S9+, iPhone X and more: Best smartphones for taking pictures
Over the past year, smartphones have evolved to look, feel and work like one another. Very few handsets now offer design and features that you can truly call distinct. Amid such heightened competition, one point of differentiation that still remains, is the camera on a phone.
But if latest trends are anything to go by, rapid advancements in optic technology is bridging the gap in this aspect too with the difference in the quality of pictures being clicked by flagship smartphones becoming really less. These advancements have also led to smartphones being equipped with camera sensors that even outperform dedicated point-and-shoot cameras.
Here's taking a look at the best camera phones in the market right now.
Samsung Galaxy S9+
The new kid on the block, Galaxy S9+, was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2018. Since its launch, the Samsung's new flagship has gained a lot of praise for its design and internals. However, looks like special praise needs to reserved for the phone's camera module which is turning out to be the device's strong suit.
Before the launch, the South Korean tech giant in a statement had said, "Samsung Electronics will showcase the next generation of Galaxy devices that reimagines the camera and redefines the way you share your moments." With the S9+ it did exactly that.
The first Galaxy S phone to sport a dual camera, the phone brings with it a camera setup consisting of optical image-stabilised 12-megapixel lens with 2X zoom and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. However, this is no ordinary camera setup with the wide angle lens on the phone capable of toggling between aperture for daylight (f/2.4) and low light (f/1.5). The phone can also shoot super slow-mo videos at up to 960fps.
Needless to say, the specs make this one of the better cameras on a smartphone right now. DxO, one of the more trusted names in photography circles, and one that is well known for its benchmarking tool DxOMark, has also given the S9+ its approval after it gave it a score of 99. With the score, the soon-to-be-launched device becomes the highest-rated smartphone for clicking pictures.
Google Pixel 2
The Pixel 2 devices bring with them a single lens setup consisting of a 12.2-megapixel dual-pixel lens with f/1.8 aperture. The phone's impressive sensor is paired with a combination of laser detection (LDAF) and phase detection (PDAF) for autofocus, capture beautiful pictures and videos.
The single lens camera phone is regarded as one the very best for clicking pictures, with DxOMark DxOMark giving the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL a rating of 98. Needless to say, the phone should be given a good hard look if you are in the market for a new camera phone.
iPhone X
At the time of the launch, this device announced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of the first iPhone back in 2007, and was met with much interest. The phone came with impressive specs, but the majority of the media coverage revolved around its revolutionary front camera module housing a main camera, an infrared sensor and another camera sensor capable of throwing 30,000 invisible dots at the user's face used to create a detailed 3D model of the face for facial recognition purposes.
However, what got ignored in the sorround sound was praise of the iPhone X's main camera module at the back which brings with it dual 12-megapixel cameras - same as in the iPhone 8 Plus - with f/1.8 and f/2.4 apertures. But unlike iPhone 8, the dual camera setup here brings with it optical image stabilisation in both the sensors. The rear camera array also has a quad-LED True Tone Flash.
On its launch, the camera on the phone was met with rave reviews, with DxO mark even calling it the best camera on a smartphone for clicking stills. Overall, the phone recieved a rating of 97, making it one of the best camera phones avialble in the market right now.
Galaxy Note 8
Next up is the Galaxy Note 8, which with its solid 12-megapixel dual camera module remained a real contender for being named the best camera phone launched in 2017.
Although similar camera setups are available on other phones, the pictures clicked on the Note 8 turn out to be far superior because of the addition of optical image stabilisation on both sensors.
On the software front, the Note 8 offers a feature called Dual Capture mode. This allows the dual camera setup to click two pictures simultaneously and allow you to save both images; one close-up shot from the telephoto lens and one wide-angle shot that shows the entire background.
At the front, the phone comes with a more than capable 8-megapixel selfie camera than the S8 range comes with.
HTC U11
The U11 from HTC's stables does not bring with it flashy dual camera setups, but rather a promise of crisp looking pictures clicked with its 12-megapixel single lens camera.
The camera module equipped with HTC's proprietary UltraPixel 3 technology and UltraSpeed Autofocus technologies uses a bright f/1.7 aperture lens and comes with a 1/2.55-inch sensor that results in great low-light performance. DxOMark has given the phone's camera an respectful DxOMark mobile score of 90.