The next Xiaomi phone could have a key advantage on the iPhone 11: Its camera

The next Xiaomi Redmi phone will use a next generation 64-megapixel camera sensor that could smoke competitors when it comes to photo quality, according to a fresh report.

The news broke when eagle eyed XDA Member kackskrz spotted a “64MP DUAL CAMERA,” reference in the company’s MIUI camera app. The listing indicates Xiaomi’s sub-brand is at the very least experimenting with the sensor and considering it for a future, unreleased handset.

The sensor being referenced is built by Samsung and the only on the market to feature a 64-megapixel resolution. The camera won’t actually shoot in 64-megapixels most of the time, despite there being a Pro option to do so. Instead it’ll use pixel binning to create 16-megapixel shots. The tech’s similar to what you’ll find on the 48-megapixel snapper seen on the OnePlus 7 Pro and Asus Zenfone 6.

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Samsung also claims the sensor will be able to shoot significantly more realistic HDR content than competing smartphone cameras. We can’t comment on the legitimacy of any of these claims until we get a chance to test a phone with the sensor. But if even a smidgen of them are true the sensor could be a key selling point for the new Redmi and give it an edge on one key rival: the iPhone 11.

Despite offering decent camera’s Apple iPhones have fallen behind their Android competition when it comes to overall image quality in recent years. As it stands the Pixel 3a and Huawei P30 Pro have significantly better cameras than Apple’s current generation iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR.

The new sensor is one of many experiments Xiaomi is currently running. The company revealed it is working on a nifty way to hide phones’ front cameras underneath the display earlier this year. The move would remove the need for companies to embed the cameras in ugly notches or integrate flimsy feeling pop up cameras into phones.