Smartphones have come a long way. I still remember the first camera phone from 2000. The SCH-V200 was manufactured by Sharp and was a flip phone that had a 1.5 inch TFT-LCD screen and a 0.35-megapixel camera. The phone was capable of taking 20 photos at a 350,000-pixel resolution. That might not sound impressive now, but ask people who remember it. I am sure they’ll tell you that this phone started a technology revolution.
Since the launch of the SCH-V200, camera phones have made most regular digital cameras obsolete. Your phone is now many times better than a digital camera was just a year ago. But with so much choice comes a burning question. Which phones have the best camera? Let’s have a look.
Which phones have the best cameras?
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
This phone has an impressive dual camera system with X2 optical zoom, live focus, and dual capture. All these features add up to some great photos.
Full camera specs:
Primary Dual 12 MP (26mm, f/1.7, PDAF & 52mm, f/2.4, AF), OIS, autofocus, 2x optical zoom, LED flash
Features 1/2.55″ sensor size, 1.4 µm pixel size @ 26 mm
1/3.6″ sensor size, 1.0 µm pixel size @ 52 mm
Geotagging; simultaneous 4K video and 9MP image recording; touch focus; face/smile detection; Auto HDR; panorama
Video 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps, HDR, dual-video rec.
Secondary 8 MP, f/1.7, autofocus, 1/3.6″ sensor size, 1.22 µm pixel size, 1440p@30fps, dual video call, Auto HDR
Google Pixel XL 2
Next up is an amazing phone from Google that packs a very powerful 12MP camera. The photos are crisp and clear, and video resolution is stunning, with a 2160p recording ability that will capture videos at 30 frames per second.
Full camera specs:
Primary 12.2 MP, f/1.8, OIS, phase detection and laser autofocus, dual-LED flash
Features 1/2.6″ sensor size, 1.4 µm pixel size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
Video 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@240fps
Secondary 8 MP, f/2.4, 1/3.2″ sensor size, 1.4 µm pixel size, 1080p
iPhone 8 Plus
This list can’t be complete without the latest iPhone from Apple. The 8 Plus version comes with a 12MP camera and a lot of functionality.
Full camera specs:
- 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras
- Wide-angle: ƒ/1.8 aperture
- Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture
- Optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x
- Portrait mode
- Portrait Lighting (beta)
If you are looking to make great high-quality photos, the iPhone 8 Plus will deliver.
It should be noted that these cameras are not even close to the Nokia Lumia 1020 when it comes to megapixels. For those who don’t remember, in 2013 Nokia caught us all by surprise with the Lumia 1020 model, which packs a whopping 41MP. It is still unmatched by any phone today. Just look at the specs:
- Primary: 41 MP (38 MP effective), f/2.2, 26mm, Carl Zeiss optics, OIS, auto/manual focus, Xenon & LED flash, check quality
- Features: 1/1.5″ sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size, PureView technology, geo-tagging, face detection, panorama
- Video: 1080p@30fps, 4x lossless digital zoom, check quality
- Secondary: 1.2 MP, 720p@30fps
Lumia 1020 is still quite expensive, considering that the phone is almost five years old. The average price is somewhere around $200.
