Pixel Ultra May Be In The Cards With A 1-Inch Camera Sensor

Google may still be planning to release the Pixel Ultra handset, and according to some new info, the device may include a 1-inch camera sensor. That may seem hard to believe, but this is not just your regular rumor.

The Pixel Ultra may be in the works with a 1-inch camera sensor

The information regarding the Pixel Ultra was spotted by Kuba Wojciechowski, a well-known developer, yet again. He dug around the recently-released source code for the Pixel 7 series, and found something interesting. A device codenamed ‘Lynx’ was spotted, which is said to be the Pixel Ultra. He spotted it before as well, more on that later.

That is pretty much everything he found, but another source got involved. Ice Universe, a well-known tipster, shared some info as well. He also said that Google seems to be working on the Pixel Ultra, and that the phone will feature a 1-inch camera sensor.

The second part of the tipster’s tweet is a bit confusing, and doesn’t seem to be related to the first. He talks about Samsung, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the iPhone 14 Pro.

In any case, if Google is working on the Pixel Ultra, and does plan to utilize a 1-inch sensor, chances are it will be Sony’s. The one that Xiaomi used in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, the IMX989.

We’re getting conflicting camera info from these two sources

Now, this would be great if true, but Kuba Wojciechowski previously shared different camera info. He mentioned that the Pixel Ultra will use a 50-megapixel ISOCELL GN1 sensor, just like the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7. A 64-megapixel Sony telephoto camera was also mentioned, and the same goes for a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera.

One of the two sources is wrong, and maybe even both of them. Google loves using the same camera sensors for years, and improving them through software. The Sony IMX363 12.2-megapixel camera has been in use since the Pixel 2, and is still in the Pixel 6a. The ISOCELL GN1 was first utilized with the Pixel 6, so it’s difficult to imagine Google moving to a 1-inch sensor already.

It is possible, of course, but doesn’t seem as likely. Without such a major jump, however, we don’t really see the point of the Pixel Ultra. The Pixel 7 Pro pulls all the stops when it comes to specs, so we’re not sure where the ‘Ultra’ model would fit. It remains to be seen.