Samsung's 200-megapixel camera sensor is coming to the best Android phones

Now that some of the best cheap phones come with 50MP cameras, the best Android phones are getting even more megapixels. We've already seen firms such as Motorola (pictured) and Xiaomi use Samsung's 200MP camera sensors in their high-end models, and now Realme is joining the three-digit digital sensor party.

As SamMobile reports, the Chinese smartphone certification platform TENAA listed the full specifications for the Realme 11 Pro+, which is expected to launch imminently. 

According to the spec sheet, the phone will have a 200MP camera sensor on its main rear-facing camera. It's most likely to be a Samsung one such as the ISOCELL HP3, as Samsung is the only sensor firm currently making 200MP sensors for phones. 

Are 200MP camera sensors really worth having?

Yes. In our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review we explained that having lots of megapixels isn't really about the number of pixels: "It's there to do a lot of processing work, converting 16 'pixels' into one for the final image, giving greater potential detail and dynamic range to the 12.5-megapixel final shots. Having more pixels in play also means more areas of focus and that makes its laser autofocus-equipped system super quick to take snaps." 

Having a 200MP sensor means your phone has more image data to play with, and that should result in much better shots than you'd get from a similar phone with a lower resolution sensor, even though the finished shots won't be 200MP. And if you like to tinker, 200MP means more RAW data for you to use too.

As for the Realme 11 Pro+, the specs are pretty much what you'd expect from a 2023 Android phone: 6.7-inch AMOLED 120Hz screen, memory and storage of up to 16GB and 1TB respectively, a 4,870mAh battery and possibly a very, very low price tag. SamMobile predicts a price tag of around $300, which would make it the most affordable 200MP smartphone around – until, inevitably, someone else makes an even more affordable one.

As yet we don't know if this particular model is coming to Europe or the US, but even if it doesn't it's a safe bet that we'll see 200MP phones from Realme and its rivals very soon indeed.