There are many times that you ask us on the blog or even on a personal level, friends and acquaintances, which phones with the best camera exist right now, or which smartphone takes better photos.
That is why today I bring you a complete guide on this subject, and updated, because the advances in this sector are so fast that it makes you dizzy. If I’m not careful, in the time it takes me to finish the article, some model becomes obsolete π .
Jokes and hype aside, the mobile camera industry is advancing at an incredible pace, so my advice is don’t obsess over having the latest model because it becomes outdated before you can take advantage of all its features.
If you have to buy a new one, it’s okay, but if you have one, it works well for you and takes decent photos, remember that the best camera is the one you have on hand, don’t apologize or beat yourself up, and take photos!!!
Moreover, I strongly recommend that you follow these tips to take photos with your mobile, you will see how you achieve much more spectacular photos with some of the (very simple) tricks that I tell you about in the article. A simple phone in good hands and with the best applications downloaded is better than the most expensive phone with the best features in the hands of someone who does not know how to take advantage of it.
Now I am going to leave you a list of the smartphones with the best cameras in different price ranges, but I will also leave you with some recommendations when buying.
This is what we are going to see in this guide, after the purchase recommendations, which I intend to be the most complete in terms of mobile cameras.
Important: Unlike other websites where you will find a list of products quickly assembled and running, in this article we explain our selection process and we try to give you the tools to make an informed decision.
That said, if you come in a hurry and want to see directly the mobiles that we recommend, here they are.
INSIDE THIS ARTICLE… π
What to look for when looking for the smartphone with the best camera?
Just as I always say that there is no best camera, but the one that best suits the needs of each one, I also say it with the mobile.
Because the needs that a street photographer or a photography enthusiast who wants to use their phone to take artistic photos, to give an example, may have are not the same as a user who wants to have beautiful memories of his family or make portraits of his son to send to his grandmother who lives 2000km away.
This is a small example, but before detailing each of the phones on the list, let’s see what you should look for to choose The best smartphone to take photos and videos:
Number of cameras: “oh, my God!” This is one of the phrases that I released when I saw one of the first mobile phones with three rear cameras. I freaked out a bit, to be honest, and thought something like βWhere are we going to arrive?βthen this thought made me feel a little carca and I told myself that I would never be scared by something like that again ;P
to the mess Do you need three, four or five (already one loses count) rear cameras? What kind of photos do you take? Do you make any professional use of the mobile? Are you passionate about photography?
Most likely, if you are reading this blog, yes, but you may have come here simply looking for mobile phones with a good camera to take decent photos of your family and leave them to remember.
Rate this, having a lot of cameras offers greater versatility, although it carries a price that you still do not need or can pay and you will not take advantage of it enough. Or the type of photos with which those cameras are squeezed, it is not the type of photos that you take no matter how fond of photography you are.
Why would you want an extra camera that takes amazing super wide-angle photos if you just want close-up portraits of your baby? Well that.
Type of optics: some phones have more angular cameras, others with telephoto lenses, some have various combinations. Think before you buy what kind of photos you take most often, landscapes? portraits? maybe selfies? Whatever it is, choose the cameras that best suit what you need.
dual camera: dual camera or dual camera, are two cameras that do not take two photos, but one. These two cameras combine to take better photos since it allows, for example, to play with focus and blur, to take better photos in low light conditions, to do optical zoom instead of digital zoom that would be a mere cut or to achieve better angles.
Number of megapixels: here comes the most misleading data from the manufacturers. The number of megapixels is important for the detail of the photo. That is, the more megapixels, you can make larger photo enlargements or you can zoom or crop more. Now, if the lens is not good, you do not care about the number of megapixels. In short, more pixels do not imply better photos, but larger photos.
If you’re only going to post to social media where the size is small, you shouldn’t worry too much about this number either. Now, if you are one of those who really print the photos you take with your mobile, if, sometimes, you make an enlargement, or even tend to enlarge the photo and cut it out, in that case, you should check that it has a number highest megapixel.
Remember, though, that the more megapixels, the more space the photos take up. If you tend to have the phone always with a full memory, keep that in mind π
Opening: This is where things get more interesting in my opinion. It is what is represented by the f/number and when it is very large (the aperture) it makes the backgrounds of portraits very out of focus and these have a greater impact, but, above all, the larger the aperture, the more light enters.
Manual mode: that allows certain adjustments to be made manually, as if it were a SLR, is one of the most important aspects to take into account for those who are going to make the most of their mobile camera and have notions of photography.
Being able to capture movement with long exposures, adjusting the white balance, the ISO value or deciding the aperture are aspects that make a difference. For the user who shoots automatically, and does not want to go further, it is not something that should matter at all, if this is your case, forget it, money you save.
Modes and other functions: panoramic function, HDR, night mode, etc., are useful functions if, as we have said before, you are going to use them. Obviously, if you are a person who knows that you are going to take many photos at night, even if you are partying with friends and you want your photos to come out well, make sure that it has night mode and that it works well. If you are more during the day, then you can ignore it.
HDR, well, the same, if you don’t even know what it is, don’t worry. If you know what it is and, furthermore, you care, then rather than looking at whether it has it, look at how it works, at what users of a certain model say about said function. And just like with this one, with the rest of the functions.
AI: Some smartphone models have Artificial Intelligence, although it is true that it works better in some than in others, it is another aspect to take into account when seeking maximum efficiency in obtaining images.
It is useful, for example, when it comes to improving night mode, HDR, portraits with a blurred background, etc. Although it does not always work as it should or as one would like, it must also be taken into account.
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS): helps to stabilize so that the image does not come out blurred, especially when there is little light.
selfies: If, for whatever reason, the selfie part is important to you, note that the frontal camera offer good resolution, blur and so on. Some models have portrait mode on the front camera.
Videos: In the event that video recording is important to you, look at its performance in different situations (day and night), stabilization and video quality, of course, always depending on your needs.
If you don’t care if it’s in Full HD or 4K, then why do you want 4K, if all you’re going to do is run out of memory. If this aspect is important and you are going to record many videos, inevitably look for a model that, in addition to recording in the resolution you need, has good storage or supports a memory card.
Sensor size: the sensor is the weak point of the phones, being smaller, no matter how many megapixels they have, their performance is lower than in other types of cameras.
However, within that they are smaller, in some models it is larger than in others. This is a factor to take into account if you are looking for a mobile to take photos. Because, here, size does matter.
Image Processor: to obtain better images with a mobile, it is interesting that it has a good image processor.
Budget: for me it is the most important point, because it makes no sense to take a mortgage for a mobile. And if you are really passionate about photography, and you want to take photos seriously, instead of paying 1,000 euros for a phone, you might be interested in investing in a reflex camera, an advanced compact or an EVIL.
If you can’t spend a lot, don’t beat yourself up either, select within your budget, because surely there is a model that meets your needs satisfactorily.
In short, ask yourself first what you want, are looking for or need and how much you can spend. Once this is defined, find the model that best suits what you have in mind.
Phones with the best camera
Once you have seen what you should look for, I present the main characteristics of the mobile phones with the best camera within the different price ranges. Obviously, I mention the ones that matter to us here, those related to photography.
The order is none other than the price, from lowest to highest (as of today, but you already know that some price has changed tomorrow π ).
1.Xiaomi Note10
The most economical today within the mobile phones with the best cameras. It has 5 rear cameras and a front camera with the following characteristics:
- 5 MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, 50x digital zoom, Ζ/2.0, 4-axis OIS (stabilizer)
- 12 MP portrait camera 2x optical zoom, Ζ/2.0, Dual Pixel Autofocus
- 108 MP high resolution camera with a 1/1.33β³ sensor, 7-element lens, Ζ/1.69, 4-axis OIS. The sensor is larger than in other mobiles, which allows capturing more light and detail
- 20 MP ultra wide angle 117Β° angle of view, Ζ/2.2
- 2 MP macro camerawith its macro zoom
- 32 MP selfie camera f/2.0 and AI assistance
It has Pro mode, where you can adjust ISO, shutter speed, white balance and focus, portrait mode, night mode, vlog mode and many more options. Video recording rear camera:
4K recording30 fps1080p recording60 fps/30 fps720P recording30 fps1080P slow motion recording120 fps/240…