Oppo's new phone puts a 200-megapixel camera on the back three times

Oppo's Find X10 Pro Max is the first phone with three 200-megapixel cameras on the back. The Verge's review calls the cameras excellent, but says the megapixel count is only part of the reason. The selfie camera is more modest at 50 megapixels. The material does not give a price or a ship date.

What is new

High-resolution phone cameras are not new. The Moto X30 Pro had a 200-megapixel camera in 2022. The Vivo X300 Ultra was the first with two, on its main and zoom cameras. Oppo adds a third by making the ultrawide camera 200 megapixels too. That means no drop in resolution as you switch lenses, so quality stays consistent.

Why the number is not the point

Phones use a trick called pixel-binning. It merges several nearby pixels into one. You get fine detail from the small pixels and better light capture from the merged ones.

Oppo uses less binning than most. Photos default to 26 megapixels on all three rear lenses, from 0.5x to 9.9x zoom. Most Android phones shoot at about 12 or 12.5 megapixels. Apple's top iPhones default to 24 megapixels. More detail helps if you want to crop a photo or print it.

• 26-megapixel photos are typically 8 to 12MB.
• 12.6-megapixel photos are closer to 4 to 6MB.
• Full 200-megapixel files run 45 to 60MB.

Dark scenes and full resolution

Less binning means less light captured. The phone handles this on its own. In darker scenes it drops to 12.6 megapixels, giving up a little detail to gather more light. A high-resolution mode lets you force 50 or 200 megapixels. At 200, the 16,384 x 12,288 files are big enough to print at some size. The reviewer saw little drop in low-light quality or dynamic range in that mode, though the darkest scenes will show some difference.

Where it falls short

The review says sensor size matters more than resolution. That is why Oppo's own Find X9 Ultra from earlier this year still has an edge. Its main and zoom sensors are larger and catch more light. The X10 Pro Max main camera uses a 1/1.3-inch-type sensor with an f/1.5 aperture. Its 3x zoom camera is smaller, at 1/1.56 inch with f/2.1. Only the ultrawide beats the Ultra, with higher resolution and a bigger sensor. Colors also vary slightly between lenses.

What it means when you shop

The megapixel number on the box says little about photo quality. Sensor size, lens aperture and how the software processes the image matter more. The Find X10 Pro Max is a strong all-round camera phone, but the review still ranks the Vivo X300 Ultra as its favorite on the market.