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 is dizzying. If I'm not careful, in what it takes me to finish the article, some model becomes obsolete ? .
Jokes and hype aside, the mobile camera industry is advancing at an incredible rate, so my advice is don't get obsessed with having the latest model because it becomes outdated before you can take advantage of all its features.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 at hand, don't excuse yourself, or lash out, and take photos!!!
What's more, I strongly recommend that you follow these tips for taking photos with your mobile, you will see how you can 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 downloaded applications is better than the most expensive and with the best functions in the hands of someone who does not know how to take advantage of it.
Now I am going to leave you a list with the smartphones with the best cameras in different price ranges but I will also leave you some recommendations when buying.
This is what we are going to see in this guide, after the purchase recommendations, which I intend to be as complete as far as mobile cameras are concerned.
Important: Unlike other websites where you will find a list of products assembled quickly 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 are in a hurry and want to see directly the mobiles that we recommend, here they are .
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 tell you with the mobile.
Because the needs that a street photographer or a photography fan who wants to use his phone to take artistic photos, for 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 2,000 km away.
This is a small example, but before detailing each of the phones on the list, let's see what you should pay attention to to choose the best smartphone for taking 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 phones with three rear cameras. I freaked out a bit, honestly, and thought something like "Where are we going to get to?" , then this thought made me feel a little sick 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 (you already lose 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 arrived here simply looking for mobile phones with a good camera to take decent photos of your family and that they remain for the memory.
Value this, having a lot of cameras offers greater versatility, although it comes with a price that you still don't need or can afford and you won't take advantage of it enough. Or the type of photos with which those cameras are squeezed, 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 want close-up portraits of your baby? Well that.
Type of optics: some mobiles 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 are combined to take better photos since it allows, for example, to play with focus and blur, take better photos in low light conditions, make optical zoom instead of digital zoom that would be a mere crop or achieve better angles.
Number of megapixels: here comes the most misleading data from manufacturers. The number of megapixels is important for the detail of the photo. In other words, the more megapixels, the larger the photo enlargements you can make or the more you can zoom or crop. Now, if the lens is not good, you don't care about the number of megapixels. In short, more pixels does not mean better photos, but bigger 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 you sometimes do some enlargement, or even tend to enlarge the photo and crop, in that case you should check that it has a number higher megapixels.
Remember, yes, that the more megapixels, the more space the photos take up. If you tend to have your phone always with a dead memory, keep that in mind ?
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 causes the portrait backgrounds to be 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 an SLR, is one of the most important aspects to take into account for those who are going to get the most out of their mobile camera and have notions of photography.
Being able to capture movement with long exposures, adjust the white balance, the ISO value or decide 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 about it, you save money.
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 a lot of photos at night, even if you are partying with friends and want your photos to turn out well, take note that it has a night mode and that it works well. If you are more of the day, then you can ignore it.
The HDR, well, if you don't even know what it is, don't worry. If you know what it is and also care about it, then more than looking at whether it has it, look at how it works, at what the users of a certain model say about said function. And the same as with this, with the rest of the functions.
AI: some smartphone models have Artificial Intelligence, although it is true that some work better than others, it is another aspect to take into account when looking for 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 stabilize so that the image does not come out blurry, especially in low light.
Selfies: if, for whatever reason, the selfie part is important to you, make sure that the front camera offers good resolution, blur and so on. Some models have portrait mode on the front camera.
Videos: if video recording is important to you, take a look at its performance in different situations (day and night), stabilization and video quality, of course, always depending on your needs. needs.
If you don't care if it's in Full HD than in 4K, then why do you want 4K, if all you're going to do is kill memory. If this aspect is important and you are going to record a lot of videos, inevitably look for a model that, in addition to recording in the resolution you need, has good storage or accepts 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, while 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 does not make sense to get 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 are still interested in investing in an SLR 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 satisfactorily meets your needs.
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.
MOBILE 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 cameras within the different price ranges. Obviously, I mention the ones that are important to us here, those related to photography.
The order is completely random ? .
1.XIAOMI NOTE10
The most economical today among the mobile phones with the best cameras. It has 5 rear cameras and one front with the following characteristics:
- 5 MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, 50x digital zoom, ƒ/2.0, 4-axis OIS (stabilizer)
- 12 MP portrait camera 2x optical zoom, ƒ/2.0, Dual Pixel Autofocus
- 108 MP high-resolution camera with a 1/1.33″ sensor, 7-element lens, ƒ/1.69, 4-axis OIS. The sensor is larger than in other mobiles, which allows more light and detail to be captured
- 20 MP ultra-wide angle 117° viewing angle, ƒ/2.2
- 2 MP macro camera , with its macro zoom
- 32 MP f/2.0 selfie camera with AI assistance
It has a Pro mode, where you can adjust ISO, shutter speed, white balance and focus, portrait mode, night mode, vlog mode and many more options. Rear camera video recording :
| 4K recording | 30fps |
| 1080p recording | 60fps/30fps |
| 720P recording | 30fps |
| Slow motion recording at 1080P | 120fps/240fps |
| Slow motion recording at 720P | 120fps/240fps/960fps |
With a pleasant aesthetic and good ergonomics, it is available in black, white and aurora green.
- Dimensions: 15.78 x 7.42 x 0.967 cm
- Weight: 208g
Be careful, do not be fooled by the outrageous figure of 108 MP because in practice the difference is not so obvious but it does take up a lot of storage and can become a problem if it is not managed well.
2.SAMSUNG GALAXY S10
The main differences from its predecessor, the S9, photographically speaking, is that in addition to improving the front camera, it adds two rear cameras and improves video stabilization. These are its characteristics:
- Frontal camera:
- 10MP Dual Pixel with autofocus and f/1.9 aperture. 4K UHD video recording
- Rear Cameras:
- 12MP Dual Pixel OIS
- 12MP OIS Wide with 2x optical zoom
- 16MP Ultra Wide Angle that covers a field of view of 123 degrees and achieves much wider panoramas
It records in 4K at 60fps with great stabilization and has super slow motion and super fast motion. They highlight its dual aperture f / 1.5 and f / 2.4 to achieve sharper photos even in low light, the dynamic focus to highlight your protagonist with a bokeh effect, the Night mode, Night Hyperlapse and the Pro mode for video , the 3D scanner, the Record quality videos with the front and rear cameras to easily switch from one to the other while recording or the possibility of recording the action at 960 fps per second with HD resolution.
- Dimensions: 14.99 x 7.04 x 0.78 cm
- Weight: 157g
If we compare it with the S10+, the latter adds an 8MP RGB depth front camera.
3. XIAOMI MI 10T PRO
Record up to 8k at 30fps, but perform better at 4K 60fps, with long exposure modes to work your creativity, custom interval time to make stop motion videos and time lapses of starry skies and night mode. Interesting to be able to record simultaneous videos from the rear and front cameras
Main camera with 108 MP, 1/1.33 sensor with f/1.69, digital zoom up to 30x and OIS stabilization, ultra-wide angle camera with 123 degrees of vision and 13 MP f/2.4, 5 MP f/2.4 macro camera and autofocus with which you can focus to 2cm.
The 20 MP front camera with a 1/3.4″ sensor and f/2.2 aperture offers quite decent results, it also allows you to record time-lapse selfies.
It has a lot of different modes. The camera application menu could be improved, the macro mode (which is successful) is a bit hidden, and if you are one of those who shoot for a telephoto lens this is not your ideal terminal, also keep in mind that in low light situations it falters . For exteriors and/or situations with light, it is more than enough.
- Dimensions: 16.5 x 7.64 x 0.33 cm
- Weight: 218g
Available in Black, Silver and Blue.
4.HUAWEI P40 PRO
When we reviewed the Huawei P30 Pro, the P40 had just come out and at that time the price difference made the "older" model more attractive, now that the difference is not that much, you can consider opting for the newer model, for that reason obsolescence and such... But in terms of cameras, the differences are basically a somewhat improved portrait mode and more natural processing, in the coming days you will see it reviewed in detail on the blog.
- Rear camera
- 50 MP Ultra Vision Camera (Wide Angle, f/1.9, OIS)
- 40 MP Cinema Camera (Wide Angle, f/1.8)
- Camera 12 MP SuperSensing Telephoto (f/3.4, OIS) + 3D Depth Sensing Camera
- auto focus mode
- Image stabilization: OIS + AIS
- Zoom mode: digital zoom, optical zoom, hybrid zoom
- 4K 60fps video recording
- Frontal camera
- 32 MP Selfie Camera (f/2.2 aperture) + Depth Camera
- auto focus mode
- 4K 60fps video recording
With resistance to splashing water and dust (IP68), this terminal is ideal for those who like to shoot from a distance because it has a very powerful telephoto lens. Its performance in night scenes is also remarkable. It offers versatility and image quality.
It is available in black, silver and gold:
- Dimensions: 15.82 x 7.26 x 0.89 cm
- Weight: 209g
You can see a comparison between the P30 Pro and the P40 Pro in Marc's video.
5.ONEPLUS 8 PRO
A versatile terminal with pro mode and that at the photography level works quite well although it is not one of the best. Yes, it is a good option if you want a good camera but you give priority to other aspects of the phone more than the photographic field.
While other brands are committed to Artificial Intelligence, in this case they give greater prominence to HDR and the camera decides when to apply it or not according to its criteria. This comes by default, although you can disable it in settings. In pro mode you can shoot in RAW or choose the size of the JPG among other parameter settings. It has a night mode (Night Landscape) that, although without the possibility of making manual adjustments, improves images in low light situations.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ONE PLUS 8 PRO CAMERAS:
- Rear camera
- Main Sensor: 48 MP, 7 lenses, optical and electronic stabilizer and aperture: f/1.7
- Telephoto: 8 MP, optical stabilizer, f/2.4 aperture
- Ultra-angular: with a 120º field of view, 48 MP and f/2.2
- Lens with color filter (of doubtful use)
- 3x zoom
- autofocus
- Video up to 4K at 30/60 fps, Time Lapse, super slow motion and video editor
- Various creative functions and modes
- Frontal camera
- 16 MP, digital stabilizer, fixed focus autofocus, f/2.4 aperture, 1080p video at 30 fps, Time-Lapse, Face unlock, HDR, Screen flicker, Face retouching
You can see here a comparison between this terminal and its closest rival, the Samsung Galaxy S20 +:
Available in Glacial Green, Ultramarine Blue and Onyx Black.
- Dimensions: 16.5 x 7.4 x 0.85 cm
- Weight: 199g
6.GOOGLE PIXEL 4XL
I am not going to go into too much about the Google Pixel 4 XL because we review it in detail in this article and with example images. I will only tell you that its strong points are the Android (obviously, they play at home) and the camera. Its price right now is €1,629.00
7. OPPO FIND X5 PRO
Oppo's Find X series has become one of the best in terms of mobile phones.
In terms of photography, this Find X5 Pro is undoubtedly one of the best phones for photography, especially in night photography and video.
It has two very important details. The first is the collaboration with the prestigious Hasselblad camera brand, which is already a guarantee. The second detail is the specific chip for photography called MariSilicon X.
What does it translate to?
For example, in its ability to record ultra 4K night videos with detail and attractive colors. Also Ultra Night Pro mode that allows you to capture impressive details of night life.
It also has a 5-axis stabilizer imitating those of SLR cameras and is resistant to water and dust (IP68).
Let's see the characteristics of the Oppo Find X5 Pro cameras:
- rear camera :
- Main camera: 50 MP, 1/1.56″ sensor size, f/1.7 aperture, 5-axis SLR level stabilizer, 1G6P lens, AF supported, 80º viewing angle.
- Wide Angle Camera: 50 MP, 1/1.56″ sensor size, f/2.2 aperture, 110° field of view, 7P lens, AF supported, 4cm Macro.
- Telephoto camera: 13 MP, f/2.4 aperture, 5x hybrid optical zoom, up to 20x digital zoom, 5P lens and 45º viewing angle.
- Video: 4K (30fps/60fps), 1080P slo-mo (240fps), 4K(30fps/60fps) zoom video
- Rear camera modes: Photo, video, night, pro, panorama, portrait, time-lapse, slow-motion, text, hi res movie, long exposure, dual video, stickers and Google lens
- Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.4 aperture, 90º, 5P lens, does not support AF or OIS. Photo, video, portrait, night, dual video, timelapse, panorama and sticker modes.
- Video: 1080P/720P (30fps)
- Front camera modes: Photo, video, panorama, portrait, night, time-lapse, dual video and stickers
- Dimensions: 163.7 x 73.9 x 8.5mm
- Weight: 218g
Here you have a video review to know in detail other non-photographic characteristics of this piece of terminal:
If you sigh for it but the budget does not reach you, its predecessor, the Oppo Find X3 ProIt is also an excellent choice for photography.
8. IPHONE 13
It is a high-end, lightweight, compact and comfortable-to-use smartphone with a design on par with Apple and highly recommended for video lovers.
It offers the latest in house processors; 5.4″ screen; the cinema mode that allows you to control the depth of field even after recording; resistant to water, dust and splashes; It improves autonomy compared to the iPhone 12 and has a storage that goes from 128 GB to 512 GB.
It does not have a fingerprint reader but it offers one of the most advanced facial recognition systems.
Without a doubt, Apple lovers can be happy with this device that, although it does not have as many cameras as other models, does not disappoint at all.
It has a 12 Mpx dual camera system with a wide angle (f/1.6, 26mm, shift stabilization) and an ultra-wide angle (f/2.4, 13mm and 120° field of view, five-element lens). Optical zoom out x2 and digital up to x5. And all this:
- Portrait mode with advanced bokeh effect and Depth Control
- Portrait lighting with six effects
- Panoramic photos (up to 63 Mpx)
- sapphire glass lens cover
- 100% Focus Pixels (wide angle)
- Flash True Tone with slow sync
- Sensor-shift optical image stabilization (wide angle)
- night mode
- deep fusion
- Smart HDR 4
- Photo Styles: Standard, High Contrast, Bright, Warm, and Cool.
- Wide color gamut for photos and Live Photos
- Lens correction (ultra wide angle)
- Advanced Red-Eye Fix
- Automatic image stabilization
- HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps
- burst mode
- Photo geotagging
- Image capture in HEIF and JPEG format
The iPhone 13 measures 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.6mm and weighs 140g. The front part is made of Ceramic Shield, the back part is made of glass and the structure is made of aluminum. It is available in the colors: star white, midnight, blue and pink.
9. SAMSUNG GALAXY S20 ULTRA
Everything I think about the Samsung Galaxy S20+ I tell you in this article and you can also watch the video (which also contains two tricks and something that you may not know about your mobile phone that you should know):
10.IPHONE 13 PRO
The iPhone 13 Pro is one of those phones that is hard to resist if you like photography or video and, furthermore, its design always fascinates. While it hasn't made a huge leap from its predecessor, the iPhone 12 Pro, it won't let you down at all.
Water, splash and dust resistant; with storage capacity of up to 1 TB; 6.1″ OLED screen; It has its front part made of Ceramic Shield, and the back made of textured matte glass and a stainless steel structure for better resistance.
The iPhone 13 Pro measures 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.6mm, weighs 203g and is available in graphite, gold, silver and alpine blue.
It has the largest sensor placed on an iPhone, according to Apple, and three rear cameras, in addition to the front camera that is actually now called the TrueDepth Camera (12 Mpx and f / 2.2 aperture).
Let's see the specifications of the iPhone 13 Pro in more detail:
- 12MP Pro camera system with telephoto, wide-angle and ultra-wide angle
- 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, and 6x optical zoom range
- Digital zoom up to x15
- Portraits in Night mode with LiDAR scanner
- Portrait mode with advanced bokeh effect and Depth Control
- Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, Mono Stage Light and Mono High Key Light)
- Double optical image stabilization (telephoto and wide angle). Sensor-shift optical image stabilization (wide angle)
- Six-element lens (telephoto and ultra-wide) and seven-element lens (wide)
- Panoramic photos (up to 63 Mpx)
- sapphire glass lens cover
- 100% Focus Pixels (wide angle)
- Night mode on all cameras
- Deep Fusion: more level of detail in medium or low light
- Smart HDR 4: in photos of several people in contrasting lights, it takes them all with homogeneous lighting
- Photo Styles: Bright, High Contrast, Warm or Cool
- Macro photography: shoot as close as 2cm from the subject for spectacular macro photos
- Apple ProRAW
- Lens correction (ultra wide angle)
- Advanced red-eye correction
- Photo geotagging
- Automatic image stabilization
- burst mode
- Image capture in HEIF and JPEG format
And in video it is not far behind:
- Cinema mode to record videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 f/s) (you can even modify it after recording)
- HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 f/s;
- Double optical image stabilization for video (telephoto and wide angle). Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (wide angle)
- 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, and 6x optical zoom range. Digital zoom up to 9x
- QuickTake video, 1080p slow motion at 120 or 240 fps, time-lapse with stabilization, Time-lapse with Night mode
- Cinema-quality video stabilization (4K, 1080p and 720p)
- Continuous autofocus
- Option to take 8 Mpx photos while recording 4K video
- Video recording in HEVC and H.264 format
Here are some examples of photos shared by Apple that can be taken with the iPhone 13 Pro:
11. SONY XPERIA 1 III
This device has been developed together with Sony's Alpha engineers, which gives clues as to how cameras have pampered the subject. In addition to a generously sized Sony Exmor RS sensor for the main camera, the optics are created by ZEISS . Double guarantee.
It is a very complete model, whose three cameras cover all the scenes thanks to its three lenses: 16 and 24 mm wide angle lenses, and a telephoto lens of up to 105 mm. It offers the option to capture RAW (DNG) images with an interface inspired by Alpha cameras.
| Camera | rear 1 |
rear 2 |
rear 3 |
Frontal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 12MP | 12MP | 12MP | 8MP |
| Sensor | 1/1.7″ | 1/2.9″ | 1/2.5″ | 1/4” |
| Opening | F1.7 | F2.3 F2.8 |
F2.2 | F2.0 |
| Focal | 24mm | 70mm 105mm |
16mm | |
viewing angle |
82° | 34° 23° |
124° | 78° |
With 5G connection, Wi-Fi 6, 4K video, real-time tracking to keep moving subjects in focus, 20fps burst, autofocus on eyes, dimensions of 165 × 71 × 8.2 mm and a weight of 186 g ; It is waterproof (IPX5/IPX8) and dustproof (IP6X) and has a dual SIM hybrid slot. The user ratings are very positive and the only drawback that can be put is the price ?
Incredible what is achieved from one phone model to another or from one year to the next, don't you think? What the technological world has in store for us is something that fascinates me. If in just a few short years, phones have reached this level of excellence, what will the future hold?
If you think one is missing, we invite you to comment on it and tell us why it should be on this list, you'll surely help some indecisive soul around here ? .
