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Fashionable smartphone cameras are spectacular beasts, as many digicam telephones mix cutting-edge {hardware} with superior picture processing capabilities. A few of the extra notable improvements lately embrace periscope cameras, 200MP sensors, and all-pixel autofocus.

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

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

Quick-forward to 2026, although, and it looks like smartphone makers aren’t so loopy about this know-how. Vivo provided a one-inch 50MP predominant digicam 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 embrace it.

It’s not all unhealthy information, as HUAWEI continues to supply this function on its Professional and Extremely telephones. OPPO and Xiaomi now not provide this function on their Professional handsets however retain it on their Extremely fashions. In different phrases, you possibly can nonetheless discover telephones with one-inch sensors should you look exhausting sufficient or are keen to import them. Nevertheless, fewer telephones provide this digicam know-how in the present day.

I additionally anticipated the likes of Samsung, Google, Apple, and Sony to hitch the one-inch sensor prepare, however this hasn’t occurred so far. That’s disappointing, as these massive sensors provide 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 images with extra nice and correct bokeh. These massive sensors additionally boast spectacular light-gathering, leading to brighter, cleaner photographs with improved dynamic vary. This additionally reduces movement blur, because the shutter doesn’t have to remain open as lengthy, permitting you to freeze topics even in blended 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 gives a handheld astrophotography mode.

Maybe the most important purpose why we haven’t seen wider adoption of one-inch cameras is area constraints. These sensors take up a whole lot of area contained in the telephone, forcing producers to implement large digicam bumps. For sure, these big housings are unpleasant and may end up in a much less ergonomic system. I do know I generally wrestle to put my index finger when utilizing a telephone with an Oreo-sized digicam bump. These massive housings also can trigger a telephone to wobble considerably when used on a flat floor.

It additionally doesn’t assist that Apple and Samsung went in one other course 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 digicam sensor or a telephoto lens. Fortunately, shoppers 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 should be farther from the lens for optimum focusing and picture high quality. In actual fact, HUAWEI’s Pura 70 Extremely (seen above) encompasses a retractable major digicam 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 predominant digicam sensors for a number of years.

One other potential purpose why big predominant sensors haven’t gained traction is that telephoto cameras have turn into more and more essential — I do know that is my favourite digicam on a number of flagships as of late. These zoom-focused modules take up important area, significantly as producers provide more and more bigger telephoto sensors and extra advanced periscope designs. It due to this fact is smart to barely scale back the first digicam’s dimension to allow higher zoom.

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

That every one mentioned, it appears like one-inch digicam sensors aren’t going anyplace simply but — a minimum of not fully. In actual fact, latest developments might result in extra telephones with this tech sooner or later. The brand-new Xiaomi 17 Extremely encompasses 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 concept, 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 digicam sensors. The corporate disclosed a graph earlier this yr that predicts massive sensors to develop in recognition on high-end telephones till 2028.

“Traditionally till now, the know-how of our cellular sensors has developed first via a number of cameras after which larger-sized sensors as much as 1-inch, and this has helped our enterprise development,” Sony advised Android Authority in response to emailed questions, whereas noting that the adoption of enormous sensors typically was progressing “easily.”

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

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