Samsung Galaxy S11 camera looks increasingly likely to get all-new 64MP sensor

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. Image credit: TechRadar (Image credit: Future)

New generations of smartphones always bring a decent camera upgrade, and we'd expect the same to be the case for the Samsung Galaxy S11 – but according to a new leak, the 2020 handset could see an absolutely massive improvement.

This leak comes from reliable Twitter leaker @UniverseIce, who says the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will be the last phone to have the current camera sensor most flagship Samsung phones use. The Samsung Galaxy S11, therefore, is set to get something different.

All Samsung flagships since the Galaxy S7 have used the same 12MP sensor. That's not to say picture quality hasn't improved, as new lenses have been added in later phones and post-processing software always gets better, but it does mean the improvements have been relatively minor.

If Samsung uses a new sensor, however, the camera quality could leap up massively (depending on the sensor used, of course), and we could even see Samsung phones get back to the top spots on our list of the best smartphone cameras

What is the new sensor?

While there's no official word on what camera the Samsung Galaxy S11 will pack, we do have a good idea, since Samsung itself has said it's developed a 64MP camera sensor for use in smartphones.

That's a huge leap up in resolution, especially given that phones at the moment have up to 48MP sensors, so 64MP would be by far the best resolution in a camera. Since the sensor was created by Samsung, it stands to reason we could see it in a Samsung smartphone first.

Saying that, we don't know for sure that the Galaxy S11 will be the first Samsung phone to use a new sensor (no matter how reliable the leaker) and we've no way of knowing for sure that Samsung would use this 64MP sensor, so take it all with a pinch of salt.

On top of that, there are other smartphones that could use the sensor first. Realme shared some images taken with a 64MP camera on a phone, before that we heard a hint that Xiaomi could use the snapper, and before that we thought we'd see it in the Galaxy A70s. So, it's not certain that the Galaxy S11 could use the sensor first.

We'll find out for sure around February 2020, when we'd expect Samsung to unveil the upcoming flagships, but stay tuned to TechRadar before then to find out all the latest news, leaks and rumors.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.