Which Smartphone Has the Best Camera in 2021 – Top 10

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While smartphone users race to fill their file storages and social media accounts with photos of cats, landscapes and their loved ones, engineers are racking their brains over how to improve their already excellent cameras. Moreover, the competition among the latter is even tougher, because the fight is not for likes, but for millions of dollars of potential profit for the company.

Several years ago, looking at the camera results of the flagship devices of Apple, Samsung and other A-brands, it seemed that the evolution of these modules was about to stop. High-quality, “silent” photos even in low light conditions, ultra-fast autofocus, optical stabilization when shooting video – what more? However, there is no limit to perfection, the emergence of new features and improvements depends solely on user demand.

By the new year, all the leading vendors have already pleased the audience with announcements and releases of fresh flagship models of smartphones, which means that we can summarize intermediate results. In this post, we will take a look at the 10 best cameras in mobile devices as of 2021.

All of the smartphones below take great photos and videos. For most users, the difference in the quality of the cameras presented below the top will be almost imperceptible. However, narrowly focused specialists can still prioritize, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of a particular model. This rating is compiled according to the data of DxOMark experts and other reputable resources.

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Which Smartphone Has the Best Camera – Top 10 in 2021

10th place iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini

Despite the fact that these devices themselves are positioned as basic in the lineup, their cameras are also worthy of respect. And this despite the fact that the module contains only two cameras, it lacks a telephoto lens, unlike most of its rated neighbors

• Main lens: 12 MP, f / 1.6 aperture, 26mm equivalent focal length, OIS, 1.7um pixel size, Dual Pixel autofocus.
• Ultra wide angle lens: 12 MP, aperture f / 2.4 equivalent to 13 mm, PDAF, shooting angle 120 degrees.

Overall, camera performance is very close to the larger and more expensive iPhone 13 Pro, except of course the telephoto lens. Considering the compact size of these two models, they look almost the best options for photographers who prefer the most compact cameras. The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 are highly praised for their high-quality exposure, pleasing colors, and a consistently good autofocus system. Detailing has clearly improved over last year’s model. The camera gives great shots in bright light conditions and indoors.

And while the lack of a telephoto lens makes it hard to compete with the top-rated devices in this category, the ultra-wide-angle camera delivers excellent quality. And in terms of video shooting, the iPhone 13 / iPhone 13 mini are among the best in the premium segment. Credit for this is accurate exposure, wide dynamic range, and smooth autofocus.

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9th place Oppo Find X3 Pro

In our market, models of this brand are not particularly widely represented, nevertheless, the manufacturer is one of the largest in the world. This is proved by the company’s top flagship, which belongs to the ultra-premium segment. The Oppo Find X3 Pro contains all the best, the engineers of the manufacturer and the camera did not ignore it. On the back panel there were 4 of them at once:

• Main lens: 50 MP, sensor 1 / 1.56 Sony IMX 766, aperture f / 1.8, focal length 26 mm, PDAF, OIS
• Ultra wide angle lens: 50 MP, 1 / 1.56 Sony IMX 766 sensor, f / 2.2 aperture with 110.3 degrees, PDAF
• Telephoto lens: 13 MP, f / 2.4 aperture, 52 mm focal length.
• Microscope: 3 MP, f / 3.0 aperture, 30x magnification (60x program zoom).

Noteworthy is the microscope camera, which will not be left without the attention of an inquisitive user. Indeed, with its help, you can look differently at familiar things and see what is usually hidden from view. A 5x hybrid zoom can be achieved with a telephoto lens, but this is not just a digital zoom, but the result of complex algorithms.

Most of the photos have bright and pleasant colors, good detail. Ultra-wide provides a good compromise between texture and noise. High dynamic range is used when shooting at night.

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8th place: Huawei P40 Pro and Huawei P40 Pro Plus

The characteristics of the cameras Huawei P40 Pro are as follows:

• Main Ultra Vision camera: 50 MP matrix resolution, 23 mm focal length, f / 1.9 aperture with Octa Phase Detection autofocus system, optical image stabilization;
• Ultra-wide-angle lens: 40 MP, 18 mm focal length, f / 1.8 aperture;
• Telephoto lens: 12 MP, 5x optical zoom, 125 mm focal length, f / 3.4 aperture;
• ToF camera for taking portrait photos;
• Front camera: 32 MP with an IR sensor to determine the depth of the scene and the ability to shoot video in 4K.

The main difference between the Huawei P40 Pro + version is a telephoto lens, or rather two at once. One of them is borrowed from the basic version of Huawei P40 (8 MP, 3x optical zoom, focal length 80 mm, aperture f / 2.4), and the second one involves shooting objects at a very long distance – this is an 8-megapixel module with periscopic optics , allowing you to realize 10x optical zoom. The focal length of the “telescope” is 240 mm, the aperture is f / 4.4.

Buy Huawei P40 Pro Plus

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7th place Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Another camera phone with two telephoto lenses, which is able to fully satisfy the needs of an ordinary lover of mobile photography and video filming. In the Ultra model, it was decided to abandon the 108-megapixel main lens (as in the Pro version), but at the same time increase the focal length of the main telemodule with a periscopic lens arrangement from 94 to 120 mm. As for the ultrawide camera, it has the widest viewing angle among all modern smartphones.

• Main lens: Quad-Bayer sensor, 48 MP resolution, 25 mm focal length, f / 1.85 aperture, optical image stabilization, PD autofocus;
• Telephoto lens: 12 MP, 50 mm focal length, f / 2 aperture, Duel-Pixel autofocus, 2x optical zoom;
• Telephoto lens: Quad-Bayer sensor, 48 MP, 120 mm focal length, f / 4.1 aperture, optical image stabilization, PD autofocus, 5x optical zoom;
• Ultra wide angle lens: 20 MP, 12 mm focal length, aperture F / 2.2, PD autofocus;
• Front-camera: matrix resolution 20 MP;
• Multispectral color temperature sensor;

Buy Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

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6th place Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The main feature of the new flagship Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (apart from the flagships of the Galaxy Z line) is the emergence of a second telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom. The optics work excellently, allows you to look at and shoot the Moon without artificial-intelligent focuses with gluing third-party images in the style of Huawei.

Otherwise, the camera capabilities of the smartphone have practically not changed in comparison with last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra, and in the DxOMark rating, the new product even lost 3 points to its older brother and did not make it into the top ten camera phones.

The main characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra cameras:

● Wide-angle: 108 MP, pixel size 0.8 micron and 2.4 micron in Nonacell dot merging mode, F / 1.8 aperture, OIS, 24 mm focal length, phase detection autofocus;
● Telephoto lens: 10 MP, dot size 1.22 microns, aperture F / 2.4, optical image stabilization, 72 mm focal length, 3x optical zoom;
● Telephoto lens: 10 MP, dot size 1.22 microns, aperture F / 4.9, optical image stabilization, 240 mm focal length, 10x optical zoom;
● Ultra-wide-angle camera: resolution 12 MP, pixel size 1.4 microns, aperture F / 2.2, focal length 13 mm .;
● Front camera: 40 MP, aperture F / 2.2.

5th place Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

In 2020, the Chinese corporation invested a lot in preparing the best mobile camera for its smartphones, expanding the staff of the relevant division to 1,000 people, and a year later the number of employees has doubled. The first result of their work was the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera phone, which immediately after the release became the undisputed leader in the DxOMArk rating with a score of 143 points.

The emphasis of the creators of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra on the camera module is visible even before the smartphone is unlocked, just look at the rear panel, almost the entire upper part of which is occupied by a block with lenses and flash. Hidden under this hood are high-end sensors based on advanced sensors from Sony and Samsung, delivering unprecedented image quality.

However, the unequivocal leadership of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra in the ranking of DxOMArk camera phones is debatable, and most of the shortcomings are on the conscience of the company’s programmers. In particular, the night mode of shooting raises complaints, which works much less impressively than in the iPhone or Huawei.

The main characteristics of the cameras Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra:

• Main lens: matrix from Samsung 50 MP, pixel size 1.4 µm (2.8 µm in
  12MP mode), 24mm focal length, f / 1.95 aperture, OIS, laser autofocus;
• Telephoto lens: Sony 48 MP sensor, 0.8 µm pixel size (1.6 µm in 12-megapixel mode), 120 mm focal length, f / 4.1 aperture, optical image stabilization, 5x optical zoom, phase detection autofocus.
• Ultra wide angle lens: matrix from Sony 48 MP, pixel size 0.8 / 1.6 µm, 12 mm focal length, aperture F / 2.2, phase detection autofocus, viewing angle 128 degrees;
• Front-camera: resolution 20 MP, pixel size 0.8 µm, 27 mm focal length, aperture F / 2.2.

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4th place Apple iPhone 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max

If we talk about hardware improvements in comparison with the previous series, then the main innovation of the iPhone 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max was the appearance of the LIDAR scanner, which is responsible for faster autofocus and building the scene structure in low light conditions. In addition, the ultra-wide-angle camera has a stronger f / 1.6 aperture.

The main changes were made to the algorithms for processing images and videos. Thanks to the new Apple A14 Bionic chip and the next generation Neural Engine, the iPhone 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max has acquired a number of functions and capabilities, including: Deep Fusion for analyzing a series of photos with different exposures to select the best pixels, Smart HDR 3 for automatic adjustments shadow and overexposure areas of the image with edge enhancement, ProRAW format for facilitating and partial automation of post-processing of images, shooting HDR video in the Dolby Vision standard with a frequency of up to 30 FPS, etc.

IPhone 12 Pro Max specifications are as follows:

• Main lens: 12MP, 26mm focal length, f / 1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization (iPhone 12 Pro uses less effective dual OIS), PDAF autofocus;
• Telephoto lens: 12 MP, 65 mm focal length (iPhone 12 Pro – 52 mm), f / 2.0 aperture (iPhone 12 Pro – f / 2.2);
• Ultra wide angle lens: resolution 12 MP, 13 mm focal length, aperture F / 2.4;
• LIDAR sensor;
• Front-camera: 12 MP, 23 mm focal length, aperture F / 2.2 + 3D sensor for assessing the depth of the frame.

Buy Apple iPhone 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max

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3rd place Huawei Mate 40 Pro and Huawei Mate 40 Pro Plus

Contrary to the expectations of optimistic mobile photography enthusiasts, Huawei’s 2020 flagship device hasn’t received a significant camera upgrade in terms of hardware. The main update noted by the experts was the improved night shooting mode, which now does not “sharpen” photos taken even in pitch darkness, and is inferior only to special cameras for shooting in low light conditions.

In addition, several new features have appeared, for example, subject tracking in Full-HD mode, which will be useful when filming sports events, animals, action scenes.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro Plus camera specifications:

• Main camera Ultra Vision: matrix resolution 50 MP, focal length 23 mm, f / 1.9 aperture with Octa-PD autofocus system, optical image stabilization;
• Superzoom camera: 8 MP, 10x optical zoom, OIS (stabilization).
• Ultra wide angle lens: 20 MP, 18 mm focal length, f / 2.4 aperture, PD autofocus;
• Telephoto lens: 12 MP, 3x optical zoom, 125mm focal length, f / 3.4 aperture, OIS;
• ToF camera for taking portrait photos (3D camera with depth sensor);
• Front-camera: 32 MP with IR sensor to determine the depth of the scene and the ability to shoot video in 4K.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro camera specifications:

• Main camera Ultra Vision: matrix resolution 50 MP, focal length 23 mm, f / 1.9 aperture with Octa-PD autofocus system, optical image stabilization;
• Ultra wide angle lens: 20 MP, 18 mm focal length, f / 2.4 aperture, PD autofocus;
• Telephoto lens: 12 MP, 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, 50x digital zoom, 125mm focal length, f / 3.4 aperture, OIS;
• Laser autofocus for fast focusing…
• Front-camera: 32 MP with IR sensor to determine the depth of the scene and the ability to shoot video in 4K.

Buy Huawei Mate 40 Pro Plus

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2nd place iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro

Apple’s flagships invariably stand out for their photo capabilities, because where optics fail, software algorithms help. Both older models of the Apple line in 2021 received the same camera module. Compared to its predecessors, the main camera received a larger sensor and a faster aperture. The super-width retained the same matrix size, but the aperture changed for the better and PDAF autofocus appeared. The telephoto lens now has 3x magnification, compared to 2x in the iPhone 12 Pro.

• Main lens: 12 MP, f / 1.5 aperture, 26mm equivalent focal length, OIS, 1.9μm pixel size, Dual Pixel autofocus.
• Ultra wide angle lens: 12 MP, f / 1.8 13mm equivalent, PDAF, 2cm macro.
• Telephoto lens: 12 MP, aperture f / 2.8 equivalent to 77 mm, optical image stabilization.

Cameras in iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max provide accurate and repeatable exposure. Correct white balance and natural colors and tones, even in difficult conditions. But this is the corporate identity of all iPhones. The camera’s autofocus works accurately and quickly, the pictures are well detailed. Despite the apparent lag from competitors in the parameters of equipment, Apple was able to most effectively approach the image processing in its new flagship. There have been improvements in key areas of photography from last year’s model. It is worth noting the high mark for video shooting – Dx0Mark gave 119 points. There was simply no equal iPhone 13 Pro / 13 Pro Max for this criterion.

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1st place Huawei P50 Pro

Huawei successfully proves that its flagships are almost in no way inferior to the top models of Apple and Samsung. This also applies to the capabilities of the cameras. The flagship of the manufacturer, Huawei P50 Pro, in the Dx0Mark ranking takes not just a high, but generally the first place. The camera module contains several cool modules at once. The main module received the highest score in the camera rating on Dx0Mark (144 points), the selfie camera also has no equal (106 points).

• Main lens: 50 MP (12.5 MP still image resolution), f / 1.8 aperture, 23 mm focal length equivalent, OIS
• Monochrome sensor: 40 MP (down to 10 MP by pixel binning), f / 1.6 aperture, 26 mm equivalent focal length.
• Telephoto lens: 64 МП (16 МП на выходе), диафрагма f/3.5 в эквиваленте 90 мм, оптическая стабилизация изображения
• Сверхширокоугольный объектив: разрешение 13 МП, диафрагма f/2.2 в эквиваленте 13 мм.
• Фронтальная камера: 40 МП, размер пикселя 0,7 мкм (1,4 мк в режиме Nonacell), светосила F/2.2.

В этом смартфоне Huawei вернулась к использованию монохромного датчика совместно с основным, что в последний раз было реализовано еще в 2018 году на P20 Pro. Монохромный датчик улучшает отображение мелких деталей и снижает шумы, особенно при слабом освещении. Также с его помощью можно лучше оценивать глубину сцены при формировании эффекта боке.

Основная и широкоугольная камера демонстрируют низкий уровень шума и широкий динамический диапазон в любых условиях. Баланс белого точен и естественен. На средней и дальней дистанции в помещении и при дневном свете присутствует хорошая детализация. При съемке неподвижных объектов у Huawei P50 Pro нет конкурентов. Этот смартфон лучше соседей по рейтингу работает с зумом. А при ночной съемке даже без вспышки на изображениях подбирается хорошая экспозиция, как для лица, так и для фона.

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