Leaker Digital Chat Station (via AndroidAuthority) recently posted on China’s Weibo social media site about a new phone that is rumored to feature a 160MP periscope camera. A periscope camera is used in smartphones to extend the focal length despite the small device body. It allows light to enter a tube through the lens, bounce off a prism at a 90-degree angle, and hit the image sensor, enabling the phone’s telephoto camera to deliver greater optical zoom.

While Digital Chat Station didn’t specify which phone would feature the 160MP periscope lens, it was mentioned that the device would carry the Porsche branding. This has led to speculation that the Honor Magic 6 series could be the phone in question, as the leaker previously stated that Honor and Porche Design were working together.

This 160MP periscope camera would be the highest-resolution telephoto camera ever found on a smartphone. However, a potential issue with such a large resolution sensor is that the sensor and pixels could be small, negatively impacting images shot with the periscope camera in low-light environments. To mitigate this, pixel binning could allow smaller pixels to carry more information.

Additionally, the post by Digital Chat Station highlighted other features of the rumored phone, including the use of 3D Time of Flight facial recognition akin to Apple’s Face ID, the Omnivision OV50K one-inch sensor for the primary camera, variable aperture support, an ultra wide-angle camera backed by an Omnivision sensor called the OV50H, and satellite communications, similar to what Huawei offers on the Mate 60 series.

It’s important to note that there are also rumors of the Vivo X100 Pro Plus sporting a 200MP telephoto camera, and Samsung’s semiconductor division has suggested that the “next big thing in smartphone photography” is a 200MP telephoto camera. These developments indicate that significant innovation in the smartphone industry continues to emerge from China.