What we know about the 200MP cameraphone

(Pocket-lint) – Lenovo-owned Motorola recently teased via a Weibo post it will debut one of the first phones in the world with a 200-megapixel camera. It could be joined by a third-generation foldable Razr, too.

But this guide is about Motorola’s upcoming cameraphone, which is currently going by the codename Frontier. It’s unclear if it’ll get a different name when it launches. In fact, many details are admittedly thin right now, but Motorola has confirmed the device is coming this summer, and several leaks from the past few months provide possible clues about what the phone might look like and feature. 

Motorola Frontier: What we know

In May 2022, Motorola took to the Chinese social platform Weibo to tease two upcoming smartphones, one of which is a device equipped with a whopping 200-megapixel camera. It’s set to debut in July. Reportedly, it’s been developed under the codename Frontier, and it has leaked a couple of times in recent months. In January 2022, WinFuture shared renders of the device as well as specs.

The phone’s standout feature is the main camera, which will reportedly use Samsung’s 200-megapixel sensor announced last September.

Motorola Frontier: Release date

Motorola’s recent Weibo suggests it will announce a 200-megapixel cameraphone in July 2022. No other specific information is known, including whether the phone will be called Frontie when it arrives this summer.

There’s also currently no word on if, or when, the phone might launch outside of China. But Motorola announced the Edge Plus in China at the end of 2021 as the “Edge X30”, and then brought it to the US in 2022 as “Edge Plus”. If Motorola follows that same roadmap for the Frontier, then the phone could roll out to other countries before the end of 2022. But that is pure speculation. 

Motorola Frontier: Rumoured design

So there are a few of images for the Frontier swirling around on the internet.

There is WinFuture’s report from January that included this render:

WInFuture

Leakster Evan Blass shared another, similar render in February:

@evleaks

And then this photograph of the phone was allegedly posted to Weibo in March:

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Motorola Frontier: Rumoured specs

Thanks to reports such as WinFuture’s that included a listing of specs, but also reports from Techniknews, @evleaks, and SamMobile, it’s unanimously clear the Frontier will use Samsung’s ISOCELL HP1 sensor.

Announced last autumn, the sensor can not only handle 8K video recording, but with so many pixels it will open the door to enhanced high dynamic range (HDR) and various pixel binning possibilities (16-in-1 delivering 12.5-megapixel results as the default). The other two cameras on the rear of the phone are reportedly a 50-megapixel ultrawide and 12-megapixel telephoto. Photography will be the main focus of the Frontier, it certainly seems. Previous rumours also point to a 6.7-inch pOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. It is also claimed that the phone will run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chipset.

Other interesting features rumoured to date include details about the 144Hz screen being a curved hole in display. The screen might even have an under-display fingerprint sensor. 

Motorola Frontier: What’s happened?

Here is an up-to-date timeline of all the leaks so far for the Frontier:

24 May 2022: Motorola teases 200MP cameraphone, likely the Frontier, coming in July

Lenovo-owned Motorola has taken to the Chinese social platform Weibo to tease its upcoming smartphones, including a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 foldable phone and another device equipped with a whopping 200-megapixel camera. That second one is set to launch as soon as this summer. Motorola’s 200-megapixel cameraphone is codenamed Frontier. Meant to be a flagship phone, it’s leaked several times in recent months, revealing specs and features. Now, Microsoft is confirming its existence via a Weibo post. While the teaser doesn’t mention the phone’s official name, it does reveal a July timeframe for the launch date. 

28 March 2022: Samsung’s 200-megapixel camera spotted on an actual phone

The photo you see above was shared through the Chinese social media network Weibo and later on Twitter, and it supposedly depicts the Motorola Frontier.

18 February 2022: Motorola Frontier pops up in best picture leak yet

Excellent renders of the oft-rumoured Motorola Frontier surfaced online thanks to leakster Evan Blass and, if they’re legit, a rather significant main camera is visible on the rear. Previous leaks have pointed to the phone sporting Samsung’s 200-megapixel Isocell HP1 sensor, and the image collection posted by online tipster Evan Blass has 194-megapixel listed under a huge lens unit.

25 January 2022: Motorola details and pictures leak out

News first surfaces about Motorola working on a new flagship smartphone ith a 144 Hz display, 200-megapixel camera, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 “Plus” chip under the code name Frontier.

Writing by Maggie Tillman.