We are witnessing the birth of a new marketing chip to attract smartphone buyers - a 48 megapixel camera. Mobile phone manufacturers seem to have agreed and are trying to "buy" users with record megapixels. Someone has already released their smartphones with a record-breaking camera, while others are just preparing devices with such a module. They will differ in the sensor that will form the basis of the camera. You have to choose between two: and Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1. Is there a difference between them and which one is the best?
Honor General Product Manager Xiong Junmin decided to answer this question. But before that, we recall that Sony and Samsung introduced their 48 megapixel modules last year. The size of both sensors is decent - 1/2 inch, but the pixel size was only 0.8 microns. But the trick of these sensors is that the pixels can read information from four adjacent pixels and this allows you to create a 12 megapixel photo with large 1.6 micron pixels. This adaptation should improve the quality of shots taken at night.
According to top manager Honor, a Sony IMX feature 586 in color filter Quad Bayer . With it, neighboring pixels of the same color are grouped according to the 2x2 scheme into one up to an equivalent pixel with a size of 1.6 microns. This increases the sensitivity of the sensor, and it "turns" into a 12 megapixel module. In theory, this should come in handy when shooting shots at night and will allow you to get bright pictures with low noise. Herself Sony announced that the sensor will be able to produce "honest" frames with a size of 8000x6000 pixels without interpolation.
In the case of the sensor Samsung Galaxy Bright GM 1 it creates frames of 4000x3000 pixels and this figure corresponds to a camera with 12 million effective pixels, where the size of each is 1.6 microns. With this sensor, whose physical resolution is 12 megapixels, the smartphone will indeed be able to produce images with a resolution of 48 megapixels, but this effect will be achieved through interpolation and the cost of this is the loss of detail. Whereas the Sony IMX586 will produce sharper footage.
The conclusion of the general manager of Honor products is that Sony IMX586 produces “honest” 48 megapixel frames obtained by transforming the pixel structure, while pictures with the same resolution from Samsung GM1 are only the result of artificial image enlargement. How true his conclusion is, can only be verified by comparing the pictures taken on the camera of Redmi Note 7 and Honor V20 / Huawei Nova 4. It is interesting to see how both sensors work in practice and how noticeable the difference between photos at 48 and 12 will really be. Mp. Still, there is an assumption that 48 megapixel photos are obtained on a Sony sensor with the help of digital image processing.
Sony is renowned for producing quality sensors for smartphone cameras and is one of the world's leading suppliers of these components. Even the flagships of Samsung or LG use Sony modules, and there is nothing to say about Chinese companies. The release of the new flagship Xiaomi Mi 5S, as well as its enlarged variant Mi 5S Plus, introduced the world to a new Sony product aimed at top-end devices. Smartphones were the first devices with this sensor. To understand what is new, our material will help.
Specifications Sony Exmor IMX378
Judging by Sony specifications IMX378, this camera is a modified and improved version of the IMX377 module released last year. In general, the practice of using identical sensors, adapted to the specifics of specific devices, as well as differing in body and optics, is quite common with Sony. Successful camera models go through several "reincarnations", as was the case with the IMX145 (aka IMX175, IMX164 and IMX179) or IMX258/278.
The actual resolution of the IMX378 sensor is 4120x3036 or 12.5 MP. However, in 3:4 proportions, the maximum resolution reaches 4024x3036 pixels, in widescreen - 4120x2168. Thus, the size of the involved matrix in widescreen mode is reduced to 1 / 2.5", and the image resolution is reduced to almost 9 MP.
The Sony IMX378 uses a 1/2.3" sensor (one of the largest among smartphones), with 1.55 µm pixels. The actual sensor diagonal is 7.8 mm. Due to twice the area (2.4 µm2 versus 1 .2 µm2), each pixel is capable of capturing twice as much light as a standard 1.12 µm element.In real-life situations, this benefit translates into improved light sensitivity (and therefore detail) in low light.
In the version used in Xiaomi flagships, the optics consist of 6 lenses, and its aperture ratio opens up to f / 2. At the same time, the actual focal length is 4.75 mm - almost 1.5 times more than most modern smartphones (3.5 mm). Due to the increased thickness of the module, the lens is able to capture much more light.
Among other features of the IMX378 camera sensor, video shooting is announced in 4K 4000x3000 at 30 FPS, 3840x2160 - 60 FPS, FullHD - 120 FPS and HD - 300 FPS. Auto focus mechanism - phase, but without technology "Dual Pixel".
Smartphones with Sony IMX378 camera
The Sony IMX378 sensor has not yet gained distribution. The first smartphones to use this camera are Xiaomi Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus styles. At the moment, it is difficult to judge all the possibilities and quality of the photos that the module takes, but Xiaomi representatives have published a selection of photos demonstrating the capabilities of smartphones. The frames look very cool, but we must not forget about the tricks of marketers. To fully appreciate the IMX378 sensor in real conditions, you need to wait for the Mi 5S to go on sale.
The second and third smartphones to receive this camera model should be the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. The successors of the Nexus series are equipped with the Sony IMX378. DxOMark gave the camera in Pixel smartphones with Sony IMX 378 sensor the highest score at the time of writing this review - 89 points. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones have good software from the software giant and beat even the acclaimed flagship in mobile photography, the Galaxy S7, with a maximum DxOMark score of 88.
For now, you can get a general impression of the new camera's capabilities by analyzing images from the HTC 10, Huawei Nexus 6P, or LG Nexus 5X. These devices, as mentioned at the beginning, are equipped with a Sony IMX377 camera sensor, so they should provide similar frame quality. However, completely projecting an opinion about this matrix onto a newer model is not the right decision. Also, do not forget about software camera, which each manufacturer has its own and plays an important role in the final result.
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More banal than this axiom is only the explanation "the iPhone, it turns out, does not have a slot for a memory card." But beginners continue to make mistakes when they "peck" on the number of megapixels in the camera, which means they will have to repeat themselves.
Imagine a window - an ordinary window in a residential building or apartment. The number of megapixels is, roughly speaking, the number of glasses inside the window frame. If we continue to draw parallels with smartphones, in ancient times, glass for windows was the same size and was considered a scarce commodity. Therefore, when the conditional "Tolyan" said that he had 5 glasses (megapixels) in his window unit, everyone understood that Anatoly was a serious and wealthy person. And the characteristics of the window were also immediately clear - good review outside the house, a large area of glazing.
A few years later, windows (megapixels) were no longer in short supply, so their number only needed to be brought to the required level, and then calm down. Just bring it into line with the area (window for ventilation and a loggia, for the sake of strength, require a different number of windows) so that the camera gives out a slightly denser picture than 4K monitors and TVs give out. And finally, to deal with other characteristics - for example, to deal with clouding of glasses and image distortion. Teach cameras how to properly focus and paint the available megapixels with high quality, if you want specifics.
There are more “megapixels” on the right, but they give nothing but “obstacles” with the same “sensor” area
But people are already used to measuring the quality of cameras in megapixels, and sellers gladly indulged this. Therefore, the circus with a huge number of glasses (megapixels) in the same size frame (the size of the camera matrix) continued. As a result, today the pixels in smartphone cameras, although not “filled” with the density of a mosquito net, but the “devitrification” has become too dense, and more than 15 megapixels in smartphones almost always spoil rather than improve photos. This has never happened before, and here again it turned out that it is not the size that matters, but the skill.
At the same time, as you understand, the "evil" is not the megapixels themselves - if tons of megapixels were spread out on a sufficiently large camera, they would benefit the smartphone. When the camera is able to unleash the potential of all the megapixels on board, and not “smear” them in bulk when shooting, the photo can be enlarged, cropped, and it will remain high-quality. That is, no one will understand that this is just a fragment of a larger picture. But now such miracles are found only in the “correct” SLR and mirrorless cameras, in which the matrix alone (a microcircuit with photo sensors, on which a picture arrives through the “glasses” of the camera) is much larger than the smartphone camera assembly.
"Evil" is a tradition of sticking a clip of megapixels into tiny cell phone cameras. This tradition has brought nothing but blurred pictures and an excess of digital noise (“peas” in the frame).
Sony piled on 23 megapixels where competitors put 12-15 megapixels, and paid for this with a decrease in picture clarity. (photo - manilashaker.com)
For reference: in the best camera phones of 2017, the main rear cameras (not to be confused with the b/w additional ones) all operate with “pathetic” 12-13 megapixels as one. In photo resolution, this is approximately 4032x3024 pixels - enough for a Full HD (1920x1080) monitor, and for 4K (3840x2160) too, albeit back to back. Roughly speaking, if the smartphone camera has more than 10 megapixels, their number is no longer important. Other things are important.
How to determine that the camera is of high quality, before looking at the photos and videos from it
Aperture - how wide the smartphone "opened its eyes"
The squirrel feeds on nuts, the deputies feed on the money of the people, and the cameras feed on light. The more light, the better the photo quality and more details. Only sunny weather and studio-style bright lighting lamps for any occasion of life can not be enough. Therefore, for good photos indoors, or outdoors in cloudy weather / at night, cameras are designed in such a way that they produce a lot of light even in adverse conditions.
The easiest way to get more light to hit the camera sensor is to make the hole in the lens larger. The indicator of how wide the “eyes” of the camera are opened is called aperture, aperture, or aperture ratio - this is the same parameter. And the words are different so that the reviewers in the articles can show off incomprehensible terms for as long as possible. Because, if you don’t show off, the aperture can simply be called, excuse me, a “hole”, as is customary among photographers.
Aperture is indicated by a fraction with the letter f, a slash and a number (or with a capital F and no fraction: for example, F2.2). Why
so - a long story, and that's not the point, as Rotaru sings. The bottom line is this: the smaller the number after the letter F and the slash, the better the camera in the smartphone. For example, f / 2.2 in smartphones is good, but f / 1.9 is better! The wider the aperture, the more light enters the sensor and the better smartphone“sees” (takes better photos and videos) at night. As a bonus, the wide aperture comes with beautiful background blur when you're photographing flowers up close, even if your phone doesn't have a dual camera.
Melania Trump explains what different apertures look like in smartphone cameras
Before buying a smartphone, do not be too lazy to clarify how “seeing” the rear camera is in it. looked after samsung galaxy J3 2017 - search for "Galaxy J3 2017 aperture", "Galaxy J3 2017 aperture" or "Galaxy J3 2017 aperture" to find out the exact figure. If nothing is known about the aperture in the smartphone that you have looked at for yourself, two options are possible:
- The camera is so bad that the manufacturer decided to keep silent about its characteristics. Approximately the same rudeness marketers are engaged in when, in response to “what processor is in the smartphone?” they answer “quad-core” and evade in every possible way so as not to disclose a specific model.
- The smartphone has just appeared on sale and no characteristics, except for those in the advertising announcement, have yet been “delivered” on it. Wait a couple of weeks - usually during this time the details come out.
What should be the aperture in the camera of a new smartphone?
In 2017-2018 even in a budget model, the rear camera should produce at least f / 2.2. If the number in the denominator of this fraction is greater, get ready for the fact that the camera will see the picture as if in darkened glasses. And in the evening and at night, she will be “blind-sighted” and will be able to see almost nothing even at a distance of several meters from the smartphone. And don’t rely on the “twists” of brightness - in a smartphone with f / 2.4 or f / 2.6, an evening photo with an exposure “stretched” by the program will turn out to be “rough smudge”, while a camera with f / 2.2 or f / 2.0 will take a better photo without tricks.
The wider the aperture, the higher the quality of shooting on a smartphone camera
The coolest smartphones today have cameras with f/1.8, f/1.7 or even f/1.6 apertures. The aperture itself does not guarantee the maximum quality of pictures (no one has canceled the quality of the sensor and “glasses”) - this, I will quote the photographers, is just a “hole” through which the camera looks at the world. But other things being equal, it is better to choose smartphones in which the camera does not “squint”, but receives an image with wide-open “eyes”.
Diagonal of the matrix (sensor): the more - the better
The matrix in a smartphone is not the matrix where people with complex faces in black raincoats dodge bullets. In mobile phones, this word means a photocell ... in other words, a plate onto which a picture flies through the “glasses” of optics. In old cameras, the picture arrived on film and was stored there, and the matrix instead accumulates information about the photograph and sends it to the smartphone's processor. The processor arranges all this into the final photo and stores the files in internal memory, or on microSD.
The only thing you need to know about the matrix is that it should be as large as possible. If the optics is a water hose, and the diaphragm is the neck of the container, then the matrix is the very reservoir for water, which is never enough.
It is customary to measure the dimensions of the matrix in inhuman, from the bell tower of ordinary buyers, vidicon inches. One such inch is equal to 17 mm, but the cameras in smartphones have not yet reached such dimensions, so the matrix diagonal is denoted by a fraction, as in the case of the aperture. The smaller the second digit in the fraction (divisor), the larger the matrix -> the cooler the camera.
Is it clear that nothing is clear? Then just remember these numbers:
A budget smartphone will take good pictures if the matrix size in it is at least 1/3 "with a camera resolution of no higher than 12 megapixels. More megapixels - lower quality in practice. And if there are less than ten megapixels, the photo will be on good large monitors and TVs look loose, simply because they have fewer dots than the height-width of your monitor screen.
In mid-range smartphones, a good matrix size is 1/2.9” or 1/2.8”. Find a larger one (1/2.6” or 1/2.5”, for example) - consider yourself very lucky. In flagship smartphones, a good tone is a matrix of at least 1/2.8”, and preferably 1/2.5”.
Smartphones with large sensors shoot better than models with small photocells
Is it even tougher? It happens - look at 1/2.3” in the Sony Xperia XZ Premium and XZ1. Why, then, these smartphones do not set records for photo quality? Because the "automatic" of the camera is constantly mistaken with the selection of settings for shooting, and the stock of "clarity and vigilance" of the camera is spoiled by the number of megapixels - they piled 19 in these models instead of the standard 12-13 MP for new flagships, and a fly in the ointment crossed out the advantages of a huge matrix.
Are there smartphones in nature with a good camera and less harsh characteristics? Yes - take a look at the Apple iPhone 7 with its 1/3" at 12 megapixels. On the Honor 8, which is enough 1/2.9" with the same number of megapixels. Magic? No - just good optics and perfectly "licked" automation, which takes into account the potential of the camera as well as tailored trousers take into account the amount of cellulite on the thighs.
But there is a problem - manufacturers almost never indicate the size of the sensor in the specifications, because these are not megapixels, and you can be embarrassed if the sensor is cheap. And in reviews or descriptions of smartphones in online stores, such camera characteristics are even less common. Even if you have chosen a smartphone with an adequate number of megapixels and a promising aperture value, there is a chance that you will never know the size of the rear sensor. In this case, pay attention to the last characteristic of smartphone cameras, which directly affects the quality.
Few large pixels are better than many small ones.
Imagine a sandwich with red caviar, or take a look at it if you don’t remember well what such delicacies look like. Just as eggs in a sandwich are distributed over a piece of loaf, the area of the camera sensor (camera matrix) in a smartphone is occupied by light-sensitive elements - pixels. These pixels in smartphones, to put it mildly, are not a dozen, or even a dozen. One megapixel is 1 million pixels, in typical cameras of smartphones produced in 2015-2017, there are 12-20 such megapixels.
As we have already figured out, containing an excessive number of "blanks" on the smartphone's matrix is detrimental to pictures. The effectiveness of such a pandemonium comes out like that of specialized detachments of people to replace a light bulb. Therefore, it is better to observe a smaller number of smart pixels in a camera than a large number of stupid ones. The larger each of the pixels in the camera, the less “dirty” the photos turn out, and the video becomes less “jumpy”.
Large pixels in the camera (photo below) make evening and night shots better
An ideal smartphone camera consists of a large "foundation" (matrix / sensor) with large pixels on it. Only now no one is going to make smartphones thicker or allocate half of the case at the back for the camera. Therefore, the "building" will be such that the camera does not stick out of the body and does not take up much space, the megapixels are large, even if there are only 12-13 of them, and the matrix is as large as possible to accommodate them all.
The pixel size in a camera is measured in micrometers and is denoted as micron in Russian or mm in Latin. Before you buy a smartphone, make sure that the pixels in it are large enough - this is an indirect sign that the camera is shooting well. Type in the search, for example, "Xiaomi Mi 5S µm" or "Xiaomi Mi 5S µm" - and enjoy the camera characteristics of the smartphone that you have noticed. Or upset - depends on the numbers that you see as a result.
How big should a pixel be in a good camera phone?
In the “newest” time, it was especially famous for its pixel sizes ... Google Pixel is a smartphone that was released in 2016 and “showed Kuzkin’s mother” to competitors due to the combination of a huge (1 / 2.3”) matrix and very large pixels of the order of 1.55 microns. With such a set, he almost always produced the most detailed photographs even in cloudy weather or at night.
Why don't manufacturers "cut" the megapixels in the camera to a minimum and place a minimum of pixels on the matrix? There has already been such an experiment - HTC in the flagship One M8 (2014) made the pixels so huge that they fit in the rear camera ... four on a 1/3 ”matrix! Thus, One M8 received pixels as large as 2 microns! As a result, in terms of the quality of images in the dark, the smartphone “broke” almost all competitors. Yes, and photos in a resolution of 2688 × 1520 pixels were enough for Full HD monitors of that time. But the HTC camera did not become an all-round champion, because the Taiwanese were let down by HTC's color accuracy and "stupid" shooting algorithms that did not know how to "correctly prepare" settings for a sensor with unusual potential.
Today, all manufacturers have gone berserk in the race for the largest possible pixels, therefore:
- In good budget camera phones, the pixel size should be 1.22 microns or more.
- In flagships, pixels ranging in size from 1.25 microns to 1.4 or 1.5 microns are considered good form. More is better.
There are few smartphones with a good camera and relatively small pixels, but they exist in nature. This, of course, is the Apple iPhone 7 with its 1.22 microns and OnePlus 5 with 1.12 microns - they “leave” due to very high-quality sensors, very good optics and “smart” automation.
Without these terms, small pixels ruin photo quality in flagship smartphones. For example, in the LG G6, the algorithms create lewdness when shooting at night, and the sensor, although ennobled with good “glasses”, is itself cheap. AT
as a result, 1.12 microns always spoil night shots, except when you enter the battle with “manual mode” instead of stupid automation and correct its flaws yourself. The same picture prevails when shooting with the Sony Xperia XZ Premium or XZ1. And in the masterpiece, “on paper”, the Xiaomi Mi 5S camera, the lack of optical stabilization and the same “crooked hands” of the algorithm developers prevent it from competing with the flagships of the iPhone and Samsung, which is why the smartphone copes well with shooting only during the day, and at night it is no longer very impressive.
In order to make it clear how much to weigh in grams, take a look at the characteristics of the cameras in some of the best camera phones of our time.
Smartphone | The number of megapixels of the "main" rear camera | Matrix Diagonal | Pixel size |
Google Pixel 2XL | 12.2 MP | 1/2.6" | 1.4 µm |
Sony Xperia XZ Premium | 19 MP | 1/2.3" | 1.22 µm |
One Plus 5 | 16 MP | 1/2.8" | 1.12 µm |
Apple iPhone 7 | 12 MP | 1/3" | 1.22 µm |
Samsung Galaxy S8 | 12 MP | 1/2.5" | 1.4 µm |
LG G6 | 13 MP | 1/3" | 1.12 µm |
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | 12 MP | 1/2.55" | 1.4 µm |
Huawei P10 Lite/Honor 8 Lite | 12 MP | 1/2.8" | 1.25 µm |
Apple iPhone SE | 12 MP | 1/3" | 1.22 µm |
Xiaomi Mi 5S | 12 MP | 1/2.3" | 1.55 µm |
Honor 8 | 12 MP | 1/2.9" | 1.25 µm |
Apple iPhone 6 | 8 MP | 1/3" | 1.5 µm |
Huawei nova | 12 MP | 1/2.9" | 1.25 µm |
What type of autofocus is the best
Autofocus is when a mobile phone “focuses” on its own while taking photos and videos. It is needed in order not to twist the settings “for every sneeze”, like a gunner in a tank.
In older smartphones and in modern Chinese "state employees", manufacturers use contrast autofocus. This is the most primitive way of focusing, which focuses on how light or dark it is “straight ahead” in front of the camera, like a half-blind person. That is why it takes about a couple of seconds for cheap smartphones to focus, during which it is easy to “miss” a moving object, or not want to shoot what they were going to, because “the train has left”.
Phase autofocus “catches light” over the entire area of the camera sensor, calculates at what angle the rays enter the camera and draws conclusions about what is in front of the smartphone’s nose or a little further. Due to its "intelligence" and calculations, it works very quickly during the day and does not annoy anything at all. It is common in all modern smartphones, except for the very budget ones. The only drawback is the work at night, when the light enters the narrow hole in the aperture of the mobile phone in such small portions that the smartphone “tears the roof” and it constantly fidgets with focus due to a sharp change in information.
Laser autofocus - the most chic! Laser rangefinders have always been used to "throw" a beam over a long distance and calculate the distance for an object. LG in the smartphone G3 (2014) taught such a "scan" to help the camera quickly focus.
Laser autofocus is amazingly fast even indoors or in semi-darkness
Take a look at your wristwatch... well, what am I talking about... okay, turn on the stopwatch on your smartphone and appreciate how fast one second goes by. And now mentally divide it by 3.5 - in 0.276 seconds, the smartphone receives information about the distance to the subject and reports this to the camera. And it does not lose speed either at night or in bad weather. If you plan to shoot photos and videos up close or at a short distance in low light, a smartphone with laser autofocus will help you out a lot.
But keep in mind that mobile phones are not Star Wars guns, so the range of the laser in the camera barely exceeds a couple of meters. Everything that is further, the mobile phone considers with the help of the same phase detection autofocus. In other words, to shoot objects from afar, it is not necessary to look for a smartphone with “laser guidance” in the camera - you will not get any use from such a function in general terms for photos and videos.
Optical stabilization. Why is it needed and how does it work
Have you ever driven a car with a leaf spring suspension? On army UAZ vehicles, for example, or an ambulance with the same design? In addition to the fact that in such cars you can “beat off the fifth point”, they are incredibly shaking - the suspension is as rigid as possible so as not to fall apart on the roads, and therefore it tells passengers everything that it thinks about the road surface, frankly and not a “spring” (because that there is nothing to spring).
Now you know how a smartphone camera without optical stabilization feels when you are trying to take a photo.
The problem with shooting on a smartphone is this:
- The camera needs a lot of light to take good pictures. Not the direct rays of the sun in the "face", but diffused, ubiquitous light around.
- The longer the camera "views" the image during the photo, the more light it snatches = the higher the quality of the picture.
- At the time of shooting and these “peepers” of the camera, the smartphone must be motionless so that the picture is not “smeared”. Leave at least a fraction of a millimeter - the frame will be spoiled.
And human hands are shaking. This is very noticeable if you raise your arms outstretched and try to hold the bar, and less noticeable when you hold a mobile phone in front of you to take a photo or video. The difference is that the bar can “float” in your hands within wide limits - just not to put it against the wall, a neighbor, or drop it on your feet. And the smartphone needs to have time to "grab" the light in order for the photo to come out well, and do it before it deviates by a fraction of a millimeter in your hands.
Therefore, the algorithms try to please the camera and not put forward increased requirements for your hands. That is, they tell the camera, for example, “so, 1/250 of a second you can shoot, this is enough for the photo to be more or less successful, and taking a picture before the camera moves to the side is also enough.” This thing is called endurance.
How optical stabilization works
What's with the optostab? So after all, he is that “shock absorption” with which the camera does not shake, like the body of army trucks, but “floats” within small boundaries. In the case of smartphones, it does not float in water, but is held by magnets and “fidgets” at a short distance from them.
That is, if the smartphone “leaves” a little or trembles during shooting, the camera will shake much weaker. With such insurance, the smartphone will be able to:
- Increase shutter speed (guaranteed time "to see the picture before the photo is ready") for the camera. The camera receives more light, sees more image details = the quality of the photo during the day is even higher.
- Take clear pictures on the move. Not while sprinting off-road, but while walking or out of the window of a shaking bus, for example.
- Compensate for shaky video. Even if you stomp your feet very sharply or sway a little under the weight of the bag in your second hand, this will not be as noticeable on the video as in smartphones without optical stabilizer.
Therefore, the optostab (OIS, as it is called in English) is an extremely useful thing in a smartphone camera. It’s also possible without it, but it’s sad - the camera must be of high quality “with a margin”, and the automation will have to shorten (degrade) the shutter speed, because there is no insurance against shaking in the smartphone. When shooting a video, you have to “move” the picture on the fly so that the jitter is not visible. This is akin to how in old movies they imitated the speed of a moving car, when it actually stood still. With the difference that in films these scenes were shot in one take, and smartphones have to calculate the shaking and deal with it on the fly.
Smartphones with a good camera, which without stabilization shoots no worse than competitors with stabilization, are vanishingly few - for example, the Apple iPhone 6s, the first generation of Google Pixel, OnePlus 5, Xiaomi Mi 5s and, with some stretch, Honor 8 / Honor 9.
What not to pay attention to
- Flash. Useful only when shooting in pitch darkness, when you need to take a photo at any cost. As a result, you observe the pale faces of people in the frame (and all of them, because the flash is low-power), eyes closed from bright light, or a very strange color of buildings / trees - photographs with a smartphone flash definitely do not carry artistic value. In the role of a flashlight, the LED near the camera is much more useful.
- Number of lenses in the camera. “Before, when I had 5 Mbps Internet, I wrote an essay in a day, and now, when I have 100 Mbps, I write it in 4 seconds.” No, guys, that's not how it works. It doesn’t matter how many lenses a smartphone has, it doesn’t matter who made them (Carl Zeiss, judging by the quality of Nokia’s new cameras, too). Lenses are either high-quality or not, and you can only check this with real photos.
The quality of the "glasses" (lenses) affects the quality of the camera. Quantity is not
- Shooting in RAW. If you do not know what RAW is, I explain:
JPEG is the standard format in which smartphones record photos, this is a "ready-to-use" picture. Like Olivier salad on a festive table - it is possible to disassemble it “into components” in order to remake it into another salad, but it will not work out very well.
RAW is a hefty file on a "flash drive" in which all options for brightness, clarity and color for a photograph are sewn in its pure form, in separate "lines". That is, the photo will not be “covered with small dots” (digital noise) if you decide to make it not as dark as it turned out in JPEG, but a little brighter, as if you had correctly set the brightness at the time of shooting.
In short, RAW allows you to "photoshop" a frame much more conveniently than JPEG. But the catch is that flagship smartphones almost always select the settings correctly, therefore, apart from the memory of the smartphone polluted by “heavy” photos in RAW, there will be little use from “photoshop” files. And in cheap smartphones, the camera quality is so bad that you will see poor quality in JPEG, and just as bad source in RAW. Don't bother.
- Camera sensor name. Once upon a time, they were super important because they were the “quality mark” of a camera. The sensor model (module) of the camera determines the size of the matrix, the number of megapixels and the pixel size, minor "family signs" of shooting algorithms.
Of the “big three” manufacturers of camera modules for smartphones, Sony produces the highest quality modules (we do not take into account individual examples, we are talking about the average temperature in a hospital), followed by Samsung (Samsung sensors in Samsung smartphones Galaxy is even better than the coolest Sony sensors, but the Koreans sell something absurd on the side), and, finally, OmniVision closes the list, which releases “consumer goods, but tolerable”. Intolerant consumer goods are produced by all the other basement Chinese offices, whose names in the characteristics of smartphones are ashamed to mention even the manufacturers themselves.
8 - execution option. Do you know how it happens in cars? The minimum equipment with a "cloth" on the seats and a "wooden" interior, the maximum - with artificial suede seats and a leather dashboard. For buyers, the difference in this figure means little.
Why, after all this, should we not pay attention to the sensor model? Because things are the same with them as with megapixels - Chinese "alternatively gifted" manufacturers are actively buying expensive Sony sensors, trumpeting at every corner "our smartphone has a super-quality camera!" ... and the camera is disgusting.
Because the “glasses” (lenses) in such mobile phones are of terrible quality and transmit light a little better than a plastic soda bottle. The camera aperture due to the same bastard "glasses" is far from ideal (f / 2.2 or even higher), and no one is engaged in setting up the sensor so that the camera correctly selects colors, works well with the processor and does not disfigure the pictures. Here is a clear example of the fact that the sensor model has little effect on anything:
As you can see, smartphones with the same camera sensor can shoot in completely different ways. So don't think that a cheap Moto G5 Plus with an IMX362 module will shoot as well as the HTC U11 does with its amazingly cool camera.
Even more annoying is the “noodles on the ears” that Xiaomi hangs on the ears of buyers when it says that “the camera in the Mi Max 2 is very similar to the camera in the flagship Mi 6 - they have the same IMX386 sensors! They are the same, only smartphones shoot very differently, the aperture (and therefore the ability to shoot in poor lighting) is different in them, and Mi Max 2 cannot compete with the flagship Mi6.
- An additional camera "helps" to take photos at night of the main one and can shoot b/w photos. The most famous smartphones with such camera implementations are Huawei P9, Honor 8, Honor 9, Huawei P10.
- The secondary camera allows you to "shove the unpushed", that is, it takes pictures with an almost panoramic viewing angle. The only supporter of this type of camera was and remains LG - starting with the LG G5, continuing with the V20, G6, X Cam and now the V30.
- Two cameras are needed for optical zoom (zoom without loss of quality). Most often, this effect is achieved by the simultaneous operation of two cameras at once (Apple iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 8), although there are models that, when zoomed in, simply switch to a separate “long-range” camera - ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom, for example.
How to choose a high-quality selfie camera in a smartphone?
Best of all - based on examples of real photos. And, both during the day and at night. During the day, almost all selfie cameras produce good photos, but only high-quality front cameras are able to shoot something legible in the dark.
It is not necessary to study the vocabulary of photographers and go deep into what this or that characteristic is responsible for - you can simply memorize the numbers “so much is good, but if the number is larger, it’s bad” and pick up a smartphone much faster. For clarification of terms, welcome to the beginning of the article, and here we will try to derive a formula for a high-quality camera in smartphones.
Megapixels | Not less than 10, not more than 15. Optimal - 12-13 MP |
Diaphragm(she is aperture, aperture) | for budget smartphones- f/2.2 or f/2.0 for flagships: minimum f/2.0 (in the rarest exceptions - f/2.2) optimal - f/1.9, f/1.8 ideal - f/1.7, f/1.6 |
Pixel size (µm, µm) | the higher the number, the better for budget smartphones- 1.2 µm and above for flagships: minimum - 1.22 µm (with rare exceptions - 1.1 µm) optimal - 1.4 µm ideal - 1.5 µm and above |
Sensor size (matrix) | the smaller the number in the divisor of a fraction, the better for budget smartphones - 1/3” for flagships: minimum - 1/3” optimal - 1/2.8” ideal - 1/2.5”, 1/2.3” |
autofocus | contrast - so-so phase - good phase and laser - excellent |
Optical stabilization | very useful for shooting on the go and night shooting |
Dual camera | one good camera is better than two bad ones two average cameras are better than one average camera (brilliant wording!) |
Sensor (module) manufacturer | not specified = most likely some kind of junk inside OmniVision - so-so Samsung in non-Samsung smartphones - ok Samsung in Samsung smartphones - excellent Sony - good or excellent (depends on the honesty of the manufacturer) |
Sensor model | a cool module does not guarantee high quality shooting, but in the case of Sony, pay attention to IMX250 and higher sensors, or IMX362 and higher |
I do not want to understand the characteristics! Which smartphone to buy with good cameras?
Manufacturers produce countless smartphones, but among them there are very few models that can take good pictures and shoot videos.
Kensuke Mashita: "I'd love to put a one-inch sensor and G Master lens in a smartphone."
Since 2015, the editors of the site began to talk seriously about smartphones, because the camera in these gadgets has become not just a tool in the hands of a photographer. Today we can state that yesterday's smartphone users with a good camera are gradually switching to amateur and professional cameras.
Sony Mobile offered us an exclusive interview with Kensuke Mashita, Senior Manager of the Sony Mobile team. Mashita-san is responsible for the technologies used in the Sony Xperia smartphone camera unit.
We tried to ask him the most important questions about Sony Xperia cameras, smartphone cameras in general and where mobile photography is going to go next.
- Has the compact camera segment died with the rise in smartphone sales?
The market for compact digital cameras is falling. Our colleagues at Sony Digital Imaging are now focusing on high end compact cameras. On the other hand, smartphones occupy the position of low-end and mid-range compacts. And I think this trend will continue.
- What are the prospects for smartphones in the photo market?
Smartphones today have achieved fairly high image quality, comparable to compact cameras that were released a few years ago. But a smartphone is more than just a camera: it has connectivity, advanced graphics and processing power more powerful than cameras, a DSP, a large display and a simple interface. Therefore, smartphones are completely different, they give us a new experience. For example, if it were not for the development of this market, there would be no selfie. We have to look and find new scenarios that are available not so much to the camera, but to the smartphone as a camera and a mobile device with mobile and wireless networking capabilities.
- To what extent is the smartphone camera today the reason for buying a new device or replacing an old one?
According to our research, device design, camera and time are the most motivating factors for buying a new smartphone. battery life. These three factors are central to the buyer and they work in tandem. The Russian market is especially focused on smartphone design. This is called show off, when the main goal is not to enjoy the appearance of the gadget, but some kind of boasting. This is where self-expression comes into play through device design.
The camera is just as important because it allows you to show off your best self, your accomplishments and your surroundings.
It's no secret that Sony Semiconductors is a major supplier of sensors for mobile cameras. How is Sony Mobile related to this company?
Yes, all major manufacturers use Sony sensors in their smartphones. But each of them installs sensors with different characteristics. Of course, in mobile photography, the sensor is important, but so is the optics. Because all the restrictions apply to it, including the thickness of the smartphone.
In most Sony smartphones, the camera does not protrude from the body, but in iPhone and other devices, the camera protrudes by a millimeter or more. Our designers strive to ensure that nothing protrudes and that the functions and capabilities of the smartphone do not suffer. For the buyer, design is extremely important, and we try to find a balance. But believe me, it's very difficult.
I can't say which Sony sensor is the best today. Sony Mobile's strategy has previously focused on a high resolution of 23 megapixels. But today, most manufacturers put sensors with a resolution of 12 megapixels, including Samsung and Apple. This is the difference in approaches, because Sony used a high resolution because of the greater image stabilization capabilities, better picture quality when it is zoomed in. Of course, in such scenarios, our camera outperforms 12-megapixel sensors. But on the other hand, the physical size of the pixel is very important.
With the development of dual cameras in smartphones, many different solutions have appeared on the market. For example, thanks to zoom lenses, the quality of the approximation has become an order of magnitude higher. We can say that a new era of mobile photography has begun, and in the next generation we will show our vision. Unfortunately, I cannot share the details of our new strategy, but we will change something in the near future.
The relationship between Sony Mobile and Sony Semiconductors has traditionally developed in such a way that we received a top-end sensor on exclusive terms. IMX300 got to us, with the IMX400 the same situation. This interaction will continue in the future. We act as a leader who tests new technologies.
G8142 SETTINGS: ISO 40, F2, 1/500 s
G8142 SETTINGS: ISO 40, F2, 1/500 s
G8142 SETTINGS: ISO 40, F2, 1/500 s
How popular are the new features of the Motion Eye camera unit (predictive shooting, super slow motion video shooting and tracking autofocus during continuous shooting), built on the basis of the Sony Exmor IMX400, with smartphone buyers?
The Sony Exmor IMX400 processor has a sensor with a stack memory of 128 megabytes, and thanks to this it is possible to record video in super slow motion mode, to carry out predictive shooting. With our camera you can see what the human eye cannot see.
Unfortunately, not much time has passed since the release of the first smartphone with Motion Eye (- ed. note). Not enough data has been collected yet. We have an idea how many people take photos on a smartphone, and how many videos. Now we are trying to find out how many people use super slow motion. We found that at the time of getting to know a smartphone, many people try to evaluate the recording at a speed of 960 frames per second. Our goal is to make interest in know-how permanent. I think Sony's Super Slow Motion is beyond expectations. Some would say that this was done only to attract the attention of buyers, but we really wanted to create something new.
The most common argument of those who do not like Sony Xperia is: “All smartphones have a Sony sensor (Samsung, Huawei, iPhone and others), but they all shoot much better than Sony Xperia smartphones.” Do you have an understanding why this is happening?
Unfortunately, in mobile photography it is impossible to achieve the best quality in different conditions. Quality may vary depending on shooting conditions, functions used. Cameras with a 12-megapixel sensor and a larger pixel size do better in low light conditions, but if you shoot a daytime landscape, you can achieve more detail due to the higher resolution of the sensor. In my opinion, if you shoot landscape, Sony Xperia will win, but in some scenarios we can lose to competitors. The question of approach is also important here. With our smartphone, you can take a good picture in the dark, and its resolution will be one and a half times higher. We focus on high resolution as it provides better image stabilization.
If we made the same camera as other brands, perhaps there would be haters of a different order who would get to the bottom of the truth and find the difference in the performance of our camera compared to competitors.
Unfortunately, most pay attention to "laboratory" camera tests, but it's better to look at real photos. Sometimes one conflicts with the other. Of course, our priority is user experience.
At the same time, we listen to the feedback of our users. For example, in the Sony IMX400, the resolution was reduced from 23 to 19 megapixels, thereby slightly increasing the pixel size. We tried to find a compromise and improved the situation with shooting in low light conditions. At the same time, super slow motion and stack memory appeared. Thanks to the latter, the situation with video recording, including HDR, has improved. This is only possible with memory. Soon we will have another improvement, which is kept secret for now.
All Sony Xperia cameras are tested in over 100 different scenarios. Lighting conditions at the same time are different in different parts of the world. In Russia, daylight tends to zero, so high-quality shooting in low light conditions is extremely important for us. At the same time, there are different shades of light: people want to look good in photographs, so that the skin looks not only natural, but also beautiful. Across the planet, similar feedback is being accumulated from the regional offices of Sony Mobile. It's impossible to standardize, but work is underway. The camera functions according to some average algorithm, a compromise is reached.
G8342 SETTINGS: ISO 40, F2, 1/2000 s, 4.4mm equiv.
Why does Sony Mobile ignore the optical image stabilization in the main camera and continue to use their electronic SteadyShot system?
If we installed optical stabilization in a smartphone, there would be many photos in which moving objects are very blurred due to the increase in shutter speed. This does not happen with SteadyShot. Yes, it might look spectacular, but I'm not sure that everyone will like it. SteadyShot gives us the ability to shoot at fast shutter speeds and avoid most blur. Automation itself understands what to do: if there is a dynamic plot in the frame, then the shutter speed will be minimal; if the picture is more static, the shutter speed increases. Of course, in normal conditions and in the absence of moving objects in the frame, smartphones with optical image stabilization shoot better than Sony, but here again we are talking about different scenarios.
- In what proportions and what affects mobile photography: sensor, optics, post-processing algorithms?
Sensor - 30%, optics - 30%, image processor (ISP) - 30% and post-processing algorithms - 10%. It all depends on the type of processor. For example, there is almost no post-processing in SLR cameras. Smartphones have technical limitations, so processing and post-processing is very important.
Any module developed in Sony Mobile is shown in the Digital Imaging division. They test our functions and issue some kind of certificate of conformity.
Sony Mobile is the only brand on the market, with the exception of the Google Pixel 2 smartphone, which completely ignores the dual camera trend. Why is this happening? When to expect a dual camera from Sony?
We monitor various trends. There are ideas for creating triple, quadruple cameras, combinations of different cameras. We introduced the stacked camera to the world. In our opinion, it gives a better experience than the dual camera. Technology in processors and graphics is evolving, as is the camera. In the near future, it will be time to show the dual camera. Perhaps Sony will surprise you.
G8142 SETTINGS: ISO 40, F2, 1/5000 s
- When will the Camera app on Sony Mobile devices become more convenient?
We work not only for professionals, but also for a general audience that is not so well versed in various settings.
If we talk about manual settings, then for most users there are enough parameters such as shutter speed, ISO, focus, white balance and exposure. All this is in our application. But there are more advanced and demanding users. I can't go into details, but there will be changes to the app in the near future.
At this point, Mashita-san asked us what we would like to see in Sony smartphones. Our answer was simple: RAW format.
- I would like to know your attitude to testing DxOMark. At the moment, Sony smartphones are not even in the top ten.
We are always looking at the scoreboard and feedback from this site. Some of their comments help us a lot. But I'm not sure if their tests can be 100% useful for most people in their use cases. Your colleagues at DxOMark have been giving us a lot of feedback while developing the testing policy, and it has been really helpful in many ways. In September, however, the benchmark changed to include scores for optical zoom and background blur, and of course the new system focuses on the dual camera. We have always taken and continue to take this platform seriously, but we want to look at a new method for distributing ratings, to understand the logic and trends. Time needs to pass.
In fact, we are talking not only about DxOMark, but also about other laboratory tests and methods that are used on the market. In my opinion, real shots show the camera performance better than any tests. We will continue to observe the methodology, look at the results, and perhaps turn to them again for feedback.
G8342 SETTINGS: ISO 40, F2, 1/1600s, 4.4mm equiv.
What are the technical limitations in mobile phone cameras today? Is it possible to see some kind of major breakthrough? For example, a one-inch matrix (as they did in the Panasonic CM-1) or a real telephoto lens. If you dream up, what would you like to see in a mobile camera? And what can actually happen?
In my opinion, a one-inch sensor in a smartphone camera is a great solution. But for sure, because of this, the thickness of the case and the weight of the gadget will increase. An optical telephoto lens also requires more space. And today the market offers us a solution in the form of a dual camera. But this is not enough for us. Most likely, in the near future the size of the sensors will not change. Perhaps the problems will somehow be solved by double, triple and “smart” cameras with artificial intelligence and machine learning.
I think that increasing the camera module is the next step in smartphone building. But if you dream up, then a one-inch sensor is great, but it is very difficult to insert it into a smartphone case. It may make sense to separate the smartphone and the camera, but Sony had it in the QX series. Maybe something will change in optics: G Master will be used instead of G Lens optics. The cost of such a smartphone will be very beneficial for us, but people will most likely not appreciate it. Technically, such an implementation is possible.
Still, the restrictions in SLR and mirrorless cameras are much less than in smartphones. But computing power is on the side of smartphones. Cameras have their own development path, smartphones have their own. Cameras should be comfortable and ergonomic, and they usually cost more than smartphones.
The once-ambitious smartphone makers said they would soon push compact cameras out of the market. It happened before our very eyes. Today, everyone knows that the camera, even in an inexpensive smartphone, shoots no worse than a soap dish. Next stage - catch up with the quality of the DSLR. While this does not sound quite realistic, but new smartphones prove that this goal will also be achieved sooner or later. There are many decent models on the market that allow you to create photos of very, very high quality. We analyzed the existing offer and selected smartphones with the best camera of 2018 for our readers. Looking ahead, we note that all these camera phones are very, very expensive, but the cameras in them are really luxurious.
When it comes to evaluating the camera, the question involuntarily arises, how to understand that it is cool in one smartphone and worse in another. First of all, you need to look at the specifications:
- number of megapixels. Forget about the “more is better” rule. This has not been the case for a long time, but marketers and sellers for some reason continue to mislead users. When it comes to a tiny (compared to a DSLR) camera in a smartphone, a large number of megapixels can even cause harm. 12-13 megapixels is enough to create wonderful pictures. It is good that many companies have understood this and have focused their attention on improving other parameters;
- diaphragm. A camera needs light to take a good picture. It hits the matrix and forms an image. Light passes through the aperture, and the wider the aperture blades are opened, the more likely it is to get a clear, beautiful picture even in conditions that are far from ideal. In the specifications, the aperture is designated as f / 2.0 or F2.0. The lower the number, the better. For example, a camera with f / 2.2 and f / 1.9 will shoot equally well during the day, but in the evening with a module with f / 1.9, pictures will turn out better. Today, the standard even for inexpensive smartphones is f / 2.0, and flagships are modules onf/1.8 and evenf/1.6.
By the way, a wide aperture, even in the absence of a second module, will allow you to create macro shots with a bokeh effect;
- matrix diagonal. The bigger it is, the better. That's all the average user needs to know. It is not necessary to go into details. The diagonal of the matrix is denoted by a fractional number, and the smaller the indicator under the fraction, the better. For example, a 1/3” camera is fine for the budget class, 1/2.9” and 1/2.8” for the mid-range, and 1/2.5” for flagships, but there are often exceptions. Recently, manufacturers prefer not to indicate this characteristic at all;
- pixel size. A lot of stupid pixels can lead not to improve the quality of the photo, but, on the contrary, cause fuzziness and noise. Therefore it is better to let the matrix have fewer larger pixels than many small ones. Manufacturers usually specify the pixel size. For budget and medium-sized smartphones, this figure should be 1.22 microns or more, in flagships - at least 1.25 microns, and better - 1.4 and even 1.5 µm;
- autofocus type. Autofocus can be contrast (the most primitive, used in very cheap smartphones), phase(works fast during the day, problems are possible at night) and laser. The latter is the most modern and accurate, it always works quickly;
- optical stabilization- a pledge of high-quality pictures of dynamic scenes. The ability is invaluable when shooting video and will come in handy for all those who often have shaky hands;
- number of lenses. Many people think that the more, the better. No. It is better when the lenses are of high quality, but this can only be judged by test shots;
- camera sensor manufacturer. Modules from Sony, as well as from Samsung(the company makes sensors for itself better than those that sell to the side). Slightly worse, but acceptable remove sensors from OmniVision. The most popular are Sony sensors, which are marked in the camera specifications as IMX and a three-digit number, for example, IMX The first digit indicates the generation, the second indicates the class of the photosensor (the more, the better), the third indicates the version;
- secondary main camera performed in several versions. Option #1 is a black and white sensor that captures light better and allows you to take better pictures in low light conditions. Option #2 is a camera with a wide field of view to fit as much of the scenery into the frame as possible. Option number 3 - the second camera is used for zooming.
It also happens that a camera with seemingly ideal parameters takes, to put it mildly, not very good pictures. This means that the manufacturer did not pay due attention automation, optics and software algorithms. It is advisable to personally evaluate examples of photos in different shooting conditions before buying. It often happens that with a rather mediocre set of characteristics, a smartphone takes excellent pictures - this means that the developer was not too lazy to finish the software shell. But when a manufacturer takes a good sensor, but kills it with lenses or software problems, it's very disappointing.
We pass from theory to practice. We have found the best camera phones, selected the best among them and prepared a rating for you. The analysis used samples of images, as well as the opinion of an authoritative resourceDxOMark, which tests cameras using its own algorithm and gives them scores. Go!
Smartphones with the best camera 2018
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
Just a few weeks ago, the new flagship from Samsung was presented atMWC 2018.
The model received a very cool camera and has already been called a smartphone with the best camera in the world. Both the Galaxy S9 Plus and the slightly more compact Galaxy S9 received main module with variable aperture. Nobody has done this before. Yes, they tried, but Samsung was the first to bring the idea to life. What gives us aperture with variable value fromf/2.4 to a/1.5? This feature brings the smartphone camera close to the DSLR and allows it to adapt to any shooting conditions. When it's bright, the aperture blades close to block out the frame and convey depth, which is especially important when shooting landscapes. When it is dark, the petals open as much as possible to let in the light. Tests show that at night, the device shoots, indeed, much better than all other smartphones, even better than the main competitor - the iPhone X. The resolution of the matrix is 12 megapixels, there is optical stabilization and phase detection autofocus.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, unlike the Galaxy S9, received additional main camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels and f / 2.4 aperture. The second module is required for 2-card optical zoom. The pixel size of the main camera is 1.4 microns, in the additional one - 1 microns. The smartphone can shoot video in slow motion, got a portrait mode and copes superbly with all shooting scenarios. The front camera with 8 MP also has the ability to blur the background and takes great pictures (f/1.7 aperture, 80-degree field of view).
You can talk about the Galaxy S9 + for a long time, as it one of the most advanced smartphones to date. He received an 8-core Exynos 9810 processor with a frequency of 2.7 GHz: very powerful, but such resource-intensive applications, where this “stone” would show itself 100%, have not yet been invented. The screen received a diagonal of 6.2 inches, made using Super AMOLED technology, a resolution of 2960 * 1440. RAM in stock 6 GB, the main - 64/128/256 GB, there is a slot for memory cards up to 400 GB. The model received protection against moisture and dust according to the IP68 class, is equipped with a face and retina scanner, and can make AR Emoji - an analogue of Animoji in the iPhone. Add here stereo speakers, fast charging (battery capacity 3500 mAh) and a chic appearance, and we get, perhaps, best smartphone for today. The 6/64 version costs about $1200.
Apple iPhone X
Smartphones from Apple always have good cameras. The anniversary and revolutionary model of the iPhone X only confirmed this rule. Before the release of the Galaxy S9 + (and after it), the camera in the iPhone X will serve as a comparison. Apple traditionally pays attention to software optimization, but everything is in order with hardware. Rear camera - dual, both modules received 12 megapixels each. One is f/1.8 wide-angle and the other is f/2.4 telephoto. Both modules have optical stabilization. There is a portrait mode, 2x optical zoom. The camera performs well in all shooting scenarios, but is inferior to the Galaxy S9 + at night. The front module received a resolution of 7 megapixels, f / 2.2 aperture, and can use the screen backlight as a flash.
The main feature of the new iPhone is the notch on top. The attitude towards it is ambiguous, so we will not comment on this chip. We only note that following Apple, many Chinese companies have stamped clones of the iPhone X at a very different price. The AMOLED screen received a diagonal of 5.8 inches and a resolution of 2436 * 1125, the highest contrast and brightness. A fast processor, IP67 water and dust resistance, face recognition technology and other more or less useful features make the gadget dream smartphone. The dream (64 GB version) costs about $1350.
Google Pixel 2
The flagship from Google is distinguished not only by its compact size, but also by its conservatism, and this is not a minus at all. The company did not use fashion trends, such as a dual camera and an elongated screen. However, the photos taken by the smartphone are excellent, and many experts believe that this is the best camera phone at the moment. The main module received a resolution of 12.3 megapixels (aperture f / 1.8, pixel size 1.4 microns, matrix diagonal 1 / 2.6 "), phase and laser autofocus, optical and electronic stabilization. On paper, everything is perfect, and in reality it is not worse. The camera is good at any scene., the pictures are really chic - amateur photographers should appreciate it.
The front camera received a resolution of 8 megapixels, an aperture of f / 2.4, a pixel size of 1.4 microns and a matrix diagonal of 1 / 3.2 ". The characteristics, frankly, are not so hot, but the front camera shoots very well. In addition, background blur is also implemented here. In general, the pictures in any conditions are excellent. Video can be shot in 4K at 30fps, FullHD at up to 120fps, and HD at 240fps.
As for the main parameters, the smartphone received a 5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 * 1080, protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5, fast Snapdragon 835 processor with a frequency of up to 2.45 GHz, IP67 water and dust protection. The battery capacity is small (obviously, for the sake of compactness) - 2700 mAh, but the function should save fast charging. The smartphone is equipped with 4 GB random access memory, main memory - 64 or 128 GB. The pluses include the presence of stereo speakers, an active noise reduction system and a bunch of chips from the manufacturer. There is no 3.5mm jack. The device costs about $800: a lot, but it's better than the competition.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Another confident contender for the title of smartphone with the best camera. The device received a glass case, a giant screen, a smart processor, an enviable autonomy and a dual camera, which becomes the object of our interest. The main camera duo from Leica is positioned vertically. The color module received a resolution of 12 megapixels, an additional monochrome - 20 megapixels. Aperture for both camerasf/1,6 , contrast, phase and laser autofocus, optical stabilization, there is a 2x hybrid zoom. The smartphone excels in low-light photography, not to mention the simpler shooting scenarios such as landscape, portrait and macro. The background is washed out perfectly, the pictures are clear and correctly convey the colors. The front module received an 8 megapixel sensor with f / 2.0 aperture and fixed focus. He copes with his tasks at the level.
Huawei installed in its flagship HiSilicon Kirin 970 octa-core processor with a frequency of up to 2.36 GHz and neural computing module. Thanks to this solution, the smartphone will be much faster and more efficient in handling applications that use artificial intelligence technology. 6 inch OLED screen, 2160*1080 resolution, tempered glass, 4000 mAh battery with fast charging function, moisture protection IP67 - here everything is so perfect it's boring. In the minuses, we attribute only the easily soiled case (glass, after all) and the price. There are versions with RAM 4 and 6 GB, the main memory can be 64/128/256. The most “simple” 4/64 GB phone costs $630, which compares favorably with more expensive fellow camera phones.
HTC U11 and HTC U11 Plus
The HTC U11 was released in the summer of 2017 and captivated fans of mobile photography with its excellent shooting in the dark and excellent detail when shooting complex objects such as threads and hair. The questions were only about the design, so the company released the HTC U11 Plus in the fall. The camera module remains the same, but above appearance have worked: whether it has become better is a big question, everything is subjective here.
The main camera in both models received a resolution of 12 megapixels and diaphragmf/1.7 , pixel size - 1.4 microns, there is optical image stabilization. All this means that both day and night you will be able to get a photo of excellent quality, with a spectacularly blurred background. Post-processing fans will love the fact that smartphone can shoot inRAW. Naturally, there is a manual mode - the user himself will be able to adjust all the shooting parameters. The 16 MP front module with f/2.0 aperture and no autofocus allows you to create very decent selfies. In general, the device deserves to be in the ranking of smartphones with the best camera.
HTC U11 received a case made of glass and metal, a 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 * 1440, protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and a 3000 mAh battery. Responsible for performance is the 8-core Snapdragon 835 with a frequency of up to 2.45 GHz, there are versions with 4 and 6 GB of RAM, and 64/128 GB of the main one. The fingerprint scanner is under the screen, among the chips there is a body compression sensor and a physical activity tracking sensor. The price for version 4/64 is about $660.
HTC U11
Plus received, as it is now commonly called, a full-screen 6-inch display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The changes also affected the batteries: in new version its capacity is 3930 mAh. Version 4/64 costs $790.
Apple iPhone 8 and Apple iPhone 8 Plus
Yes, the eighth iPhones are criticized for their outdated design, but they still buy it, because in terms of specifications they are almost perfect. The new iPhones differ from the sevens with a glass case, a faster processor and more memory. The rest has not changed, and the cameras have become even better. In the Plus version, the main camera is dual, in the younger version it remains single.
iPhone 8 Plus received two main camera modules 12 MP. One is wide-angle with f/1.8 aperture, the other is telephoto with f/2.8 aperture. There is double optical zoom, portrait mode, stage lighting mode, and the wide-angle lens received optical stabilization. iPhone 8 equipped with only one 12 MP f/1.8 lens, there is no optical zoom. The cameras work quickly, give out pictures of decent quality, and they are not afraid of the dark. The 7MP f/2.2 front camera delivers decent results.
The eighth iPhones look solid. The younger version received a 4.7-inch screen (resolution 1334 * 750), the older one - 5.5 inches (1920 * 1080). Both versions are powered by a 6-core A11 Bionic processor, equipped with 3 GB of RAM, the main one can be 64 or 256 GB. Powerful and beautiful apples are traditionally expensive - fashion gadgets, after all. iPhone 8 - from $790, iPhone 8 Plus - from $1060.
We also note that the year before last iPhone 7 andiPhone 7
Plus also shoot at the level, namely, the iPhone 7 Plus set the fashion for dual main cameras.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Last year, the company's line of phablets was replenished with the Galaxy Note 8 model. This year, obviously, an updated version will be released, but for now, the G8 can confidently fight for the title of the best camera phone. However, the camera is not the only advantage of the gadget, but very, very significant. Both main cameras received 12 MP resolution and optical stabilization. It was the first smartphone in which both main modules are equipped with optical stabilization. One of the cameras is wide-angle with f/1.7 aperture, the second is a tele-camera with f/2.4 aperture. They work together to create great shots in any conditions and effectively blur the background. Thanks to the function dynamic focus you can change the subject of focus after shooting. Photos are spectacular. I am glad that the video in 4K resolution is really high quality. The front camera with its 8 megapixels and f / 1.7 shows itself quite well.
The gigantic 6.3-inch display impresses with its high-quality picture. The device enters our market with a processor Samsung Exynos 8895: In AnTuTu tests, the device is gaining more than 170 thousand points. Here is the power! RAM in the amount of 6 GB and built-in 64/128/256 GB is enough for the eyes. It is worth noting separately sound quality and multifunctional unsinkable stylus. By the way, the smartphone itself received protection against moisture and dust according to the IP68 standard. The battery capacity, however, is only 3300 mAh. Someone may not like the easily soiled glass case, as well as the price, but it's time to get used to the fact that flagships cost about a thousand "green" and are a fashion item. This model, for example, is perfect for business people who need to work a lot with documents and spreadsheets. For the version with 64 GB, they are now asking from $ 900 to $ 1050.
ASUS Zenfone 5Z and ASUS Zenfone 5
The recent MWC exhibition, held in Barcelona, introduced us to a lot of interesting new products. ASUS has introduced a whole series of new smartphones. If Zenfone 5 Lite got just an elongated screen, then 5 and 5Z are very strongly resembleiPhone Xwith his "bangs", but they are much cheaper. The Zenfone 5Z and Zenfone 5 are slightly different in terms of hardware, but they have the same cameras. Rear module - double. The main camera received a Sony IMX363 sensor, a resolution of 12 megapixels, an aperture of f / 1.8, optical stabilization and phase detection autofocus. The auxiliary module with 8 megapixels received a viewing angle of 120 degrees. In theory, the camera should cope well with different scenes and make spectacular blur. The front module is more modest: 8 megapixels and the same viewing angle of 120 degrees.
Zenfone 5 received a screen with a diagonal of 6.2 inches with an aspect ratio of 19:9 and a resolution of 2264 * 1080. On board is a smart Snapdragon 636 processor and 4 or 6 GB of RAM, the main memory is 64 GB, it can be expanded. The developers say that the smartphone uses software with the makings of artificial intelligence, and its forces will be directed to more economical energy consumption, improving the quality of shooting.
Zenfone 5
Z outwardly exactly the same, but inside it hides a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 845. RAM here is 4, or 6, or as much as 8 GB !! latest version generally impressive. Stock main memory - 64/128/256 GB. The cost will start at $590 (Zenfone 5 will obviously be cheaper), sales will begin in June.
LG V30+
Recently everyone praised the camera inLG V30 . We do not argue, it is really cool, but the novelty, released just recently, promises even better shooting quality. As befits a flagship, it uses dual main camera. One of them has a resolution of 16 megapixels, diaphragmf/1.6 , the second is 13 MP, f / 1.9 and a viewing angle of 120 degrees. As a result, excellent photo quality in any shooting conditions, the ability to create photos with maximum scene capture, and the presence of optical stabilization will achieve excellent results even when shooting in difficult conditions. Cameras received glass lenses CrystalClear, which minimize the scattering of light when it is transmitted to the matrix. The front camera with its 5 megapixels and f/2.2 shoots acceptable.
The filling of the smartphone is top-end. This is a productive modern 8-core Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory (can be expanded up to 2 TB). The screen is made using OLED FullVision technology, has a diagonal of 6 inches and a resolution of 2880 * 1440 pixels. There is protection against water and dust IP 68 and a fast charging function, the minimum sufficient battery capacity is 3300 mAh. The device looks futuristic, costs about $900.
Xiaomi Mi Note 3
The new flagship from the well-known Chinese company received the same pair of cameras as in the more expensive Xiaomi Mi 6. Both main cameras received a resolution of 12 megapixels, one of them has an aperture of f / 1.8, and the second - f / 2.6. the first is wide-angle, the second camera has a telephoto lens, so you can zoom in without losing quality and create bokeh. In most shooting scenarios, the camera behaves perfectly, almost on par with more expensive counterparts. The front module with a resolution of 16 megapixels will delight fans of taking selfies.
A smart Snapdragon 660 processor is located in a beautiful glass case. The manufacturer decided to save money on the screen. Well, how to save. Not to say that the display is bad, but today they put such devices in devices of a lower price segment. The screen is made using IPS technology, has a diagonal of 5.5 inches and a resolution of 1920 * 1080. The fingerprint scanner is conveniently located under the display. The 3500 mAh battery can charge quickly and provides acceptable autonomy. The smartphone is sold in versions 6/64 and 6/128 GB. If you need a smartphone with a good camera up to 20,000 rubles ($350), then take a closer look at version 6/64. A device with twice the amount of memory will cost 1.5 times more.
Vivo X20 Plus
The flagship from Vivo completes our top camera phones. Now everyone is actively discussing that the updated smartphone of the company Vivo X20 Plus will be the first in the world to the fingerprint scanner will be built into the screen and located at the bottom of the display. So far, everyone is just waiting for the new product to go on sale, but it is known that the cameras in the new smartphone will be the same as in the Vivo X20 Plus.
The model is equipped dual main camera: the first module has a resolution of 12 megapixels and f / 1.8 aperture, the second has a modest resolution of 5 megapixels. An additional module is needed to blur the background. The front module also has a resolution of 12 megapixels and f / 2.0. The authoritative resource DxOMark rated the device's camera at 90 points out of 100, and this is a good result.
The device received a Super AMOLED display with a diagonal of 6.43 inches and a resolution of 2160 * 1080, an 8-core Snapdragon 660 processor, a fairly capacious 3905 mAh battery and an acceptable storage capacity of 4/64 GB. The device costs about $540. There are also cheaper alternative - Vivo X20. This smartphone is equipped with the same cameras, but differs in a slightly smaller screen (6.01 inches, resolution is the same) and a less capacious battery (3245 mAh), but the processor is the same, and the price is about $460.