_936.png "C247's view on the best handsets with the best camera's, do you agree?")
Nowadays, smartphones have so many uses that it's getting hard to keep track of everything they're good for, whether it's gaming, setting schedules and reminders, or monitoring your health; the list is endless. What’s certain, however, is that every smartphone user needs a camera like a car needs wheels, and as the simile suggests – any smartphone without a camera or at least a decent quality one in 2022 is deemed pretty much useless.
Being able to distinguish a good camera from a bad camera can be challenging in a day and age where AI has so much involvement in creating high-quality images. So much so that the difference between a 12MP camera on two phones with different camera software can be night and day, potentially more notable than the difference between a 12MP and 48MP sensor. Because of this, it can be a little difficult to find the best of the best if you want to take your mobile photography to new heights, which is why we did the hard work, so you don’t have to.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is possibly one of the best Galaxy devices ever released, packing all the latest and greatest features in 2022. The cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is impressive, boasting a huge 108MP wide-angle sensor, two 10MP telephoto sensors (one of which is a periscope telephoto sensor) and a 12MP ultrawide sensor. It's safe to say the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a camera sensor for every occasion, whether that be the moving duck you're trying to capture for the kids' nature project, the dreaded annual Christmas family photo or the depth of a beautiful city panoramic. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra also has 100x zoom on its rear 108MP sensor, something which is still relatively new to the Samsung ecosystem. In terms of video, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a high performer boasting a whopping 8K maximum resolution at 24fps. Whilst this is indeed impressive, most displays in the UK consist of either 1080p or 4K screens, so the 8K recording capability is a little overkill. However, with all this said, it does futureproof the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, so it does serve a purpose. As for the selfie camera on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it comes with a 40MP wide-angle lens capable of capturing photos and video in 4K. All in all, the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is one of the best mobile cameras right now, so we’d rate it a solid 9/10.
OnePlus 10 Pro
OnePlus as a brand is renowned for both brilliant camera performance as well as superfast charging, and with an all-new display, an improved camera system, and a new revision of Oxygen OS, it’s clear that OnePlus were never happy to just settle with the OnePlus 10 Pro. Like the rest of its bloodline, the OnePlus 10 Pro uses a Hasselblad camera system to offer a mobile photography experience like no other. The OnePlus 10 Pro features a powerful triple-camera setup consisting of a 48MP wide angle lens, an 8MP telephoto lens and a 50MP ultrawide lens. Extra features on top of this include auto-HDR, Hasselblad colour calibration and dual-tone flash. Onto the video now, and like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it’s jam-packed with different modes. The OnePlus 10 Pro outputs a maximum 8K recording resolution at 24fps as well as 4K video at up to 120fps and the familiar 1080p video up to 240fps. The selfie camera on the OnePlus 10 Pro is also no slouch, housing a 32MP wide-angle lens which outputs some impressive selfies. And just in case this testimonial wasn’t enough, we filmed our YouTube video linked here on the OnePlus 10 Pro so you can see for yourself the potential this pocket rocket has. Overall the OnePlus 10 Pro's camera is a solid option for anyone in the market for the best smartphone cameras out right now, and we'd rate it an 8/10.
iPhone 14 Pro
For years Apple has been utilising their 12MP sensors on their iPhones, both base and pro models, with the key differences being implemented through the software. However, whilst iPhones are capable of creating truly impressive content, the 12MP sensors did bottleneck their true potential in photography. Lucky for us this year, Apple has finally finished their 9-year search for that misplaced key to unlocking their full potential – as a result, they’ve lifted the reins on the sensor limit, bringing us a 48MP iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 Pro houses a 48MP wide-angle lens, along with a 12MP secondary and tertiary lens: one telephoto and one ultrawide. Apple is renowned for its phenomenal camera software, the same software that’s allowed its 12MP sensors of previous years to compete against cameras more than four times its sensor size. The iPhone 14 Pro features HRD, dual-tone flash, and an abundance of camera modes, including their cinematic mode, which adds background blur and extra focus to select subjects in addition to gimble-like stabilisation. When it comes to video, the iPhone 14 Pro is capable of shooting in both 1080p at 240fps and 4K up to 60fps. As for the selfie camera, the iPhone 14 houses a 12MP wide angle lens which also can shoot 4K selfies and video for the ultimate facetime experience. Overall the iPhone 14 Pro is in line with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, as we’d score it a solid 9/10.
Motorola Moto Edge 30 Ultra
Now, we've all heard of the space race, but how about a camera race? The mobile industry has just undergone a 200MP camera race as manufacturers battle to produce the world’s first 200MP sensor on a smartphone. Many smartphone manufacturers, such as Motorola and Samsung, have confirmed that they had 200MP sensors in their manufacturing pipeline. However, Motorola has since taken the crown by producing the Motorola Moto Edge 30 Ultra, which has the world’s first mobile 200MP camera sensor. It would be criminal for us to miss out on this device from our review, so let's look at what the Edge 30 Ultra has to offer. The Motorola Moto Edge 30 Ultra features a triple camera setup consisting of their trademark 200MP wide angle lens, a 12MP telephoto lens and a 50MP ultrawide lens. In terms of its video, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra supports both 8K video at 30fps as well as 4K video at 60fps. However, it also supports 1080p video at up to 960fps. Couple that with all of the software enhancements added onto it, such as HDR10+, countless camera modes and dual-tone-flash and the Motorola Moto Edge 30 easily takes a 10/10 rating from us.
Xiaomi 12 Pro
While still relatively new on the smartphone scene, the Xiaomi 12 Pro packs a tonne of power, blazing charging speed and, of course, a superb camera. The camera on the Xiaomi 12 Pro is something even the most popular brands on the market won’t bring you. Xiaomi has equipped the 12 Pro with three 50MP cameras; yes, three 50MP cameras: a wide angle, a telephoto and an ultrawide lens. If that isn’t impressive enough, the Xiaomi 12 Pro also comes with up to 8K recording capability at 24fps, 4K video at 60fps and 1080p up to 960fps, similar to the Edge 30 Ultra. However, it doesn't stop there, as Xiaomi has somehow enabled the Xiaomi 12 Pro to shoot 720p video up to 1920fps. Couple that with the HDR10+, and you’ve got the recipe for a 10/10 camera rating from C247.
