There is no doubt that the Google Pixel 6 Pro is the best camera phone. Google’s latest phone wins our head-to-head contest over Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro. The Pixel 6 Pro’s pictures are eye-catching attractive, colourful, and easily shareable among the best camera phones.
If you aren’t a fan of Google’s Pixel, you can choose from the best Apple phone, the best value phone, or the cheapest phone. For most buyers, cameras are essential, so we compare direct camera shootouts between different phones. Are you prioritizing differently? Our guides will help you determine the best overall phone, cheap phone, and small phone.
Google Pixel 6 Pro
When Google introduced its first Pixel smartphone several years ago, it reinvented smartphone photography. A 50-megapixel primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 48MP periscope camera with 4x optical zoom are available in the Google Pixel 6 Pro. Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor is used for the primary 50MP camera.
Thanks to Google’s computational photography, the new primary sensor can produce striking colours in nearly any lighting situation. It has a 12MP primary camera and a 115-degree ultrawide angle camera. An exclusive feature of the Pixel 6 range, Face Unblur, allows users to correct blurred images with the ultrawide angle camera alongside their primary camera.
A 48MP periscope camera is also available on the Pixel 6 Pro. Its performance is somewhat sluggish compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 10x periscope, but it is superior to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 3x telephoto. The Pixel 6 Pro’s camera hardware is enhanced by Google’s Tensor chipset and a range of software enhancements.
Face Unblur, Magic Eraser, and Action Pan are AI operations that Tensor can perform on the device. The images produced by these features are stunning. It’s hard to pick a winner if you don’t have an eye for detail, but the Pixel 6 Pro is more than equal in terms of photography features to the iPhone 13 Pro. In the video, the Pixel range uses AI technologies like HDRNet to catch up. The Pixel 6 Pro is a leading smartphone with cutting-edge AI and an impressive camera.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Although the iPhone has never had the most high-specced camera hardware, it has always been the best smartphone camera. With its 12MP primary camera and excellent software features, the iPhone 13 Pro dominates the market. Sony IMX703 sensor is used in the iPhone 13 Pro’s primary camera, which is a 1/1.65-inch sensor, taking up approximately 25% more space than the primary sensor on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
A bigger aperture (f/1.5) is also used in the camera setup. Images are more transparent, and more light is available due to both. In direct sunlight, the iPhone 13 Pro’s camera captures quite a few details and rich colours. By moving the lens, optical image stabilization works better. A 12MP ultrawide angle camera and a 12MP telephoto camera round out the phone’s other two cameras.
The ultrawide-angle camera now offers phase-detection autofocus (PDAF). Its ultrawide-angle camera can also capture images at a distance of as close as 2 cm, which makes it an ideal macro camera for the iPhone 13 Pro. You can control Macro Mode precisely if you have iOS 15.2 or later. It is still a bit slow in optical zoom compared to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 10x periscope lens setup (which repeats on the upcoming Galaxy S22 Ultra).
We found that the iPhone 13 Pro focuses more accurately when compared to the secondary 3x telephoto camera on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Night mode on the iPhone 13 Pro is impressive, even if the detail isn’t as prominent as in daylight. With the Cinematic way, Apple’s front and back cameras can both record video – basically a portrait mode for video. With iOS 15.1, the iPhone 13 supported ProRes recording, which offers lower compression and better image quality than standard codecs.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Although it is not a huge step forward from its predecessor, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, or the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, in terms of spec, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is one of the best cameras you can buy. In addition to the enhanced 3x, 10x, and 30x zoom levels, the primary and wide-angle cameras produce similar results to earlier Samsung smartphones.
There are multiple optical zoom modes on the S22 Ultra, allowing it to be very versatile, excellent colour and balance are achieved with both central and wide cameras, and the portrait mode has recently been updated and looks stunning. You can easily access the features you use most with the Camera app’s simple and customizable interface. By using Single Take mode, you don’t have to worry about what way to use it, but only about what scene to take.
Using artificial intelligence, the phone can generate multiple images and videos in up to 15 seconds of video. The S22 Ultra’s camera app includes Samsung’s camera tools so that you can use them directly with Snapchat’s and Instagram’s apps rather than the S22 Ultra’s camera app. New Samsung Pro modes and a new Expert RAW app that can download allow users to access the telephoto cameras, capture HDR images, and export lossless files for use in Adobe Lightroom and other photography programs.
Detail Enhancer is now available in 108MP mode, using artificial intelligence that improves sharpness, colour, and detail. It’s easy to crop the 108MP photos since they’re 12000 pixels by 9000 pixels and 25MB. Are you looking for a high-quality camera on a giant smartphone? You may consider Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max if you stick with Android. A Galaxy S22 Ultra has a price tag of $1,200 for the basic model. The two options below provide comparatively good cameras at a lower price.
Google Pixel 5a 5G
The Pixel 3a in 2019 is the first of Google’s mid-range A-series phones. Pixel 5a 5G uses the same 12.2MP camera as its predecessors. Even though the hardware stays the same, Google constantly updates its software and adds new features. It offers accurate and vivid colours because it uses the same camera software as Google’s flagship phones.
Compared with the more expensive Pixel 5, the images of this device are sharp, and the portraits are excellent. The Pixel 5a is equipped with a 16MP ultrawide-angle camera that does not feature a fixed focus. This may result in coarser details than the primary camera, but Google’s photography algorithm makes up for most inadequacies.
In addition to its low-light photography capabilities, the Pixel 5a 5G supports Astrophotography and Night Sight. Furthermore, you will have access to several features previously only available to Google One subscribers. This phone can only be purchased in Japan and the U.S. for $499. We can also look at Pixel 5a alternatives for other regions.
Nokia 5.3
Despite the Nokia 5.3’s disappointments, the sub-$200 range has limited options in terms of cameras. A 13MP primary lens, a 5MP ultrawide lens, a 2MP depth lens, and a 2MP macro lens are found on the Nokia 5.3. However, it’s not inspiring. Low megapixels hurt macro and ultrawide sensors, as well as Night Mode.
Despite its limitations, the quad-lens camera is a good choice, given its versatility. If you love taking pictures with your phone, you might consider spending a bit more money on something like the Google Pixel 4a. The Nokia 5.3 is a good choice if you’re sticking to a budget of less than $200.
How To Decipher Camera Phone Specs
Here’s a crash course in smartphone camera specs so you know what to expect. Megapixels are a measure of detail. Simple logic dictates that a higher megapixel count means more points. There is more to capturing a great photo than megapixel count, and smartphone cameras are used to focus on megapixels for a long time. Most cameras don’t usually use the maximum megapixel setting by default because it’s often too much detail for average users.
Most manufacturers are now improving other aspects of cameras. In addition to sensor size, megapixels do not make all equal to each other. Despite HTC’s use of the term “ultrapixel,” it can potentially achieve better photography results than an 8-megapixel camera with smaller pixels, even with a 4-megapixel camera. Typically, bigger is better when capturing light because they are measured in micrometres.
The primary lens on the iPhone 12 Pro Max has 1.7 m pixels. It is vital for low-light performance that the aperture lets light reach the sensor. There is a relationship between aperture size and the number. As a result, the Pixel 5’s primary lens has an f/1.7 aperture, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has an f/1.8 aperture. Photographers can tweak the depth of field by altering the gap and the amount of light coming in.
You can capture in-focus images with blurred backgrounds. Camera phones with optical image stabilization will not be as noticeable if your hands are shaking if they are equipped with OIS. In other words, it compensates for hand movements. An HDR shot is created by combining multiple photos taken at different exposures of the same subject, after which they are processed to form one brighter, more detailed image. It can be a bit slower on budget devices like the Pixel 4a, but if you want the best photos, it’s very desirable.
The resolution and the frames per second (fps) are two things you should consider when recording video. The resolution captures the detail. 3840 x 2160 pixels are the resolution of a 4K video. 1920 x 1080 pixels are regarded as Full HD. You’ll need a 4K TV or monitor if you want big videos. In addition, 4K and 8K videos take up a lot of space on your phone’s hard drive.
Slow-motion movies are possible if you have a high frame rate, such as the iPhone X’s 120 frames per second. A lower frame rate would blur when you slow down the footage. As a result of having smartphones in our pockets all day, every day, photography has become a vast industry. The smartphone has revolutionized digital photography by enabling us to take and share more photos. Your phone used to come with two lenses – a front and a back camera.
Over the last few years, several lenses have been added to devices on either side. In reality, most smartphone cameras still don’t match the best DSLR cameras regarding quality. Several of our picks have shown a camera’s megapixel count isn’t the only factor to consider. An output of a 48-megapixel camera with pixel binning, for instance, would be different from anything produced by a regular 12-megapixel camera. However, it would still be far superior to that generated by a standard 12-megapixel camera.
There are times when people can exploit vulnerabilities in phone software, usually by tricking you into downloading malware or physically installing malware on your phone. Keeping your phone secure with a PIN or fingerprint is one of the best ways to reduce the threat. You may have a malware problem if you notice activity in the call log or camera gallery that doesn’t appear to be you.
Edited by Prakriti Arora
