📱 Best camera phones 2020: top flagships and budget models

Cameras are the favorite type of phone for selfie lovers

Distinguishing features - what to look for when choosing the best camera phones of 2020

Progressive innovations and additional functionality are, of course, good. However, full-fledged imaging devices have a number of standout characteristics that not everyone has heard of. If you do not carefully study the features of these properties, you will simply not be able to unambiguously and correctly answer the question of which phone has the best camera.

Cameraphone Matrix

A photographer or videographer - both a beginner and a professional - knows that the quality of any photo and video work directly depends on the lighting. In digital cameras, a special microcircuit called a "light-sensitive matrix" is installed to perceive light. Its dimensions, sensitivity (ISO) and resolution (well-known megapixels, or Mp) are fundamental characteristics that determine whether you get a fuzzy and grainy frame or a contrasting and rich in detail image.
In budget models of smartphones, OmniVision or Sony Exmor RS matrices are common. The flagships also use solutions from Sony, but Samsung ISOCELL represents the best performance.

Advertising tries to impose the opinion on the buyer: "The more megapixels, the better!" In fact, a harmonious combination of matrix characteristics is important. Therefore, do not be surprised that a well-balanced 12 megapixel camera shows better quality than the "fancy" and hyped 21 megapixel gadget.

Cameraphone lens

There is also a second important component that complements and enhances the first — the lens. It is a set of lenses that collect light and transmit them to the matrix of the phone. The throughput of a lens is called "aperture" (in reviews, the name "aperture" is more common) and is denoted by f. The lower the value of this indicator, the more light the lens receives and transmits. For smartphones with an f value greater than 2.2, it is better not to pay attention to fans of high-quality filming.

An equally important function is carried by the autofocus technology. Thanks to this component, the lens focuses on a specific subject for maximum image clarity. In budget smartphones that do not claim to be a camera phone, contrast autofocus is most often installed. In 2014, South Korean manufacturing giant Samsung made a small "revolution" by adding Galaxy S5 smartphone phase detection autofocus, originally used in professional devices for photography and video filming. Since then, this option has become the most popular in phones that claim to be a camera phone. Striving for ideal results, manufacturers began to offer users laser, infrared and hybrid (a mixture of contrast and phase detection autofocus technologies) solutions.

We should also highlight optical image stabilization. Thanks to this technology, the number of blurred images will be close to zero. The price of devices in which this characteristic is implemented will be mostly higher, but the result will delight even fastidious photographers.

ISP core in the camera phone

When choosing a phone with the best camera carefully, you cannot ignore the presence of a special signal processor called ISP. Located inside the smartphone's chipset, this component optimizes the speed of the camera module, processes the data from the photosensitive matrix and converts it into the final image.

Front-camera

In fact, the camera module on the front of the phone appeared earlier than the classic one, on the back. In 1999, the Japanese company Kyocera introduced the Visual Phone VP-210 to the world. The photo module installed in it could take photos and even transmit video over the Internet. This development did not gain much popularity due to the high cost of the device. But that was the beginning of all front-facing cameras in gadgets. Thanks to the development of video telephony, this technology is now used in almost every smartphone. In top-end camera phones, the quality of images of the front camera can be at the level of the main photomodule of a budget device.

If you love to take selfies or "live broadcasts" online, then you should pay attention to a special subspecies of camera phones - "selfiphones". Such a front camera is capable of satisfying any requirements of the fastidious user.

Shell

Software post-processing of photos and videos is not the last place in achieving the quality and beauty of the final result of your efforts. Sophisticated software allows you to reduce the percentage of unsuccessful shots and compensate for the shortcomings of the matrix, lens or ISP core. Many users overlook this point, but in the total mass of characteristics, the value of the software shell is no less part of the efficiency than the physical parameters of the camera.

Best Camera Phones 2020: Expert Rankings

Now it's worth paying attention to the reviews and reviews of experts who have rated the best smartphone cameras.

Apple iPhone XS Max

Traditionally, smartphones from Apple have received the most innovative designs. This also applies to the cameras of these devices. DxOMark awarded the Apple iPhone XS Max 105 points. The smartphone has a 12 MP dual main camera. It has autofocus, stabilization and optical 2x zoom. The maximum video resolution is 3840 × 2160 @ 60 frames per second. The front camera is more modest - 7 MP. The data is processed by the Apple A12 Bionic processor. You can buy a smartphone for 70,000 rubles.

Smartphone Apple iPhone Xs Max 64GB

Price: ₽ 74 990

Samsung Galaxy S10 +

One of the top flagships from Samsung, the Galaxy S10 +, could not fail to get into our review. Its cost is 66,000 rubles. For cameras, of which there are 3 in the gadget, a whole block is allocated on the back panel. The number of their MPs is 16, 12 and 12. For cameras, there is an LED flash, autofocus and macro photography. According to the DxOMark service, the smartphone scored 112 points. The device itself is large - 6.4 inches. Of the internals, the Samsung Exynos 9820 8-core processor is interesting, as well as 8 GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy S10 + smartphone

Price: ₽ 69 900

HUAWEI P30 Pro 8 / 256GB

A smartphone from Huawei has already been seen in our review. This model is in the TOP rating of the DxOMark service with 112 points. According to them, the gadget has the best picture quality from the camera. You can buy a phone for 60,000 rubles. There are 3 cameras installed in the device. The breakdown by maximum resolution looks like this: 40, 20 and 8 MP. There is laser autofocus, optical stabilization and macro mode. The maximum video resolution is 4K 3840 × 2160. The front camera also has a large number of megapixels - 32 MP and is capable of competing with the main ones in many tasks. A fantastic 8 GB of RAM is installed, its own - 256 GB. It is possible to increase the total volume by another 256 GB thanks to the support of the SD card. The processor is installed one of the top - HiSilicon Kirin 980. In terms of size, the phone tends to be a tablet, representing a 6.5-inch phablet. The screen, however, has a resolution of 2340 × 1080.

HUAWEI P30 Pro 8 / 256GB Smartphone

Price: ₽ 59 990

Best Chinese camera phones of 2020

The stereotype of bad Chinese technique is hopelessly outdated. Now smartphones from the Middle Kingdom are high-quality, inexpensive and, at the same time, innovative devices.

Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro 6 / 128GB

A new flagship from a well-known Chinese manufacturer. It costs 32,000 rubles now. There are as many as 3 cameras in this smartphone - 48 MP, 16 MP and 12 MP. It is worth noting that the service for assessing the quality of smartphones DxOMark gave the gadget a score of 107 points. The camera can also write video in 4K resolution - 3840 × 2160. The rest of the filling of the device is at the level of the top flagships. The processing power is provided by the Snapdragon 855 with 8 cores. The stock of RAM should be enough for a bunch of simultaneously running applications and heavy games: 6 GB. There is 64 GB of own memory. The features include light sensors, proximity sensors, a gyroscope and a compass, as well as a fingerprint scanner. And the smartphone has the latest version of Android installed - 9.0.

Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro 6 / 128GB

Price: ₽ 33 990

OnePlus 7T 8 / 128GB

The phone is from a famous Chinese brand. Although its cost is at the level of well-known brands - 39,000 rubles, only two main cameras are installed - 16 MP and 20 MP. There is a macro mode, optical stabilization and autofocus. DxOMark gave the smartphone 98 points. Front camera 16 MP. The main camera does an excellent job of recording 4K video at a resolution of 3840x2160. The performance is provided by the Snapdragon 845 with 8 cores. It is helped by an 8 GB RAM. Its memory in stock is 128 GB. It should be noted that the smartphone is equipped with a modern USB Type-C port.

Smartphone OnePlus 7T 8 / 128GB

Price: ₽ 38 590

Meizu 16Xs 6 / 64GB

Smartphone two years ago, relevant to this day. It was released in 2017, but it was immediately equipped with a 12 MP dual main camera. Interestingly, the front camera has a higher resolution - 16 MP. In the DxOMark ranking, the phone scores 71 points. Taking into account the prescription of the issue - a very good result. This is one of the most affordable smartphones with a great camera and decent hardware. You can buy it for 17,500 rubles.

Meizu 16Xs 6 / 64GB Smartphone

Price: ₽ 17 450

Best budget camera phones of 2020

Within 20,000 rubles, it is quite possible to choose a simple camera phone that can satisfy the desires of many users. Some of them have cameras that can compete with top smartphones.

ASUS Zenfone 6 ZS630KL 6 / 128GB

One of the most expensive smartphones in this category. You can buy it for 40,000 rubles. The diagonal of the screen is 6.4 inches. At the same time, the resolution is 2340 × 1080. As usual, there are two main cameras. Both are 48 MP. They come with an LED flash, autofocus, optical stabilization and macro photography. The phone can shoot video in 4K at 60 frames per second. The front camera has 13MP. Inside is a modern 8-core Snapdragon 855. He is assisted by 6 GB of RAM. There is 128 GB of its own memory, but you can insert a USB flash drive up to 2048 GB. A 5000 mAh battery feeds such capacities.

Smartphone ASUS Zenfone 6 ZS630KL 6

Price: ₽ 40 000

Huawei P30 Lite

A very decent device for 12,500 rubles. According to the new tradition of rear cameras, the smartphone has two - one for 24 MP, the second for 8 MP and the third for 2. There is a macro mode and autofocus. Interestingly, the front camera is also 24 MP. So it can be used along with the main one. The phone is equipped with a decent HiSilicon Kirin 710 processor with 8 cores. It has 128 GB of its own memory, and 4 GB of RAM. The screen size is quite large at 5.84 inches. And its resolution is 2280 × 1080. That is, along with an excellent camera, the smartphone itself is very productive.

HUAWEI P30 lite Smartphone

Price: ₽ 17 990

Fly photo pro

Fly traditionally produces simple and affordable phones for the budget segment

This is the simplest and cheapest smartphone in our selection. You can buy it for only 5,300 rubles. The diagonal of the device is 5.46 inches at a resolution of 1440 × 720. There are 2 main cameras installed, according to the latest trends. One is 13 MP, and the second is 0.3 MP. The main camera is equipped with autofocus and has a macro mode. You can also record videos at 30 frames per second. The front camera is designed for more mundane tasks - selfies, home videos, and more. It has 5 MP.
The rest of the phone does not stand out among the mass of analogues. The MT6739 processor is not the most productive in its segment. RAM, in general, is enough for most tasks - 2 GB. Your memory is a bit small for the present - only 16 GB. Lithium polymer battery 2800 mAh.

Fly smartphone

Bottom line - which smartphone with a good camera is better to choose

The modern smartphone has long become something more than just a phone. Now it is a compact computer that contains a person's whole life. The list of criteria for introducing gadgets into people's activities is increasing every year. Interactive services, social networks, payment modules, fingerprint scanners and other innovations add new areas of application to smartphones. Cameras in phones have been around for a long time and have made it possible to preserve the best moments of your life and simply interesting digital footage. Now many of them surpass in their characteristics even the top models of individual photo and video cameras of the past. And no wonder that the demand for camera phones is still very high. After all, it is convenient to have in one device and a phone, and access to the Internet, and an excellent camera. Even based on the characteristics specified in the specifications for the smartphone, it is not possible to establish whether the camera is good there. This can be done either by personally testing the smartphone, or by focusing on tests and reviews of authoritative publications and services. Therefore, when choosing, it is best to test them first. The second important aspect is price. The cost of a good camera phone is usually quite high. This is due to the fact that in addition to high-quality camera modules, the phone itself must have good performance, which is also expensive. For example, TOP flagships - Galaxy S10, Huawei P30, Huawei P20, iPhone XS Max cost from 40,000 to 100,000 rubles. For those who are not picky about the quality of the photo, but sometimes like to take a selfie or capture an interesting moment in their life, smartphones of past years or the budget segment are suitable. For example, iPhone 7, LG G7, Huawei Mate 10, Galaxy S7, Vivo V11 and the like. In general, even in the TOP of smartphones in 2020 up to 15,000 rubles, there is plenty to choose from very worthy models.

In the comments to the article, you can share your experience of using camera phones and describe which of the smartphones you would choose and why.