New Ricoh rumors: Monochrome GR camera might be coming and the new GR4 in 2026?

Dpreview had a chat with Ricoh/Pentax managers at the CP+ show. Here are a couple of interesting statements:

Ricoh GR success:

“The total number of compact cameras has largely decreased over the years, but for unique products, which can attract the creative people, especially from the younger generation, I believe the market trend is to increase. Thanks to increased demand for the GR series, there’s a slight shortage of supply on a worldwide basis. So we have to put our resources into making sure supply catches up with that demand. That’s the first priority as a brand, we believe.”

About the future Ricoh GR4:

We have conducted a lot of research in many countries. A lot of research tells us many users request built-in flash and that they are using small flashes, including 3rd party products, because we dropped the flash feature between GR II and GR III. So we know that a lot of people want flash, if it can be packed into the very small size of the GR III. These things are in conflict, though. Because people want improvements in all three areas, plus flash. If we want to make the image quality better, the body might become bigger, or if we use a more powerful processor to improve the speed and responsiveness, that would require a bigger battery, but the battery endurance should also be longer. 

About a possible monochrome GR camera:

The K-3 Mark III Monochrome got a nice reaction from users. To be frank, more than our expectations. Our research says a lot of GR users are waiting for the release of a monochrome compact camera. Of course that dedicated number is smaller than for other products. But at the moment there’s only Leica, which is extremely expensive. If we released such a camera, I think we can appeal to them.

It really sounds like a monochrome GR camera could be coming soon!

One more hint:

Ricoh GR Ambassador Samuel Lintaro hinted that in 2026 Ricoh will have a much bigger booth….maybe GR4 coming in early 2026?