Megapixel
This term refers to the size of an image, usually in reference to a photo from a digital camera or camera phone.
A megapixel means one million pixels. The resolution of digital cameras and camera phones is often measured in megapixels. For example, a 12-megapixel camera can produce images with 12 million total pixels.
Since pixels are usually square and form a grid, a 1-megapixel camera will produce an image roughly 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels high.
A high number of megapixels matters most when zooming in or cropping a photo. For example, some phones let users "zoom in" without losing quality, without an optical zoom lens. They do this by simply cropping an 8-megapixel photo from the center of the original 23-megapixel image captured by the camera (for example.)
Photos with more megapixels have more detail, but are larger in file size, and therefore can take longer to transfer or send, and take up more storage space.
Most cameras and camera phones have an option to take photos at lower resolution (smaller), if desired. This can be useful for saving storage space.
See: Resolution
Last updated Apr 7, 2020 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
