Which Smartphone has the best camera quality?

December 17, 2020

By Alex Balaniuc

Smartphones’ digital cameras have reached such technological advancement over the last few years that – for many people – they became a full-on replacement for regular cameras. High resolution, the highest range of colors, excellent focus and also wide-shots in pictures is what most folks are after nowadays, primarily due to the exponential surge in popularity of social media.

Being able to post a pretty, detailed picture on your profile depends strictly on how many pixels your phone camera exhibits; therefore, purchasing a smartphone with a high quality camera is serious business. Some individuals even go to the extent of buying a certain phone only because it takes very good photos.

Now, we compiled a list of 3 smartphone releases of 2020 that we believe are the best choice when it comes to camera quality. Each device’s camera has different features, so choose the phone that better fits your taste and needs.

Top 3 Camera Phones

1) iPhone 12 Pro Max

Best pick for:

large sensor
LiDAR scanner
ideal for low-light environment
HDR3

Specs:

All of the iPhone 12 line showcases incredible features, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max in particular is the first contender for the title of best camera phone in the world. Its larger sensor compared to the iPhone 12 Pro makes taking photos in poorly lightened environments much better. It comes with an exceptional set of cameras: 12MP f/1.6 main camera, 12MP f/2.2 telephoto camera, 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera. Pro Max also has 2.5x optical zoom, LiDAR scanner for Night Mode portraits and HDR3 video feature. The enhanced sensor makes this smartphone the go-to choice for night and low light photographers.

2) Huawei P40 Pro

Best pick for:

50MP Leica camera module
performs great low-light
4K video

Specs:

Our second best choice is the Huawei P40 Pro smartphone. For telephoto camera enthusiasts, this is, no doubt, the phone for you. The 50MP Leica module makes this phone a professional in handling low-light and dark environments, then there’s the 40MP f/1.8 ultra-wide camera and a 12MP telephoto camera for 5x optical zoom or 50x digital zoom. Plus, the Time-of-Flight sensor gives you the opportunity to create a blurry, bokeh effect. Picture quality on P40 Pro is top-tier, you will take beautiful photos, with a great balance between a sharpened and natural look. The ridiculous 50x digital zoom is also an impressive feat – although you probably won’t use it on the daily, unless your job requires it – while the 5x optical zoom might result being more useful.

3) Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Best pick for:

great triple camera
enticing design
highly detailed photos
incredible zoom

Specs:

Last but not least, we have Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera phone. Its primary 108-megapixel sensor has been improved since the S20 Ultra thanks to a new dedicated laser auto focus sensor. The 12-MP telephoto uses a folded lens design to achieve 5x optical power, which can deliver lossless 10x zoom as well as up to 50x digital zoom. This device offers great versatility, thanks to the high-megapixel lens and peerless zoom power. Apart from the telephoto camera, the 108MP f/1.8 main camera and 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one also perform very well. In general, the cameras are easy and fun to use, and they benefit from extras like 8K video and Single Take mode, which takes a bunch of photos and videos at the same time using the various lenses and modes, to increase the chance of you capturing something good.