Apple rumored to upgrade iPhone 16 Pro ultra-wide lens to 48MP

The iPhone 16 Pro could offer even more photographic upgrades in hardware, with a leaker claiming Apple will include a second 48-megapixel sensor in its triple-camera setup.

Apple's 2023 iPhone 15 Pro launches mixed a 48-megapixel main camera sensor alongside a pair of 12-megapixel sensors for the ultra-wide and telephoto versions. One year later, Apple could upgrade a second sensor.

In a post to social media site Weibo on Monday morning, serial leaker "Setsuna Digital" posted that it is "time for the 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens" to be included in the iPhone 16 Pro.

The leaker doesn't offer any more information beyond the claim, but it seems to be a fairly logical progression for Apple to take. The 48-megapixel main camera allowed the company to, via some selective cropping on the main camera sensor, give users the equivalent of four optical focal lengths from three cameras.

Thanks to pixel binning, the sensor also provided improved low-light photography.

Upgrading a second camera to 48-megapixels makes sense, including reducing the cost of the component by using more of them. It is unclear why the ultra-wide camera is the target this time around, as an upgraded telephoto could allow for an improved optical zoom, simply by cropping the sensor again.

This is not the only instance of a rumor about a second 48MP sensor. In August, an analyst proposed a second rear camera sensor at that resolution is a possibility.

Setsuna Digital does have a significant following online for rumors across multiple devices, but it doesn't have that much of a track record for Apple hardware. They have previously mentioned that the next upgrade for the Apple Watch Ultra could be a switch from OLED to microLED in 2025, but again with little actual workable detail.