Samsung Says 200MP Telephoto Cameras Are The Next Big Thing, Here's Why

Samsung believes 200MP telephoto cameras will take smartphone photography to the next level. It is no secret that smartphone photography has come a long way in the past decade.

There's currently no dearth of high-megapixel-count camera sensors. Likewise, there are various types of sensors including periscope, wide-angle and telephoto, which is popular among smartphone photography enthusiasts.

Apparently, telephoto cameras deliver longer zoom ranges and awe-inspiring portrait shots. On the downside, telephoto sensors usually have a low megapixel count.

Ahead of the Galaxy S23 series launch, tipster Ice Universe hinted at the arrival of a 200MP camera capable of producing images that take up little space.

While higher megapixel cameras like the aforementioned 200MP camera are typically used as the main camera, it looks like Samsung wants to change this.

200MP telephoto cameras: What does Samsung say?

According to the South Korean smartphone giant, 200MP telephoto cameras could take smartphone photography by storm in the future. In an official blog post, Samsung noted that telephoto cameras can now serve as a second main camera rather than just being a secondary camera sensor.

The Korean brand attributes this to all the improvements the industry has made in telephoto sensor technology. It pointed out that telephoto cameras do not cause face distortion, which is sometimes seen in wide-angle camera portrait shots.

In the blog post, the company shared photos shot with a 24mm wide-angle lens at 1x and an 85mm telephoto lens at 3.5x. While the latter (3.5x 85mm lens) doesn't show distortion on the face, the first photo (1x 24mm lens) has a face distortion problem.

Samsung goes on to say that telephoto cameras are normally smaller than wide-angle cameras, which affects the image quality, HDR, and colours. This is the reason telephoto cameras are not used as main cameras.

However, Samsung believes the issue can be fixed by using a telephoto sensor with upgraded size and capabilities. This is exactly where the 200MP telephoto cameras come into the picture. The company shared 200MP image samples that show how it can be used for telephoto and wide-angle roles.

The next big thing in smartphone photography

Samsung is particularly referring to its 200MP ISOCELL HP2 and ISOCELL HP3 camera sensors. The company says these sensors have advanced technologies like Tetrapixel, which blends with 16 neighbouring pixels to deliver a superior low-light shot.

As compared to traditionally used telephoto sensors, there's enhanced HDR performance and improved out-focus. Furthermore, a 200MP telephoto sensor with a 3x telephoto module can add lossless zoom scenarios from 3x to 6x to 12x.

Samsung is still mum on its plan to launch a smartphone with a 200MP telephoto camera. However, an earlier report suggests the company is working on a 440MP camera sensor. The word on the street is that the mammoth sensor will arrive with Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra flagship phone next year.