This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

If you're serious well-nigh photography, you probably withal own at least one standalone camera. Just if you're not working as a pro or really obsessive, you are probably also taking an increasing number of photos with your smartphone. Information technology's the one camera we always have with the states. Conveniently, images come out geotagged and are likewise instantly shareable. This poses the question of which smartphone photographic camera is the right one for you. Nosotros've been using a few of the top models, and they all have different strengths, weaknesses, and unique features. So here are some of our favorites and the reasons you might want to use one of them or another.

Google Pixel two and Pixel ii 40

Google's Pixel 2 does amazing work with a single camera but lack of a second camera affects its test scoresIf you desire an Android telephone where yous can simply pick up and press the shutter, the Pixel ii family may be your best option. Google'southward HDR+ automatically combines a series of frames almost instantly into a advisedly-optimized finished product. Since the camera is recording images even earlier you lot printing the shutter, this is ane of the few HDR offerings that comes with cypher shutter lag.

The rear fingerprint sensor means you can unlock it faster than you can pick it up to compose your prototype. The 2 is too a bit smaller than some of the other flagship phones, which means it is easier to maneuver quickly. Of course, it also means a smaller display for reviewing or editing your images. If you want a larger screen, then the Pixel ii Twoscore might be a ameliorate culling.

At their default settings the Pixel 2 (left) did a better job with the mid-tones while the Mate 10 Pro rendered an impressive sky

At their default settings the Pixel 2 (left) did a ameliorate job with the mid-tones while the Mate ten Pro rendered an impressive heaven

Since the Pixel 2 family only features a single camera, they struggle a chip compared with dual-camera phones when it comes to zooming in and portrait furnishings. Uniquely, they use their dual-pixel sensors to estimate depth (other brands only use them for autofocus), and then they tin can provide depth effects, but with some limitations. Some other thing that differentiates the Pixel 2 family from virtually other electric current flagship phones is that Google has so much faith in HDR+ that its default camera app doesn't even allow you to capture RAW (.DNG) images. That's a drawback for anyone who wants to practise their own post-processing. Of grade you can easily load one of a number of tertiary political party camera apps that have that capability

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

Huawei Mate 10 Pro has excellent Photo test scores across the board from DxOMarkHuawei hasn't gotten as much press here in the US as Apple, Google, or Samsung, but information technology has been turning out some astonishing phone cameras, including the Mate 10 Pro (Run across on Amazon). In cooperation with Leica, Huawei has designed a unique dual camera organization that uses a traditional RGB sensor coupled with a monochrome sensor. In the Pro version of the Mate 10, the master camera is a fairly-standard 12MP, while the monochrome sensor provides 20MP of loftier-resolution detail. Because the monochrome sensor doesn't demand a color filter, every pixel is able to capture all the calorie-free falling on it. That results in better low-light performance, and provides the potential for more than detail in images.

The monochrome sensor also ways you get a true blackness and white shooting mode, which those used to blackness and white film photography volition enjoy. The only unfortunate limitation is that for some reason you can't capture RAW images in monochrome mode, which will limit your throwback darkroom options for mail processing.

More than chiefly, for about of us who primarily shoot in color, is that Huawei uses the monochrome image to heighten the output of the primary color sensor in a couple interesting ways. First, the cameras piece of work together to provide increased resolution for zoomed images. That means that even though the phone doesn't include a dedicated telephoto lens, it has excellent zoom functioning upwards to 2x, and reasonable functioning up to 4x. 2nd, the dual cameras make for a very skillful Portrait capability at both 1x and 2x.

The Mate 10 Pro's dual camera does a very good job of creating a depth effect, even on non-human subjects in this 2x zoomed shot

The Mate x Pro's dual camera does a very skilful job of creating a depth issue, fifty-fifty on non-human subjects in this 2x zoomed shot

Finally, Huawei uses the two cameras to offer a unique Wide-Aperture manner. For those who remember the Lytro re-focusing cameras, this mode essentially puts a knock-off of that feature in a smartphone. I'thousand always actually skeptical about trick features like that, equally I was about the original Lytro camera, just I've been having a lot of fun using the wide-aperture manner on the Mate ten Pro. It doesn't record a true lite field, the way Lytro's cameras practice. Instead information technology records the RGB image alongside a lower-resolution depth map that it generates using the dual cameras. Since it doesn't crave any additional captures, information technology doesn't wearisome down the photographic camera.

Huawei'due south Gallery app then allows y'all to simulate varying depth of focus (DOF) past letting you lot selection a focus bespeak and then simulating the optical mistiness of a synthetic lens aperture based on the depth map. The app allows you to specify apertures from .95 to xvi, merely in reality you are confined to the original epitome, so f/sixteen is actually the same every bit the camera's native f/1.6. Similarly, while you tin can nominally refocus anywhere in the paradigm simply by touching information technology, anything that wasn't sharp in the initial capture isn't going to jump into focus. Non surprisingly, the Wide-Discontinuity characteristic just works from 1x to 2x zoom, simply that is plenty for nearly situations. Like the other specialty modes, this one is limited to JPEGs. It'd be very cool if there was a manner to shoot RAW plus a depth map and so edit it subsequently a estimator.

The refocusing capability on the Mate 10 Pro is more of a trick than a light field but it works surprisingly well

The refocusing capability on the Mate 10 Pro is more than of a trick than a calorie-free field, merely it works surprisingly well, as shown in this screenshot of two versions of an image

If you're not in a hurry, Huawei will be introducing a new flagship telephone, apparently chosen the P20, fairly before long. According to leaks it will push button its photographic camera design even farther, with a 3-camera rear camera system.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

By the numbers Samsung's Galaxy S9 Plus is the best smartphone camera for photographyBy the numbers, the S9 Plus is king of the hill when it comes to smartphone cameras. If you take the budget and want the very best camera, the S9 Plus delivers. Information technology meets or exceeds all the current benchmarks for both traditional paradigm quality and Portrait, Depth, and Bokeh demanded of flagship models. In add-on, it has a brand-new trick up its sleeve — a dual-aperture main photographic camera. Using a physical aperture (opening) it can switch from f/two.iv to f/i.5. This allows it to combine the low-calorie-free capability of a wide aperture like f/1.five with the increased depth of focus and epitome sharpness you go with a smaller f/2.4 aperture. By default the telephone will automatically switch between apertures depending on low-cal levels, but in Pro mode you tin can choose yourself.

Specialty Add-on Camera Options

Simply because you lot're shooting with a smartphone doesn't mean you tin't beef it up with an auxiliary camera. We've looked at a few that provide unique capabilities.

The DxO ONE allows you to add a 1-inch format sensor camera to your smartphone. Information technology's been out for a couple years for iOS, but DxO has an Android version in the works through an early on-access program. The larger sensor and a unique multi-frame RAW capture adequacy mean y'all get improve epitome quality at the expense of carrying another device and working with a new UI. Hasselblad'due south True Zoom Moto Mod brings a true 10x optical zoom capability to Motorola Z-family smartphones. It doesn't become astonishing reviews, equally the sensor is pocket-sized and the lens isn't very fast, but if y'all actually desire extended zoom on a smartphone it is just about your only option.

Finally, one of my personal favorites is the FLIR ONE. It captures thermal infrared for an entirely different look at the earth:

Viewing this Burmese Silversmith at work using thermal IR highlights the dramatic nature of his otherwise hard to see welding torch work

Viewing this Burmese Silversmith at work with a FLIR ONE using thermal IR highlights the dramatic nature of his otherwise hard-to-see welding torch work

Which Phone Photographic camera is Right For You

If you're already conveying another camera, and merely demand a smartphone for quick shots to show a scene to a client, share with family, or because it'southward easy, then the Google Pixel 2 (or Pixel ii XL) may be correct for you. They provide the best "point-and-shoot" feel. But if y'all're more serious about using your phone for shots where you lot're going to take some type getting the settings right, or are willing to postal service-process a RAW paradigm, you lot should definitely consider either the Mate 10 Pro or the Samsung Milky way S9 Plus. The Mate 10 Pro gives you a piddling more creative control, with its monochrome second camera and broad-aperture mode, while the S9 Plus provides a unique true multi-aperture lens, and more effective zooming cheers to its second, telephoto, lens.

Just as importantly, y'all'll desire to friction match the detail strengths of a smartphone's camera to the type of photography you value most. For starters, yous can look at the DxOMark photo category sub-scores nosotros show alongside each phone in this article as a way to compare their specific performance in correct Exposure, Color, Autofocus, and more.

[Image credit: David Cardinal]