It took years for Apple to gravitate to a 48MP primary sensor for its modern-day iPhones, up from the 12MP units that consistently found their way into older models. This upgrade opens up several doors when it comes to capturing high-resolution images, as users can now take cropped stills without adversely affecting the quality. However, unlike Samsung, Apple has steered clear of adopting any 200MP cameras on its devices, but there is a possibility that the California-based giant changes its stance, at least according to a previous rumor.
Then again, it appears that Apple’s motivation to introduce a 200MP sensor on a future iPhone might have some truth to it, because a YouTuber has mentioned that the Galaxy S25 Edge, Samsung’s recently announced ultra-slim flagship, has the same 200MP camera as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it manages to deliver better image quality when using a sensor crop compared to the iPhone 16 Pro’s and iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 5x optical zoom in some cases.
Apple could employ the Galaxy S25 Edge’s sensor crop technique in the immediate successors of the iPhone 17 Air, achieving more with just a single camera
Shortly after the rumor that Apple was testing a 200MP camera circulated, YouTuber Vadim Yuryev, who runs the channel Max Tech, published a post on X stating that he had tested a 4x sensor crop on the Galaxy S25 Edge, and in some instances, delivered better image quality than Apple’s 5x optical zoom. Keep in mind that the slim flagship does not feature any lossless zoom lens, so it needs to take advantage of the sensor crop feature to achieve this feat.
Recently tested the 200MP 4x sensor crop on the S25 Edge and WOW.. It does a great job!
In some cases it beat Apple's 12MP 5x optical zoom in terms of quality.
Apple needs that 48MP telephoto ASAP.. and we'll see how good the 200MP sensor will be. It better be a lot bigger. https://t.co/0Z1wrYfHOG
— Vadim Yuryev (@VadimYuryev) May 29, 2025
While it is disappointing that we don't have a comparison to check out, Samsung has introduced numerous improvements to the Galaxy S25 Edge’s primary camera to the point that it outperforms the superior Galaxy S25 Ultra at 4x zoom. These upgrades will be most notable for Apple’s iPhones that do not feature an optical zoom, such as the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air. Unfortunately, we doubt that the Cupertino firm will bring a 200MP sensor to these models this early, but this hardware change could arrive sooner than later.
News Source: Vadim Yuryev
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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