Sony Xperia 1 V or next-gen PRO may turn it up to 48 MP for astonishing camera system

Not long ago we reported about a rumor that the Sony Xperia 1 V could turn up with an incredible ultra-micro-hole camera array at the front that would allow for even slimmer bezels around the display. The same source of that supposed leak, who shared the details on Weibo, now claims to have some more information about a new Xperia that definitely requires a pinch of salt to digest. Obviously, the first claim is that the Xperia 1 V or next-gen Xperia PRO (no specific line is mentioned) will sport 48 MP cameras.

The Sony Xperia 1 IV and the Xperia PRO-I make good use of triple 12 MP lenses for their cameras, and it seems Sony is loath to follow the wider smartphone OEM trend of just whacking up MP numbers in a senseless fashion. But while certain rivals appear to be eyeing 200 MP and above, it is now rumored that Sony has bitten the bullet and gone with 48 MP counts. This was once associated with the Xperia 1 IV, with the 48 MP (and 50 MP) sensors never actually appearing. This latest rumor doesn’t just end on that note though.

The source continues that the future Xperia smartphone will have a full 48 MP DPAF (dual pixel auto focus) system with 1-inch + 1/1.3-inch + 1/1.7-inch lenses. In addition, that latter 1/1.7-inch 48 MP unit will be a periscope lens, with the source pointing out that this would be the same size as the main camera currently found in the Sony Xperia 1 IV. It’s quite a claim, with a user on Esato calling it fake because a 1-inch sensor in an Xperia would leave something like a Sony Xperia 1 V having to be uncharacteristically large to contain the unit.

However, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra uses a full 1-inch sensor (Sony's IMX989) and isn’t shy about showing it off, and, of course, the Sony Xperia PRO-I also boasts of having a whopping 1-inch main sensor with its Sony Exmor RS IMX478 unit. The latter Sony smartphone displays its large sensor on the rear within a tidy camera arrangement, but then this new and mysterious Xperia would also have two other large cameras to deal with, which could end up being a real design problem for a likely slender Xperia 1 V.

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