Perfect your photos with the best camera phones around.
Before presenting the list of top 10 camera phones, let us tell you what we looked for prepare the list of the best camera phones online in 2019.
Smartphones are more popular than digital cameras because their in-built cameras are good enough for ameteur photography and selfies. This photographic capability of smartphones makes has made the device a must have for many people. Therefore, how is the camera, or, how is the image and video quality, are common questions that smart buyers ask these days before buying camera phones online, or from the local mobile store.
Like many, you probably use a smartphone too, but in case you are planning to buy a new smartphone for yourself, you should look for these features:
Table of Contents
Bright Aperture
Look for wider lens apertures because this feature, that is available only in premium smartphones from Apple and Samsung, gives you stunning image quality. A bright f/1.5 aperture, like we have in the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, lets you take amazing selfies with blurred background. The camera phone from Samsung comes with a camera that is the best in the industry.This capability makes the smartphones ideal for vlogging and instagram.
Image Resolution in Megapixels
12-21 megapixel image sensor is a common feature for most premium smartphones. A large image sensor collects more light and therefore creates clearer images. The two top smartphones on our list have 1.4um pixels sensor that collects enough light to generate high quality photographs. Don’t settle for a lower resolution if you are ready to pay a premium price. Look for at least a 21 megapixel sensor.
High Resolution Display
The screen of your smartphone works as the viewfinder and therefore, the higher the display resolution and brightness, the easier it is to take a photograph. A crystal clear displays will help you to do the settings and editing is a better way. You will be able to inspect the final image and make necessary corrections like a pro. If you want the most out of a display, you should buy a smartphone that has retina display, and the only phones that have this type of display is the Apple iPhone.
Notch-less And Chin-less Design
Premium customers are expecting smartphones to be all screen and notchless. Top brands are in a race to produce smartphones with chin-less and notch-less design. The smaller the bezel, the better it is. Manufacturing this type of smartphone is tricky and definitely deserves premium pricing. Huawei P30 Pro, OnePlus 7 Pro, Asus Zenfone 6, Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10e, Huawei Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro, Oppo Find X, Vivo Nex S and Honor View 20 are some of the models with very small bezel.
Optical Image Stabilisation
OIS is a technology that minimizes the blurring caused by the motion of a camera while you tap the capture button on the screen. What OIS does is compensate for small movements of the camera during exposure. Xiaomi Mi 8, OnePlus 7, Asus Zenfone 5Z, Nokia 8.1, Motorola One Vision, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S9 are some of the smartphones with optical image stabilization in 2019.
RAW Image File
A camera RAW image is an unprocessed photograph captured with a digital camera or a smartphone. The raw image data captured by the camera’s sensor (or CCD) is saved without any editing. You can use this image file make the photograph look exactly the way you want it to look using image or video editing software. This type of image file requires huge storage space that comes only with high-end smartphones.
Lenses & Zoom
Any high-end smartphone can take better pictures than many digital cameras because their cameras have superb side angle lenses. Better lens collects more light and therefore, delivers high-quality images. Don’t expect smartphones cameras to have optical zoom because they are too compact and thin to have the system. Look for a wide-angle prime lens because they offer better image quality over zoom. If need optical zoom, use clip-on lenses from ZEISS.
Look for different lens options
- Ultra wide-angle – look for 16mm wide lens or equivalent
- Wide-angle / Standard – A standard camera has 27 or 28mm lens
- Telephoto – See if the phone offers 2x or 3x telephoto lens, giving a 56mm or 81mm equivalent
- Monochrome camera / sensor – a dedicated monochrome camera lens can give you for crisp, sharp monochrome photographs
- Depth camera – allows you to create background blur (or bokeh) in photos – it is possible to produce this effect without a depth camera
HDR, or High Dynamic Range
HDR technology takes several different versions of the photo in rapid succession, and merges them together into a single image. Each version is adjusted to a slightly different brightness – so your smartphone will take one photo for the shadowy parts, and one for the bright parts. The merging of the best elements of each of these photos together into a single photo makes the photograph come alive. Latest iPhones offer this technology.
ISO Control
ISO level tells you how sensitive the sensor of your smartphone’s camera to light. The higher the ISO, the better the photograph, especially in low light conditions. The camera, sensing the amount of incoming light, increases or decreases its ISO level. Any smartphone camera that has high ISO(1250 or more) will take produce brighter images in darkness but there will to unexpected noise in the photograph. This can be fixed by using noise reduction feature while editing. Huawei P30 Pro comes with a camera with ISO 409600.
Camera Control Options
What good is a camera phone in 2019 if it doesn’t let you to control various features of a camera, or edit raw images after the photoshoot. Most smartphone cameras comes with autofocus and automatic image filter option. You can control the settings manually too. The higher the price of the smartphone, the more the options you get in Camera Settings. The high-end, newer iPhone and Samsung smartphones India let you take photographs with blurred background using its wide aperture lenses.
Video
It is not a premium smartphone if it doesn’t let you capture 4K videos. Even budget phones in India allows you to record 1080p or 720p HD videos now a days. Therefore, look for a smartphone like the iPhone 11 Pro, that allows you to capture and edit 4K videos with 60 fps or smoother frame rate. Make sure that the smartphone uses stabilization and continuous AF to capture stunning videos. It should also let you create slow-motion videos using the cameras high frame rate.
Focus & Shutter Response
A good understanding of how quickly the camera of your smartphones can focus and how fast the shutter responds will help you buy the phone you deserve. You have to read a lot of reviews to understand this. From frames per second to exposure, check everything hands-on before making a purchase. Smile detection and face detection auto-focus are common features in modern smartphones.
Flash
Most smartphones, premium or budget, have a built-in LED flash. But making the flash work is tricky. If you notice, using the flash to take close-up shots, make the image harsh, and using the flash for photographing distant object is ineffective. Therefore, it is better not to rely on the flash if you want to take good pictures. So, buy a smartphone that has a powerful flash, even for the front camera, but don’t rely on it. The best way to take photographs is to keep the flash off.
Battery Life
The latest battery technology used in smartphones is not good enough to satisfy us. Recharging the battery daily is something we really don’t like to do. Premium smartphones comes with massive battery that lets you work for at least 24 hours. Therefore, buying a smartphone with a monstrous battery capacity will allow you to photograph and record videos for a longer period of time.
Water Resistant
A water resistant, scratch proof and shockproof phone will allow you to practice photography even in harsh weather conditions. You can take photos standing in the rain, or underwater. The iPhone 7, released in September 2016, was publicly rated as water-resistant, with an IP rating of IP67. It has been observed by users that it can work for 30 minutes at a water depth of up to 1m. But it is always a good idea not to use a smartphone for underwater photography and water and especially sea water can damage the phone.
Expandable Memory
iPhones don’t have microSD card slots, but Android phones do have them. If your phone can support a microSD card with impressive storage capacity. While 2GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB are fairly common, it will be great if your smartphone can support microSD up to 2TB or more. You might also want to see if any free cloud backup storage service is offered by the manufacturer. Cloud storage can save your life in case you lose your smartphone or it breaks. Good camera phones should be capable of storing huge amount of data.
Here is a list of 10 Best Camera Phones in India:
01. Google Pixel 3 – The No.1 Camera Phone In 2019
Released on November 2018, nothing can beat the 12.2MP rear camera and the 8MP front camera of Pixel 3. The smartphone offers optical image stabilization, f/1.8 rear camera aperture, face detection and laser autofocus with upto 128GB storage. The camera takes breathtakingly stunning photos for ameteur photographers and mobile vloggers. This is the best camera phone available in India.
02. Huawei P30 Pro – When Pixel 3 Is Too Expensive For You
Released on March 2019, the 40MP + 20MP + 8MP + ToF rear cameras and 32MP front camera with optical image stabilisation and Autofocus has won the heart of smartphone users worldwide. The 4,200mAh battery lets you shoot for a longer period of time. The quality of the images it produces is mind-blowing. ToF (time-of-flight) camera creates more depth on portraits.
03. Galaxy S10 Plus – A Masterpiece From Samsung
Released on March 2019, the 12MP + 12MP + 16MP rear camera and the 10MP + 8MP front camera with optical image stabilization and rear camera aperture: f/1.5, f/2.4, f/2.2 makes Galaxy S10 Plus the greatest Samsung smartphone ever. It can takes unexpectedly brighter photographs in low light conditions. This is the best samsung phone with camera ever.
04. iPhone 11 Pro – Shoot Videos Like A Pro
iPhone means excellence, and Pro means Pro, no ifs ands or buts. Being one of the most expensive smartphones in India, the 12 + 12 + 12 rear camera and the 12 MP front camera of iPhone 11 Pro delivers crystal clear, colourful and bright images, even in low light conditions. And the videos it shoots is out of the earth when compared to other smartphones.
05. Iphone Xr – The Best For Young Iphone Lovers
Released on October 2018, the Dual 12MP camera and the 7MP front camera of this state-of-the-are device is fascinating enough for any ameteur photographer. It comes with optical image stabilization or OIS and Autofocus to make your life easier. The phone is waterproof and has a much lower price tag than other similar phones. This is one on the top camera phones in India.
06. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – Simply The Best In Android
Samsung has worked really hard to improve the video camera of the Galaxy Note 10. The image stabilization technology is even more advanced and ‘’Live Focus’ – gives you access to portrait like ‘bokeh’ effects. The 12.2MP rear camera and 8MP front camera with image stabilization and autofocus makes it ideal for video calling, photography and vlogging. This is undoubtedly the best selfie phone ever.
7. Samsung Galaxy S8 – Selfies Never Looked More Beautiful
An impressive 12MP rear camera and the 8MP front camera with optical image stabilization and autofocus can produce awesome photos and videos. Using this phone is unexpectedly easy and taking multiple shots for better imaging is easier than ever. Clearer and brighter screen, premium design and powerful main camera makes it ideal for social media users. Samsung is one of the top mobile brands in India.
08. Huawei Mate 20 Pro – High Power, Low Price
A 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera without optical image stabilization, unbelievably, takes stunning photographs. It features an excellent wide-angle lens and and HDR, which makes it the most potent smartphone with a lower price tag. The phone looks great and can inspire any budding photographer.
9. Moto G7 Plus – Powerful, Yet Not Pricey
Launched on March 2019, the 16MP + 5MP rear camera and the 12MP front camera with optical image stabilization and autofocus makes this smartphone a real value for money. Motorola produces budget smartphones for everyone and Motorola Moto G7 Plus is the best of them all. Buy it and you will not regret.
10. Honor 20 – A Good Camera Phone Need Not Be Pricey
The mind boggling 48MP + 16MP + 2MP rear camera system and 32MP front camera takes amazing photos even without OIS. The smartphones features some high-end specs at an unbelievably lower price. It boasts a powerful 48MP main lens and a 16MP super-wide angle lens. The comparatively cheaper phone offers incredible camera quality for the price. This is one of the best camera phones in India.
Picture Perfect Shots Come With Practise
A good photographer, like any artist, keeps learning and practicing until he creates the perfect shot..
Good pictures are vital to you personal image and brand. While DSLRs and other “real cameras” are ideal, they are not always as affordable or convenient as smartphones. Therefore, you must practise hard to take truly awesome pictures with the equipment you have — your camera phone.
There are many more basic photography tips and tricks available online. Watch tutorial videos on mobile photography and make sure to spend some time with your smartphone camera and discover ways to take amazing photographs in various light and weather conditions. Even the best camera will fail to create a stunning image if the photographer fails to get the settings and angles right.
