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Phones with 500 MP camera: Samsung reportedly developing new sensors for iPhones and Galaxy S

Samsung Semiconductor is reportedly developing a 500 MP camera for a successor to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Additionally, the company is said to be working on a sensor that surpasses the Sony Exmor RS for a future Apple iPhone.

Featuring a 200 MP main shooter, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (around $915 on Amazon) boasts one of the highest-resolution cameras amongst smartphones. In fact, the main sensor on the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a higher resolution than full-frame or even medium-format cameras. For instance, the Hasselblad X2D-100C has a resolution of “only” 100 MP.

However, due to the 1/1.3” sensor size, the pixels on the S24 Ultra’s main camera measure just 0.6 µm – significantly smaller than the 3.76 µm pixels on the Hasselblad X2D-100C. According to information provided by leaker @Jukanlosreve, Samsung is planning to go one step further by developing a 500 MP sensor for future Galaxy S smartphones. The massive pixel count would allow Samsung to implement digital zoom more effectively. That said, dynamic range and lens speed generally don’t benefit from a higher resolution.

Samsung Semiconductor is reportedly also working on a sensor tailored to the Apple iPhone series. This would mark a significant step for Samsung, considering the iPhone 16 Pro exclusively uses Sony camera sensors. Owing to an advanced packaging technology, this new chip is said to feature a three-layer design that places electronics behind light-sensitive components, thus boosting light sensitivity. No further details have been revealed regarding this sensor, but earlier rumours suggest that the iPhone 17 Pro Max might be equipped with as many as three 48 MP cameras.

Galaxy S25 Slim tipped to have more advanced cameras than iPhone 17 Air...Apple is once again tipped to have iPhones with series-first variable aperture cameras and advanced periscope zoom lenses in the pipeline. However, they might still lag behind the rumored Slim version of the Samsung Galaxy S25 on their launch in terms of cutting-edge zoom.

Apple has started to tap its supply chain in order to augment next-gen iPhones with variable aperture cameras, according to the latest rumors.

The resulting device, currently projected to launch as the 18 Pro and/or Pro Max, could have improved control over factors such as depth of field as a result - even though it will only be catching up to existing devices such as Honor's Magic7 RSR when it makes the upgrade.

The "18 Pro series" might also have an advanced telephoto lens to go with that feature. According to the typically reliable leaker Digital Chat Station, it will be based on  technology.

The module might be of a particularly advanced, or "multi-fold" type of periscope zoom, as opposed to the emerging all-on-prism lens (or ALoP) currently linked to the supposedly upcoming Galaxy S25 Slim.

Therefore, Apple's 2026 iPhones could make substantial upgrades compared to the current 16 Pro series (now available for $1,024.97 in Renewed condition on Amazon), yet remain less sophisticated than those of a Samsung smartphone of a preceding generation. 

The Cupertino behemoth might start developing its first-gen variable-aperture iPhone alongside its supposed inaugural foldable device and compact Dynamic Island displays.

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