Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra With 200MP Camera Rumored to Launch Months After iPhone 14 Pro With 48MP Camera

Samsung is in the final stage of developing a 200-megapixel camera for use on its next-generation Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, which is expected to be announced in early 2023, according to South Korea's ETNews.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
By comparison, the iPhone 13 Pro has a 12-megapixel main camera, but the iPhone 14 Pro is widely rumored to feature an upgraded 48-megapixel camera.

Like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which has a 108-megapixel main camera, the S23 Ultra would likely use pixel binning, which merges data from multiple smaller pixels on the camera's image sensor into one "super pixel." Pixel binning is beneficial because simply increasing a smartphone camera's megapixels while maintaining the same image sensor size results in smaller pixels, which generally capture less light.

On the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the main camera shoots 12-megapixel photos by default, with a toggle available in the camera app for shooting 108-megapixel photos. The default setting is ideal for most users, as high-resolution photos can have very large file sizes.

iPhone 14 Pro models would likely utilize pixel binning as well. In a research note last year, tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said iPhone 14 Pro models may support both 48-megapixel and 12-megapixel output as a result. Kuo also said the 48-megapixel camera would enable iPhone 14 Pro models to support 8K video recording, up from 4K currently.

Tag: Samsung

Top Rated Comments

Macintosh TV Avatar
21 months ago
Not that impressive. Without expanding the size of the CCD it more MP really doesn't provide a huge advantage. But bigger numbers do sell people on marketing.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Silencio Avatar
21 months ago
Oooh, megapixel wars! Now there's a throwback nobody asked for.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy_Banks Avatar
21 months ago
More megapixels in such a tiny sensor means a crazy amount of noise in anything other than super bright settings. Yes, their software will apply noise reduction, but the likely result is a lacking exposure.

There's a reason that professional full frame sensors generally range from 20-60 megapixels.

For example, these are the megapixels in top-of-the-line professional mirrorless cameras:
Sony A1: 50 mp
Nikon Z9: 46 mp
Canon R3: 24 mp

Especially important to note that those are all full 35mm sensors (35mm x 24mm) versus a phone sensor (roughly 6.2mm x 4.5mm), which is roughly equivalent to 30x more sensor area to absorb light.

These three companies know a lot more about photography than Samsung, this 200 mp sensor is a gimmick.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cocky jeremy Avatar
21 months ago
PSA From a photographer: Megapixels mean next to nothing.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
21 months ago

Are cameras the biggest selling point for high end phones? I feel like its the majority of what’s talked about for these devices.
Yes, for me personally. It is the #1 feature I look for in new phones actually.

It's of course not really about pixel count though. It's about image quality and various other features. Absolute pixel count hasn't mattered that much for the main rear camera in quite some time. And even if there are more pixels, they would be used for pixel binning. It's not as if most people would want the full resolution. 48 MP for casual shots is ridiculously large already. Most people would be much happier with pixel-binned 12 MP or whatever.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wolf Puppy Avatar
21 months ago
Are cameras the biggest selling point for high end phones? I feel like its the majority of what’s talked about for these devices.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
best buy snowflakes

Best Buy's New Weekend Sale Has Record Low Prices on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Friday December 8, 2023 7:37 am PST by
Best Buy's month-long holiday sale continues this weekend with multiple all-time low prices on Apple's line of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers. In addition to Apple notebooks, Best Buy's event has discounts sitewide on home appliances, TVs, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
beeper mini

Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

Friday December 8, 2023 2:24 pm PST by
Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages. Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
maxresdefault

Review: Two Months With the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday December 7, 2023 12:04 pm PST by
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been...
apple watch black friday

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Hits New Record Low Price of $699, Alongside Series 9 and SE Sales

Friday December 8, 2023 8:55 am PST by
Amazon has a few big discounts on Apple Watch today, headlined by a new all-time low price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Many of these watches can be delivered by Christmas, with delivery dates around the middle of next week for most models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site ...
iOS 17

35 Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 17.2 Coming Next Week

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 35 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released in mid-December. 1....