Canon’s Next PowerShot Is Getting an “All-New” Sensor (Whatever That Means)

Canon is coming back to compact cameras with not just new bodies, but an “all-new” sensor. Because apparently reusing perfectly good silicon would be too easy.

According to the source of the rumor, the next “flagship” PowerShot will feature a brand-new image sensor, one that Canon won’t be recycling from the PowerShot V1. The source describes the new sensor as “more advanced” than the current 1.4″ unit. What does “more advanced” mean exactly? Nobody knows. But it sounds great, so let’s run with it.

What We Actually Know

The PowerShot V1, released in early 2025, uses a 1.4″ sensor, the largest in the current PowerShot lineup. Before that, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III (2019, seven years old, still somehow selling for over $1,000 used) used a 1″ sensor. So the current range spans from “not bad” to “getting there.”

The new sensor will reportedly be smaller than 1.4″, but “more advanced.” The source of the rumor speculates it’ll be a 1″ BSI stacked sensor, Canon’s own design, built with current technology rather than 2019 technology. That would be a meaningful upgrade regardless of the size step-down, since BSI stacked sensors deliver faster readout speeds, better low-light performance, and improved dynamic range.

There have been whispers that the V1’s 1.4″ sensor is a cropped version of the APS-C sensor found in the EOS R7. Canon has never confirmed this, and Canon Rumors isn’t claiming it either. It’s the kind of rumor that sounds plausible and is very difficult to disprove, which is the sweet spot for camera internet speculation.

The Sensor Size Debate That Was Never Really a Debate

Canon briefly went full APS-C in a compact with the G1 X Mark III. It was an interesting camera. It was also large, expensive, and sold to exactly the kind of person who then bought a mirrorless camera instead. Canon hasn’t repeated the experiment.

A bigger sensor in the next PowerShot? Canon Rumors doesn’t think so, at least not at launch. The logic is sound: Canon isn’t coming back to compacts to win over EOS R5 shooters. They’re coming back to offer something between a smartphone and an interchangeable lens camera, at a price closer to $800–$1,000. An APS-C sensor in that package would push the price into mirrorless territory, which rather defeats the point.

What Models to Expect

The rumor points to a G7 X-style camera and a superzoom variant, both using the same new sensor. We covered the broader 2026 PowerShot lineup back in March when a retail source leaked that Canon had up to three new models in development. The “all-new sensor” detail adds a layer of substance to what had previously been a fairly vague product roadmap.

Announcements? Don’t hold your breath before late August, Canon is reportedly targeting Q4 for the release. There are other cameras coming first, specifically an EOS R7 Mark II that Canon Rumors has been tracking separately.

Should You Believe This?

The sensor claim is rated “likely true”. Given that Canon’s Executive VP publicly confirmed new compact cameras are coming at CP+ 2026, and we already know multiple models are in development, a new sensor being designed for them is the least surprising thing about this rumor.

The only genuinely vague part, and it’s quite vague, is “more advanced.” Canon knows they’re re-entering a market that will compare their new sensor directly against Sony’s 1″ stacked sensor in the RX100 VII, which is itself from 2019 and still outperforms most of the competition. If Canon’s “all-new” sensor doesn’t clearly beat the RX100 VII on measurable specs, the internet will have opinions about it. Strong ones.

New sensor, smaller than 1.4″, more advanced than current options, possibly 1″ BSI stacked. That’s the rumor. That’s all the rumor.

Source: Canon Rumors