Motorola Frontier may use 200-megapixel Samsung camera, launch expected in July

Motorola's rumoured 2022 flagship phone, called Frontier, may use a 200-megapixel Samsung HP1 sensor that will support optical image stabilisation.

Motorola is reportedly going to use a 200-megapixel camera on its flagship phone in 2022. A new report has suggested that this camera will use a Samsung sensor on the back. There will be two other cameras in the rear system, the design of which has been leaked in live images. Rumours are rife that Motorola will call its 2022 flagship the Motorola Frontier and if these leaked images are anything to go by, the phone will look very similar to the Xiaomi 12.

A photo leaked on Weibo shows what could be the camera design on the rumoured Motorola Frontier. The camera module is huge and so is the cutout for the main sensor. There is some text etched on the camera module and it confirms that this sensor is a 200-megapixel Samsung HP1 sensor with an F2.2 aperture and support for optical image stabilisation. This Samsung sensor is touted to function as several different sensors using the company’s deep learning-based “remosaicing” algorithm.

Samsung’s HP1 sensor is capable of 2x2 pixel binning, which allows for photos at a 50-megapixel resolution. There is also 4x4 pixel binning available for this sensor and it results in 12.5-megapixel photos with 16 sensor pixels. The 200-megapixel sensor made by Samsung can shoot videos at up to 8K resolution at 30 frames per second.

All of these features can be expected on the Motorola Frontier, but since OEMs tend to make slight changes to sensors in terms of features, you can also expect the sensor to support a few things additionally. The camera app of the Frontier is also likely to offer more features, but details about that are not available right now.

The Motorola Frontier is expected to use Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is the flagship processor for Android phones this year. With this processor, the Frontier will supposedly take on the likes of Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Xiaomi 12, and Oppo Find X5 Pro among others. Rumours have suggested the Motorola Frontier will sport a curved 6.67-inch pOLED display with a refresh rate of 144Hz. The display has a punch-hole in the dead centre, according to the photos leaked. Inside this punch-hole may be a 60-megapixel camera for selfies.

You can expect the Motorola Frontier to come in two storage configurations. There may be an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant and a 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model. The support for an external microSD card on the Motorola Frontier is not likely though. Speculations are also rife that this flagship phone will be the company’s first to come with 125W fast charging. Lenovo Group China CEO Chen Jin previously teased a Motorola 125W power adapter. He did not say what phone would support that, but rumours suggest this phone will be the Motorola Frontier. This charging will be supported by a 4500mAh battery, which, according to rumours, will also feature wireless charging. However, the jury is still out whether there will be 30W wireless charging or 50W on the Motorola Frontier.

The Motorola Frontier is expected to arrive sometime in July. However, this would likely take place in China, while the launches in other markets may happen a little later.