Samsung take note The ZTE Axon 30 Pro is rumored to feature a huge 200-megapixel camera.

This would surpass the already massive 108MP sensor on Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra, and could make ZTE's next flagship a surprise competitor to the S21 and iPhone 12.

This is based on a post on Weibo by Lu Qianhao, director of consumer experience at ZTE. In his message, he confirms that the Axon 30 Pro will use the Snapdragon 888 chipset; Lu specifically mentions this chip, the Spectra 580 ISP (Image Signal Processor), and that it will support cameras up to 200MP He discusses that it will support up to 200MP cameras.

Lu's ad hoc reference is put into context by Weibo leaker WHYLAB, who more clearly suggests that the Axon 30 Pro will feature a 200MP sensor. He also mentions that this sensor is likely to be Samsung's S5KGND sensor, which offers strong performance in low-light conditions and supports 4K video and deeper 10-bit color.

The Snapdragon 888 is already a significant improvement over the company's previous flagship, the Axon 20 5G; the Snapdragon 888 is a major evolution from the Snapdragon 765G found in the Axon 20 5G. This puts the Axon 30 Pro on par with the Galaxy S21 series, but with a 200MP camera, it will be far ahead.

Lu also posted a teaser image (below) that perhaps hints at the shape of the rear camera bump.

The largest camera currently seen on a major smartphone is 108 MP. The most notable models with this sensor are devices like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, as well as the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro.

If this 200MP camera is made by Samsung, the Galaxy Note 21 and Galaxy S22 may be equipped with this sensor. We know that Samsung is considering a 150MP sensor for smartphones, so this is a good possibility.

The best feature of the Axon 20 5G is the selfie sensor hidden under the notchless display. It provides a convincing full-screen experience when gaming or watching videos, but the camera quality was not up to par when we tested it; if ZTE wants to keep this feature, it will need to upgrade it significantly.

Our list of the best camera phones shows that you don't need a 200MP sensor to take great pictures. Our top performer, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, uses three much smaller 12MP cameras; ZTE will need to do more than offer a high-resolution sensor if it is serious about the Axon 30's photography prowess.