The smartphone industry is constantly evolving even if there have been plateaus that have come and gone throughout the years. These plateaus have happened with various components that we use in our smartphones. From display resolution to CPU core count/efficiency and even the camera sensors. However, earlier this year, two popular smartphone camera sensor providers announced sensors that are capable of 48MP images and Xiaomi just teased a new phone for January that will be equipped with a rear-facing 48MP camera.
Google Pixel phones have been touted as devices that can produce the best images right now. This type of topic is subjective though as some people like an image that is sharper while others feel it makes it look artificial. Some people believe the results have everything to do with the sensor that is used while others say it’s all dependent on the post-processing which is done after the photo is taken. Heck, the website DxOMark does extensive tests on smartphone cameras and each time a new review comes out a heated debate follows right behind it.
Still, being able to boast that your smartphone has an incredibly high MP count is great for marketing material. This is exactly what Xiaomi is doing with a smartphone that is slated to be released next month. The company released the teaser image above on Weibo and it’s left people wondering which phone it will be and how the photos will look. An image sensor with a MP count this high isn’t something a company can just pick off the random components shelf.
It’s currently speculated that Xiaomi will either be going with the Sony’s IMX586 or they could side with Samsung and go with the ISOCELL Bright GMI. As far as additional specs of this mysterious Xiaomi device, we do know that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 675 supports image sensors with a MP count as high as 48MP and it’s currently slated to be released during the first quarter of 2019. So while this new Xiaomi smartphone may not be equipped with a high-end SoC, it could end up producing some amazing photos thanks to the camera sensor.