Image from Pixabay via Free-Photos
One of the prime highlights of owning a smartphone is the many interesting things you can do with its camera. In fact, it is 1 of the major parameters to look out for when choosing a phone. No wonder tech companies are trying to outcompete each other in this department. So which really are the best smartphone cameras in the market today? 2018 has been an interesting year so far with the release of a number of excellent phones, all of them promising cutting-edge technology vis-à-vis amazing features & impressive cameras.
Forget all the buzz about specs. It is normal for manufacturers to quote incredible figures for megapixels, low-light performance, pixel size & so on. While these specs are quite important, picking the best is less about how the figures look on paper & more about real life performance.
Here are some of the best smartphone cameras of 2018 which have wowed users.
Galaxy Note 9
Many phone makers are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help them deliver better-performing cameras. It seems Samsung has been able to perform that act with the Note 9. The phone comes with a powerful scene optimizer feature which allows it to recognize & the settings to 20 different scenarios including improved saturation, brightness contrast. This comes in handy when working in low light conditions.
Another feature of the Note 9 which is made possible through the use of AI is the flaw detection feature which automatically detects a picture that isn’t up to par & suggests you retake the picture. So obviously this will make it to our list of best smartphone cameras of 2018.
Rear camera: 12MP
Front camera: 8MP
OIS: Yes
Rear camera aperture: f/1.5-2.4
Autofocus type: Phase detection
iPhone XS Max
Apple has never produced anything short of high quality especially when it comes to phones with amazing camera. The tech giant’s latest iPhones come with some improvements over the previous model in the camera quality as well. The iPhone XS camera has deeper & bigger pixels which allow more light, 50% more than that of the iPhone X. This allows you to take improved photos even in low light situations.
Apple also added a smart HDR mode which combines new ISP, quicker sensors with better algorithms to better bring out the fine detail in a photo. You also get to adjust the depth of field of your shot with its new depth control function. Add this too to the list of best smartphone cameras of 2018.
Rear camera: 12MP
Front camera: 7MP
OIS: Yes
Rear camera aperture: f/1.5-2.4
Autofocus type: Phase detection
Samsung Galaxy S9+
Just like its older relative, the Note 9, the Samsung S9+ has an excellent camera with some added improvements over the latter. Samsung added a rear lens to the S9+ which allows the phone to be able to capture ‘live’ focus images with a blurred background. The most noticeable improvement, however, was the addition of a variable aperture for the phone’s rear camera. This made it possible for the camera to switch to a wide f/1.5 aperture in low light environments delivering sharper in the dark. The phone’s dedicated memory feature also helps to reduce noise in shots.
Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP
Front camera: 8MP
OIS: Yes
Rear camera aperture: f/1.5-2.4, f/2.4
Autofocus type: Phase detection
Huawei P20 Pro
Perhaps the most incredible thing about this smartphone is that it comes with triple rear camera setup which delivers a staggering value of 68MP combined. This is asides the 24 MP front camera bringing the total pixel this phone packs to a total of 92MP.
While a good camera isn’t all about the number of megapixels it packs, the Huawei P20 comes with a lot of other features that helps it deliver the best quality photos as well.
The P20 has a 20MP black & white sensor backing up its 40MP main camera. This helps it to process image better, eliminating noise & generally improving the dynamic range of images. It third rear camera also comes with a zoom lens that allows you to zoom in 3X without making use of digital zoom. This helps to maintain image quality while zooming.
Rear camera: 40MP + 20MP + 8MP
Front camera: 24MP
OIS: Yes
Rear camera aperture: f/1.8, f/1.6, f/2.4
Autofocus type: Phase detection & laser
LG G7 ThinQ
While this phone might be quite as impressive as the Samsung or iPhone in terms of overall camera quality, it still holds its ground as an excellent option as well. A major highlight that sets it apart is its impressive wide-angle action.
In fact, you can say that LG G7 ThinQ has the best wide-angle dual camera you can find around. The camera also has more than one snapper at the rear. Together, its 2 16MP rare cameras come with a wide-angle lens that allows you to get more details into your shot. This makes this phone’s camera particularly remarkable for capturing landscapes & buildings. You can also switch between the sensors with just a tap on the phone screen.
Rear camera: 16MP + 16MP
Front camera: 8MP
OIS: No
Rear camera aperture: f/1.6, f/1.9
Autofocus type: Phase detection & laser
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