Leak: Redmi to offer 50MP camera on upcoming phone

Redmi launched the Redmi Note 10 Pro earlier this year, bringing a 108MP main camera to a Redmi phone for the first time. But we’ve also seen a trend for flagships to adopt 50MP main or ultra-wide cameras in recent times, as the likes of OnePlus, OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi all offer a 50MP sensor on their flagships.

Now, Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station has claimed that Xiaomi’s budget-focused sub-brand also has a phone with a 50MP camera in the works. According to machine translation, the upcoming Chinese version of the Redmi Note 10 Pro won’t be using this camera.

The leaker also claims that the 50MP camera in question packs a 1/1.5-inch sensor size, which doesn’t line up with Samsung’s GN1 and GN2 sensors. But it definitely matches Omnivision’s 50MP OV50A image sensor, which was announced in February.

Omnivision’s sensor also touts 100% phase detection autofocus coverage, one-micron pixel size, staggered HDR, and pixel-binned shots comparable to a 12.5MP two-micron pixel camera. The pixel size in particular is smaller than Samsung’s 50MP sensors, but larger than the Mi 11’s 108MP main camera and the Redmi Note 10’s 48MP shooter. We’re nevertheless glad to see companies take a “less is more” approach to megapixels, as larger pixels generally equal better low light shots. 

For what it’s worth, our own Eric Zeman thought the 108MP-toting Redmi Note 10 Pro offered fine images for the price, but that it couldn’t match the Pixel 4a. So it definitely seems like there’s room for improvement for this next Redmi device.