Why 2026 smartphones will not have this game-changing digital camera tech

Fashionable smartphone cameras are spectacular beasts, as many digital camera telephones mix cutting-edge {hardware} with superior picture processing capabilities. A number of the extra notable improvements in recent times embody periscope cameras, 200MP sensors, and all-pixel autofocus.

Nevertheless, one in every of my favourite {hardware} options arrived in 2022: one-inch digital camera sensors. Sadly, adoption of this tech has seemingly stalled within the final yr or so, and it doesn’t appear like we’ll see a lot of it in 2026. What went flawed?

One-inch 50MP digital camera sensors debuted on the Xiaomi 12s Extremely again in 2022, and it actually felt like this was the following large factor. Actually, Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO, and HUAWEI wasted little time bringing this tech to their top-end telephones.

Quick-forward to 2026, although, and it looks as if smartphone makers aren’t so loopy about this expertise. Vivo supplied a one-inch 50MP most important digital camera on the X90 Professional and X100 Professional, however skipped it on subsequent releases. The Xiaomi 13 Professional additionally used this sensor, however subsequent Professional handsets, such because the Xiaomi 17 Professional Max, don’t embody it.

It’s not all dangerous information, as HUAWEI continues to supply this characteristic on its Professional and Extremely telephones. OPPO and Xiaomi now not supply this characteristic on their Professional handsets however retain it on their Extremely fashions. In different phrases, you’ll be able to nonetheless discover telephones with one-inch sensors for those who look onerous sufficient or are prepared to import them. Nevertheless, fewer telephones supply this digital camera expertise right this moment.

I additionally anticipated the likes of Samsung, Google, Apple, and Sony to hitch the one-inch sensor practice, however this hasn’t occurred to this point. That’s disappointing, as these massive sensors supply a number of advantages over smaller cameras.

One notable perk is a shallower depth-of-field impact with out resorting to software program trickery. This ends in pictures with extra nice and correct bokeh. These massive sensors additionally boast spectacular light-gathering, leading to brighter, cleaner pictures with improved dynamic vary. This additionally reduces movement blur, for the reason that shutter doesn’t have to remain open as lengthy, permitting you to freeze topics even in combined lighting. Telephones just like the Xiaomi 14 Extremely and vivo X100 Professional additionally make good use of those sensors, delivering spectacular low-light snaps, whereas the latter even affords a handheld astrophotography mode.

Maybe the most important motive why we haven’t seen wider adoption of one-inch cameras is house constraints. These sensors take up a variety of house contained in the cellphone, forcing producers to implement big digital camera bumps. Evidently, these enormous housings are ugly and can lead to a much less ergonomic machine. I do know I generally wrestle to put my index finger when utilizing a cellphone with an Oreo-sized digital camera bump. These massive housings also can trigger a cellphone to wobble considerably when used on a flat floor.

It additionally doesn’t assist that Apple and Samsung went in one other path altogether by providing ultra-thin smartphones in 2025. These gadgets are so skinny that cramming a number of rear cameras into the body is a problem, not to mention a one-inch digital camera sensor or a telephoto lens. Fortunately, customers have largely uncared for skinny gadgets just like the Galaxy S25 Edge as a result of compromised cameras, shorter battery life, and excessive worth tags.

One other subject with one-inch cameras is that the sensor have to be farther from the lens for optimum focusing and picture high quality. Actually, HUAWEI’s Pura 70 Extremely (seen above) includes a retractable main digital camera lens to extend the gap between the lens and sensor. HUAWEI and Xiaomi have additionally paired one-inch cameras with a variable aperture to fight focusing and depth-of-field points related to these massive sensors. However retractable lenses and variable apertures additionally improve {hardware} complexity and drive up prices.

Talking of prices, I think about that corporations like Apple and Samsung haven’t adopted one-inch cameras as a result of these elements would cut back revenue margins. As a substitute, Samsung particularly sticks with the identical most important digital camera sensors for a number of years.

One other potential motive why enormous most important sensors haven’t gained traction is that telephoto cameras have turn out to be more and more essential — I do know that is my favourite digital camera on a number of flagships today. These zoom-focused modules take up important house, significantly as producers supply more and more bigger telephoto sensors and extra advanced periscope designs. It due to this fact is sensible to barely scale back the first digital camera’s dimension to allow higher zoom.

Smaller digital camera sensors have additionally caught up with one-inch sensors in some methods. Vivo switched to a smaller, LYT-818 most important digital camera (1/1.28-inch) for the X200 Professional. It claimed that this digital camera has higher video high quality than the one-inch IMX989 sensor and comparable picture high quality. In fact, vivo in contrast this smaller most important sensor to the first-generation one-inch sensor slightly than the second-generation LYT-900. Nonetheless, the vivo X300 Professional and OPPO Discover X9 Professional now use the LYT-828 most important digital camera sensor (1/1.28-inch), which affords superior HDR capabilities and ultra-high conversion achieve tech that’s lacking from one-inch sensors.

That every one stated, it feels like one-inch digital camera sensors aren’t going anyplace simply but — no less than not fully. Actually, latest developments might result in extra telephones with this tech sooner or later. The brand-new Xiaomi 17 Extremely includes a new one-inch sensor from the Chinese language model Omnivision, and a fellow Chinese language firm, SmartSens, launched a one-inch sensor in July 2025.

That is an encouraging improvement, because it means Sony is now not the one firm providing one-inch cameras. In principle, this diversified provide chain might scale back prices and, due to this fact, result in larger proliferation of those sensors.

Nevertheless, Sony additionally appears bullish on massive digital camera sensors. The corporate disclosed a graph earlier this yr that predicts massive sensors to develop in reputation on high-end telephones till 2028.

“Traditionally till now, the expertise of our cell sensors has developed first by a number of cameras after which larger-sized sensors as much as 1-inch, and this has helped our enterprise progress,” Sony informed Android Authority in response to emailed questions, whereas noting that the adoption of enormous sensors generally was progressing “easily.”

Then once more, the following large digital camera sensor improve may not be a one-inch sensor in any case. Sony lately introduced the 200MP LYT-901 digital camera sensor (1/1.12-inch), which is considerably bigger than present 200MP sensors and barely smaller than 50MP one-inch sensors. Leaks counsel that OPPO and vivo might make the most of this sensor as the primary digital camera of their upcoming Extremely telephones.

As such, the Xiaomi 17 Extremely and its new one-inch sensor may be the exception slightly than the rule in 2026. That’s to not say smartphone cameras in 2026 received’t be unbelievable, however the dream of one-inch sensors on all flagships in all probability isn’t coming true this yr.