Chinese smartphone makers appear to be reigniting the megapixel race, with new leaks suggesting upcoming flagship devices may feature not one but two 200-megapixel rear cameras.
The Xiaomi 18 Pro could debut with a dual-200MP rear camera setup, marking a first for mainstream smartphones (according to Digital Chat Station).
Current flagship phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra already use a 200MP sensor, but only for a single camera rather than multiple lenses.
The reported configuration would pair two ultra-high-resolution sensors on the rear, while retaining a compact 6.3-inch display similar in size to the existing Xiaomi 17 Pro.
That represents a notable shift from the Xiaomi 17 Pro, which relies on three 50MP rear cameras rather than prioritising extreme resolution on individual sensors.
Rather than chasing higher megapixel counts on a single camera, manufacturers appear to be exploring how large sensors can support different shooting roles across main and zoom lenses.
The first of many
Additional reports suggest Xiaomi is not alone, with Oppo, Vivo, and Honor also testing flagship phones that may feature two 200MP cameras.
Previous leaks from GizmoChina have linked the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, Vivo X300 Ultra, and Honor Magic 8 Ultra to similar dual-sensor camera strategies for future releases.
If adopted, these setups would likely assign one 200MP sensor to the main camera and another to a telephoto lens focused on zoom performance.
High-resolution sensors allow aggressive cropping while preserving detail, which can simulate optical zoom levels without relying solely on complex periscope hardware.
Smartphone makers already use this technique for loss-reduced zoom modes, such as 2x or 3x crops from large sensors, with dual 200MP cameras potentially expanding that flexibility.
While 200MP resolution exceeds what most users need for everyday viewing, the additional data can improve image sharpness, noise control, and digital zoom consistency.
The approach reflects a broader trend toward computational photography supported by increasingly large sensors rather than traditional increases in optical complexity.
For now, all details remain unconfirmed, and manufacturers have not outlined how they would balance processing demands, storage impact, and power consumption. But, by the sounds of it, we won’t have that long to wait to see them for ourselves.
