Long-time leakster Digital Chat Station is keeping the rumor mill spinning, this time with a new claim that Sony could be working on a 200MP image sensor for camera phones. The sensor would rival Samsung's established ISOCELL HP2, as featured in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, as well as the ISOCELL HP9 found in the telephoto modules of phones such as Vivo X100 Ultra, X200 Pro, and Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The HP3 and HP9 are 1/1.3" and 1/1.4" sensors, respectively, but the rumoured new Sony sensor is claimed to be larger, potentially approaching the 1-inch mark.
If Sony is indeed working on a 200MP sensor that is physically larger than the Samsung competition, this is potentially good news for camera phone image quality. More sensor surface area equals increased light-gathering potential, leading - in theory - to better dynamic range and less image noise. But while a higher megapixel count may be great for marketing, it's not necessarily a shortcut to better quality images. Top-tier camera phone's like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro all use primary camera sensors of around 50MP, and image quality from these phones is still comparable with that of a 200MP device like the S25 Ultra.
As for when we might see a 200MP Sony sensor; the rumor states it may appear in flagship phones later this year that are based around the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 or the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipsets. Potential candidates could be the next flagship handsets from the likes of Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.
Story credit: GSMArena
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