Are smartphone cameras stuck in a rut? It might seem like it. While our phones get smarter in other ways, like with AI, the camera hardware feels like it’s hit a wall. There are only so many lenses and megapixels you can cram into a phone, right? Let’s dive in.
Even the best camera phones struggle to make big leaps year after year. Take the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example. It’s rumored to have the same 200MP main camera as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, even if the pixel size got a boost in the S24 Ultra. And the Galaxy S26 Ultra? It doesn’t sound like there will be many major changes to the main camera, with Samsung focusing on AI enhancements instead.
Now, camera phones are pretty advanced, so there’s not a ton of room for major hardware changes. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any improvements waiting to happen.
Why Camera Hardware Still Matters
Sure, algorithms and photo processing play a huge role in how your pictures look. You might think that updated hardware doesn’t make a big difference. But here’s the kicker: photo processing can only enhance what the hardware captures in the first place. A bigger sensor grabs more light, giving the AI a better starting point for a wider dynamic range. Faster lenses mean brighter images, and better optics reduce distortions that the AI has to fix.
It’s also crucial to remember that AI can’t defy the laws of physics. The dynamic range of a camera phone is limited by the sensor’s full well capacity. Low-light performance also depends on pixel size and sensor area. Photo processing can help, but it can’t solve everything.
Personally, I’m more excited by physical improvements. I want to see tangible upgrades to justify the price of a new phone. So, I reached out to some camera phone experts to see what they think the future holds.
What the Experts Say
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg says, “While the industry is certainly shifting to AI camera technology…there’s still a lot more that can be done in terms of camera sensors.” This could mean improved telephoto lenses with higher zoom capabilities without sacrificing image quality. Gurman adds, “The bigger innovation would be as physics gets bent to allow more light to be let into lenses despite shrinking form-factors. The other innovation in cameras will be how they will get redesigned to fit into smart glasses and other AI wearables.”
Avi Greengart from Techsponential agrees: “Smartphone imaging is certainly mature — we aren’t in the early megapixel wars anymore, and there is more of an emphasis on improvements in computational photography than the hardware.” He believes potential innovations lie in sensors, optics, camera arrays, and signal processing silicon. He also points out that some improvements will focus on making the camera bump thinner and squeezing more telephoto distance into the limited space.
Greengart concludes, “I would be shocked if there weren’t hardware changes coming, specifically designed to take advantage of ever-increasing power and AI capabilities of the silicon from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Apple.”
A Promising Future… Eventually?
So, the future of phone cameras looks bright! But when will we see these changes? Because AI features are still relatively new, there’s more room for innovation there compared to more mature camera hardware. Phone makers are likely to focus on AI and image processing first. However, Gurman and Greengart have convinced me that there’s still plenty of room for hardware improvements.
What do you think? What camera improvements would you like to see in future phones? Share your thoughts in the comments below!