Samsung says 200MP telephoto cameras will offer better zoom range and portrait shots.
It adds currently-used wide-angle camera sensors can be incorporated into telephoto modules.
The Vivo X100 Pro+ is tipped to be the first smartphone with a 200MP telephoto sensor.
Smartphone photography has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade. We not only get high megapixel count camera sensors but also different types of sensors like wide-angle, telephoto, and periscope. Telephoto cameras have particularly been popular among smartphone photography enthusiasts. This is because they help users achieve longer zoom ranges and better-looking portrait shots.
The only thing is telephoto sensors usually do not have a high megapixel count. There are camera sensors as high as 200MP but those are typically used only as a main camera. Samsung wants to change this as it believes 200MP telephoto cameras could become the next big thing in smartphone photography.
200MP Telephoto Cameras: What to Expect?
In an official blog post, Samsung said telephoto cameras can now be used as a second main camera instead of just being a secondary camera sensor. It is because of all the improvements the industry has made in telephoto sensor technology.
It started off by showing telephoto cameras do not result in face distortion which is usually seen in wide-angle camera portrait shots. It showed photos shot with a 24mm wide-angle lens at 1x and an 85mm telephoto lens at 3.5x. You can check out the comparison between both shots below.
Samsung said telephoto cameras are usually smaller than wide-angle cameras. This leads to a difference in the image quality, HDR, and colours which is the reason these are not used as main cameras. It adds this can be fixed by using a telephoto sensor with upgraded size and capabilities. This is where 200MP telephoto cameras come into the picture. It shared 200MP image samples to show how it can be utilized for both telephoto and wide-angle roles.
The company particularly talks about its 200MP ISOCELL HP2 and ISOCELL HP3 camera sensors. It says these sensors have advanced technologies like Tetrapixel which merges up to 16 neighbouring pixels for an improved low-light shot. There is enhanced HDR performance and improved out-focus as compared to traditionally used telephoto sensors. It adds lossless zoom scenarios from 3x to 6x to 12x can be run on a 200MP telephoto sensor with 3x telephoto module.
It is important to note that this is simply what Samsung believes could be the future of smartphone photography. It has not shared whether it has any plans to launch a smartphone with a 200MP telephoto camera. Even the next-gen Galaxy S24 Ultra is tipped to have fewer improvements in telephoto camera.
We did hear rumours of the Vivo X100 Pro+ becoming the first smartphone with a 200MP telephoto camera. If true, we will have to wait a little longer to see its real-world application and results.
