Apple is developing a 200MP iPhone camera, but we might not get it for a while

The iPhone 17 Pro has the best camera system Apple has ever fitted into a smartphone: three rear-facing lenses, each specced at 48MP, with a formidable zoom, advanced night, portrait, and macro modes, and sophisticated software tying it all together. But there may be a new iPhone camera on the horizon that will make even this seem underpowered.

A new report reaffirms its author’s position that Apple is working on a 200MP periscope telephoto lens for a future iPhone model, and offers some thoughts on when that might see the light of day. The prolific leaker Digital Chat Station made the claim in a detail-light Weibo post this week, then engaged with questions in the comments: one commenter asked if the product would be available in 2027, and Digital Chat Station responded that it is “highly likely” to be 2028 instead.

The theory of a 200MP lens coming to the iPhone isn’t new, and Digital Chat Station themselves discussed it in May last year. But it does make sense that Apple would be working on it, given that Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra already has such a lens, as does the Galaxy Z Fold 7: these two phones (or even more advanced successor devices) will present formidable competition to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra/Fold respectively when they come out later this year.

It’s long been Apple’s philosophy that competing on tech specs is unwise, and that it makes sense to focus more on the experience than the underlying numbers. Having a spec of 200MP, for that matter, doesn’t necessarily guarantee noticeably better photographs than are possible with the 17 Pro’s 48MP lenses. (We’ve been trying to debunk the megapixel myth for decades.) But the disparity in such statistics can sometimes become so stark that it affects consumer interest, and Apple is likely to want to counter with an innovation of its own in the next few years.

That the Cupertino company should be exploring the idea of 200MP camera lenses isn’t, therefore, a shock. But the timeline is a little more interesting. Digital Chat Station has flip-flopped somewhat on this topic, veering between claims that it will arrive in time for the iPhone 19 Pro in 2027 or the generation after. Weibo leakers are incentivised to churn out plenty of predictions, so it’s probably best to take this one with a pinch of salt until we have corroborating evidence from elsewhere.

For all the latest news and rumors about this fall’s new phones, bookmark our regularly updated guides to the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Ultra.