Which smart phone has the best camera?

Warhorse · Sep 5, 2020

My IPHONE 7 plus is not showing any signs of giving up (fingers crossed). However, I am curious as to which phone currently has the “best” camera.

nmoody · Sep 5, 2020

The latest models from Apple, Samsung and Google are typically the front runners in the US. They each seem to leap frog each other when they release new models. Other brands sometimes release one that beats these three but typically its not for long or consistently.

Apple still doesnt do Raw natively, you need to purchase a third party app for it, it has better processing on its photos typically. Android is capable of RAW photos and has more robust tools for dealing with it.

Apple and Google are releasing new models over the next two months which likely will take the lead.

Rickbb · Sep 8, 2020

I've been impressed with my LG G8 iq, before it I only did the quick snaps where quality was not that important, but find myself now using it more than I ever thought I would use a phone camera.

paigew · Sep 8, 2020

I hear the Google Pixel has one of the best cameras! I have one and have not been disappointed, though I use my DSLR mainly.

Derrel · Sep 8, 2020

The latest crop of high-end smartphones have multiple cameras in them. The iPhone 11 and the Samsung Galaxy s20 in the multiple lens models are amazing . The Google pixel phones have been outstanding for the past 3 years.

Phone camera capability has really taken an upward turn in the past few years.

photoflyer · Sep 8, 2020

Aren't real specs hard to come by? Sure they publish megapixels but does anyone publish the nitty gritty like dynamic range, the nature of the "glass", fps (or click latency), aperture, etc? My guess is that type of info is hard to come by so side by side pixel peeping is the only way to compare?

Derrel · Sep 8, 2020

DXomark.com regular regularly tests cell phones and publishes numerical data.

Derrel · Sep 8, 2020

A few years ago a member here bought a Sony (Erickson maybe?)with a very large sensor for a cell phone, the one and 1/7 inch size which is the standard size used in many compact point and shoots.... It had as I recall an f/1.7 lens, and was capable of fairly good defocusef backgrounds for a cell phone.

John Fantastic · Oct 11, 2020

I have a Huawei P30, My Wife has an iphone 11 pro and my son has a samsung S10, All of them take great photos. Familiarity is actually the most important consideration as far as I am concerned.

uuglypher · Oct 16, 2020

Warhorse said:
My IPHONE 7 plus is not showing any signs of giving up (fingers crossed). However, I am curious as to which phone currently has the “best” camera.

The one that’s charged and in your hand!
Dave

Strodav · Oct 16, 2020

Derrel mentioned DxOMark.com. Here's their top dozen. The first Apple product is the iPhone 11 ProMax at number 16 on the list with a camera rating of 117. My Apple iPhone 8+ has a camera score of 94.

AlanKlein · Oct 16, 2020

My Samsung Galaxy 7 does fine in video and stills. For off the cuff situations, cell phones are ok. However, they;re hard to see in sun, difficult to snap, ergonomically crippled. no optical zoom, etc.

Tropicalmemories · Oct 17, 2020

I think the Huawei P40 Pro is currently the best camera phone, but I worry about full Android compatibilty of Chinese phones, so I use the Samsung Note which is almost as good.

I had a Note 8 for 3 years, and was very pleased with the camera performance (but not the battery life), and have just replaced it with a Note 9.

There's been a Note 10 and a Note 20 since the 9 - but I just feel $1,100+ USD is too much for something I keep in my pocket. But a brand new 512 GB Note 9 is available for around $450, and it's spec is not that different to most current high end phones:

Dual cameras
Primary: 12MP (1/2.55-inch sensor, dual-pixel PDAF, f/1.5-2.4 variable-aperture lens)
Secondary: 12 MP (f/2.4 lens, 1/3.6-inch sensor, AF)
OIS on both cameras
Single LED flash
4K video at 30/60 fps

I added a 512 GB SD card, so have 1TB of storage, that's more than my laptop.

I have to say the camera performance is only a small incremental improvement over my Note 8, but that's the way with most new phone or camera releases now, but battery life is sognificantly better with a big 4000 mAh battery.

So my recommendation - go for a discounted Samsung Note 9 or 10+ and save $500 and still get a great camera phone with a unique variable aperture lens, and an integrated stylus that is good for photo editing and it also works as a wireless remote shutter release.

Strodav · Oct 17, 2020

Just saw the Apple ads for the November release of the iphone 12 pro max, which has a 12mm, 26mm, and 65mm cameras with 2x optical zoom in. The thing has Lidar for low light shots. The specs look really good. Not going to give up my dslrs, but thing I'm going to trade in my iphone 8+ for a 12 pro max.

AlanKlein · Oct 17, 2020

Strodav said:
Just saw the Apple ads for the November release of the iphone 12 pro max, which has a 12mm, 26mm, and 65mm cameras with 2x optical zoom in. The thing has Lidar for low light shots. The specs look really good. Not going to give up my dslrs, but thing I'm going to trade in my iphone 8+ for a 12 pro max.

How much will you get for the old one?