addition to the headline-grabbing periscope telephoto module, the 15 Ultra is also said to feature a 50MP (non-periscope) telephoto module with 3x zoom. This camera is likely to be the sole telephoto module in the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro phones, making the 200MP periscope telephoto camera exclusive to the 15 Ultra. Rumors also suggest that the 15 Ultra will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC, and it could get a 2K quad-curved display on the front, while the rear might be coated in a faux leather finish.
It's possible we won't have long to wait for the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro, as they're expected to launch by the end of October. The flagship 15 Ultra is supposedly due in January, however.
Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.
