There is no one defining factor for smartphone purchases than the camera. At least that is what everyone touts before a purchase decision is reached. The manufacturers have been observant towards this that we have since gone from a single camera, to two and now we have the likes of Mate 20 Pro with 4 cameras.
At least everyone seems to be hell bent towards buying a smartphone with a good camera. However, not all that glitters is gold and neither are the numbers suggestive of what is to come. We are here to solve you the puzzle on what you should consider before saying, yes i’ll settle for the iPhone X, the Camon X, Google Pixel or name it.
You should consider the smartphone price
For the past couple of years, good phones have been priced considerably high owing to the premium features that they carry but let not the higher price hoodwink you into thinking that it’s worth the numbers or damage to your pocket.
However, we can at least agree that all top of the line camera smartphones, call them flagships from notable manufacturers like Samsung, Apple, Huawei, HTC, TECNO, Google command a premium and are always fronted as flagships for that particular year they go on sale.
The price normally accounts for the premium materials, internals, gimmicks and of course top of the line optics that give those awesome pictures for the gram.
Budget handsets normally don’t play well when it comes to best smartphone cameras though a few exceptions can still be found.
Phone Type/Name
Did you know that certain manufacturers has an entire line/series dedicated to smartphone photography?
The likes of Tecno have the Camon line entirely dedicated to bringing out the best in photography and the line has seen iterative updates year over year. It doesn’t stop there, other manufacturers like Google with the Pixel have gotten the buzz going on for long owing to their photography prowess to an extent that anytime the word Google Pixel is mentioned, the mind switches to the best in class in smartphone photography. Period.
Other smartphone lines/types worth a hard earned mention are iPhones, the Samsung S & Note Lines, Huawei P & Mate Lines, HTC U-Line among others most of which happen to be flagships.
We however recommend that you buy one for the current year to avoid disappointment given these smartphones receive iterative updates every year.
Understand the Camera (Sensor, Aperture, Megapixels, Lens, Zoom)
All smartphones come with Cameras, right? Not all these cameras are sourced from the same manufacturer and neither do they have the same photographic prowess.We beg for your utmost attention here because what we are about to elaborate will sound rather technical but we shall do it anyway, only that we shall try to do away with the tech lingo as much as possible.
The camera itself is made up of very many components some of which we shall talk about while the rest we shall ignore. The best use of these will determine the best results so it is not an inclination towards a single component that will determine what wins on a camera wins and doesn’t.
The sensor
The sensor is what captures light into the camera. Around here size matters the most. A larger sensor is most likely to give you better results than a smaller one regardless of megapixel counts (More on this later)
Say for a example an 8MP camera with a large sensor will give you better results than a 13MP camera with a smaller sensor.
Aperture (That f-Value)
Simply put, the aperture determines how much light enters the camera lens. This is normally depicted by values and figures like f/1.8, f/2.0 etc.
It should be noted that the lower the figure, the likelihood that it will allow in more light and thus better results.
MegaPixels
Probably the part you love most about smartphone cameras but this refers to the pixel count. The higher the megapixels, the likelihood that the image will be more detailed. However, this has to play well with some of the elements above to give you a good quality image.
Otherwise not all the pixel count will translate into the best product out there. Still doubting? Refer to the sensor above.
Zoom
We have optical and digital zoom but let us break for you the difference. Optical zoom happens within the camera hardware while digital zoom uses software to give you the zoom.
While buying that brand new smartphone, here is where the numbers will matter most so go for a camera with a high optical zoom in case you like taking photos at a distance while zooming in.
Not to say digital zoom is bad but optical bests it hands down.
The Processor/Processing Power
The smartphone processor also determines the output of the photo. Normally flagship processors are better equipped to manage image processing seamlessly than is the case with mid or low-end processors. Some flagships even go an entire mile of having dedicated chips towards image processing.
The processor is the what computes the processes for both the hardware and the software to play well that the resultant image is superb. Not just for the camera though but for the entire smartphone
Therefore the next time you want to buy a smartphone for its camera, do a little bit of research about processors, image processing etc. On that research too, include RAM + ROM as well as they play hand in hand with the processor for a seamless experience.
Read Product Reviews
These exist all over the internet even here on Techjaja but take note that not all that is out there is credible. However to make a better comparison, look through through various reviewers before a unanimous decision is made about the ultimate devices to buy.
You’re most likely to find a resounding device name from most reviewers if it is that good.
One more tip
Good images tend to be heavy. It is therefore recommended to buy a smartphone with enough storage to accommodate all those awesome memories on a trip, an eatery, a night out etc.At least 32GB or more could do.
