Best Camera Phones in 2023 – The battle for the best camera smartphone is at the top and has no end, as every time companies do release camera smartphones with new features. This year, the company has produced many excellent smartphones with a very good camera setup. In case you’re looking for the best camera phones, we’ve picked some of our favorite camera phones released so far.
Gone are the days when you needed DSLR cameras to take good pictures of your road trip or a family tour. Smartphones these days can come shockingly close to the quality of a DSLR with a few clever tricks on their part. From a pure hardware perspective, it is true that a smartphone camera sensor is a lot inferior to the sensor and the variable focal length of a DSLR, which gives them their optical zooming capabilities. But what a smartphone lacks in hardware, it makes up for it in software.
Smartphones have very powerful processors these days and that allows them to make large calculations to make the picture with greater detail level and color. This is called computational photography and it’s this feature that has brought smartphone photography so close to the DSLRs. Today, we’ve prepared a list of some of the best smartphone cameras that you can buy in 2023. To make the buyer’s guide list, we keep in mind that the phone has the best camera quality such as HDR, Ultrawide, low light, swivel-EIS, best photography, high-resolution video recording, and more. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
List of Best Camera Phones in 2023
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Each smartphone has its unique capabilities and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is no different. While the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro are known for their photographic and videography capabilities respectively, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s unique capability lies in its incredible telephoto capabilities. It has a total of 2 different telephoto lenses. One 10MP sensor with 10X optical zoom capabilities and another 10MP sensor with 3x optical zoom capabilities.
Combining the two, you can get a hybrid zoom of up to 100x, although, at such zoom levels, fine details take a serious dent. However, 25x zoom still retains some incredible details which is still an incredible feat. Although that’s the highlight of the smartphone, the other cameras, including the main and the ultra-wide, have similar camera prowess. The 200MP main camera is capable of capturing pictures with a surprisingly good amount of detail and accurate white balancing. This is partly thanks to the new sensor and the ISP of the new chipset, which allows for greater post-processing.
Usually, you would expect a shift in color reproduction when switching from the main camera to the ultra-wide, but the same cannot be said here. Samsung has done a great job optimizing the dynamic range and color accuracy, so the colors look quite balanced and natural in the ultra-wide camera, just like the main camera. The pictures don’t look overblown during harsh sunlight and the details of the human subject are aptly captured. When it comes to video recording, it has video recording capabilities of up to 8K30fps, which is accompanied by OIS, gyro-EIS, and laser Autofocus. This helps in stable footage and accurate focusing capabilities.
The selfie camera has seen that much change. It is powered by a 12MP sensor with dual-pixel PDAF, which results in much cleaner images with little to no noise and a better HDR range. This can be clearly seen during the daytime shots, where the sky has greater as a result of proper exposure while the details in the soft shadows are clearly visible. The selfie camera can also record at 4K60fps. The price starts at $1199 (Rs. 99,172) approx.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro is among the most expensive phones, but you will get exactly what you pay for. The iPhone 14 Pro sure is expensive, but it has one of the most powerful camera systems in the world. Apple has been using computational photography for a while now, but with the iPhone 14 Pro, they introduced a new technology. That’s Photonic Engine, which offers massive improvements when it comes to low to mid-light environments. The main sensor got a huge boost from 12MP to 48MP sensor and the size of the sensor itself increased by about 65%. This has resulted in significantly better photos and videos.
The main camera was able to capture true-to-life photos with superb details, great contrast, and no noise. Usually, the photo gets captured in binned 12MP photos, but if needed, photos can be captured in its full 48MP image, which has an exceptional level of detail. But that leads to a significant increase in file size. Even the low-light photos that came out of the main sensor deliver excellent low-light photography, partly thanks to the new Photonic Engine.
The ultra-wide sensor retained the same 12MP resolution, but the size of the sensor doubled in size. This has resulted in significantly better low-light shots. The increase in the size of the sensor means it can now capture more amount of light than ever. The telephoto sensor remained the same. So, that’s the 12MP sensor with the same 3x optical zoom capabilities, but its quality got a big boost, just like the other two sensors in the smartphone. Video recording capabilities have always been iPhone’s strong point and the company didn’t fail to impress again.
The video stabilization of the iPhone 14 Pro with the new Action Mode with sensor shift is incredibly stable. Combine that with Dolby Vision shooting capabilities and 4K60, and you’ve got yourself a video powerhouse. It also has a cinematic mode that allows you to capture a scene with an incredibly shallow depth of field. The selfie camera didn’t see many upgrades apart from the use of Photonic Engine. Hardware-wise, it’s the same 12 MP sensor with sensor shift, HDR, and Cinematic Mode. The price starts at $999 (Rs. 82,620) approx.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
While the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra takes all the praise, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from last year is no slouch either. This foldable smartphone is for people who are into foldable but don’t want to sacrifice the camera. The Fold 4 comes with 3 cameras on the rear, which can also be used as a selfie camera since the phone is foldable. That means you no longer have to take pictures from the selfie camera, which doesn’t perform well. But the same can be said for every smartphone.
The selfie camera is always inferior to the rear cameras but you no longer have to put up with that, not with the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The 50 MP main camera has a 1.0µm pixel size with OIS. This helps more light to travel to the sensor and thereby produce more details and richer colors during the daytime. The same goes for the 12 MP ultra-wide which provides a similar result, but the dynamic range is not on the same level as the main sensor. However, it’s something that you won’t notice until you start zooming into your photos.
The 10 MP telephoto lens is also quite impressive, especially with its 3x optical zoom capability. If you want a more zoomed-in shot, you can take advantage of the hybrid zoom. This works by combining optical zoom and digital zoom to provide a crisper image. Hybrid zoom is acceptable till 10x, but after that, noise starts creeping in really fast. During night photography, the pictures coming out of the main camera brings rich and bold colors with little to no noise.
When it comes to video recording, the Z Fold 4 can also shoot videos at 4K 60 Frames, which results in some incredibly detailed videos with accurate colors and high dynamic range. However, there were some instances of focus hunting, which is not the case with the new S23 Ultra. Both the main and telephoto camera has OIS along with gyro-EIS. There’s also an option to shoot super steady videos for fast motion capture with little to no jitter.
While you can indeed use the rear cameras for a selfie, you will be pleased to know that there’s also a dedicated selfie camera if you really need it. It has a 4 MP selfie camera with an under-display function. Basically, it isn’t visible unless the camera is accessed. However, its quality will leave a lot to be desired, but that’s okay. The rear cameras can also do the job. After all, it’s a foldable smartphone. The price starts at $1650 (Rs. 1,35,032) approx.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review
Sony Xperia 5 IV
All the smartphones that you see in the market use Sony camera sensors and for good reasons. That’s because Sony is the king of camera sensors and the company has equipped its flagship smartphone, that is the Sony Xperia 5 IV, with all the latest camera tech that it has under its disposal. It has a triple-camera system that comprises 12MP sensors for the main, the ultra-wide, as well as the telephoto camera.
While the 12 MP ultra-wide and telephoto cameras are nothing extraordinary and provide similar capabilities to Galaxy smartphones, it’s the main sensor that takes the camera crown. That’s not to say they are bad. They are fine, just as fine as the Galaxy S23 series, but it’s the main camera that takes the cake here. The main camera is incredibly powerful and is capable of capturing some of the most comprehensive shots ever. Don’t get fooled by the 12 MP number. Don’t fall for the numbers game.
Most high-end DSLRs have 12MP cameras. It’s the size of the sensor that decides how much light it can absorb. The more amount of light it can capture, the better will be the photos, and the main camera can take some incredible pictures. The photos seem to have a hint of the shallow depth of field effect that DLSR images tend to have. Even pictures from the Ultra-wide have well-saturated colors with a high dynamic range. The telephoto camera can also produce some decent shots. The cameras have support for OIS and can shoot videos at 4K120fps, which is incredible news for those who are looking to shoot slo-mo videography. The price starts at $998 (Rs. 82,662) approx.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Most people are interested in the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, but that doesn’t mean the last year’s flagship is done. It may be a year old now, but it still packs enough punch to do the job. Not to mention, it’s available for much cheaper these days. The main camera is a 108MP sensor. It also features dual-pixel PDAF and OIS while the secondary is a 12MP ultra-wide camera. Both cameras can shoot some amazing photos with natural colors and great dynamic range with minimum noise levels even after zooming into the pictures.
Also, if you like zooming into pictures, you are in for a delight as the smartphone features not one but two different telephoto cameras. A 10 MP 3x Optical zoom telephoto camera and the other is a 10 MP 10x optical zoom periscopic telephoto camera, which is incredible, thanks to Samsung’s optimization. The phone can also shoot videos at 8K24fps, which results in some incredibly detailed videos. There’s also an option to shoot super steady videos for fast motion capture with little to no jitter.
The pictures coming out of the main camera brings rich and bold colors with little to no noise during night photography. Even The selfie camera produces great images that are ready for Insta upload. The OIS allows the main camera to shoot videos with good stability and high dynamic range. Samsung has also implemented a super stable mode, which uses the ultra-wide lens to get a wider perspective and then crops the video to get rid of the shakiness. This along with the use of gyro-EIS makes up for incredibly stable footage. The price starts at $1199 (Rs 89,999 in India) approx.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra was launched in 2021 with much fanfare, thanks to its incredible camera presentation that the company had during its announcement. They managed to deliver everything they promised and some more. The camera was incredible for its time. It featured 4 cameras in the back along with a laser AutoFocus sensor. The pictures from the main camera feature exceptional detail level, thanks to the use of a 108 MP sensor.
The 12 MP ultra-wide camera also featured fantastic photos during the day but falls short during low-light situations. For low-light photography, you will want to stick to the main camera, which combined with night mode, provides incredible results. The other two cameras are a pair of two 10 MP telephoto and periscopic telephoto sensors that are capable of taking 3x and 10x zoomed shots respectively.
It has a 40MP selfie camera with Auto Focus capability, which can record at a maximum resolution of 4K60fps. Both main and telephoto camera has OIS along with gyro-EIS and can record at a maximum resolution of 4K60fps. The price starts at $1199 (Rs. 98,110) approx.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review
Honor 70 Pro Plus
The Honor 70 Pro Plus brings a striking design language, one that will catch people’s attention. Its flagship color is green, which combined with the humongous camera module in the rear makes up for a great camera experience look. But do the cameras have any real value, or does it look good on the outside? We are happy to announce that the cameras are actually good. The new 50 MP sensors along with the new ISP from the Dimensity 9000 chipset make for an incredible case.
The 50 MP main camera and the ultra-wide camera manage to capture fine details along with incredibly high dynamic range, and superior contrast levels when it comes to the highlights in the shadows. Not to mention, the pictures taken with the 8 MP telephoto lens also feature crisp details and a richer color palette. It seems Honor’s camera department definitely took its time optimizing the sensors for its optical performance and quality certainly speaks for itself. It also supports video recording at up to 4K30fps from both the rear and main sensors. The price is expected somewhere above $645 (Rs 50,000 in India) approx.
OnePlus 11
The OnePlus 11 was released with the hope of bringing the OnePlus magic back to its series of smartphones. The company has been unable to please its fans in recent years. The camera capabilities of the last few smartphones have been lackluster at best. They had the on-paper specs to make tall claims, but real-time photos failed to deliver the tall claims. The OnePlus 11 changes that to some extent. It’s still not quite at the Galaxy or the Pixel level, but it has improved by leaps and bounds since the last few releases.
The new camera system features improved dynamic range and greater detail level along with natural colors that don’t look overprocessed. Phone manufacturers throw these numbers like 108 MP camera or 200 MP camera like it has some value, but they don’t, definitely not without the optimization needed to be in the smartphone to fully utilize the sheer number of Megapixels. The smartphone’s 50 MP main camera and 48 MP ultra-wide camera are capable of capturing great pictures.
Not to mention, its low-light photography is on a different level and can take some of the most detailed low-light images in very dark environments. Also, the telephoto camera features 2X optical zoom. The main sensor features OIS which helps in capturing steady videos and can capture stable footage with a resolution of up to 8K24fps. The price starts at $699 (Rs 56,999 in India) approx.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Google Pixel 7 Pro surprised everyone when the company announced that it will feature brand-new sensors for its main and telephoto cameras. Google has been using the same 12 MP camera sensor all these years and relied on computational photographic prowess to impress its user through every generation. Every year, they would bring new camera capabilities through upgraded computational photographic algorithms but the underlying camera hardware remained the same.
But this time, they changed them. The new main sensor now features a 50MP sensor, which featured a wide f/1.9 aperture and the new telephoto camera featured a 48 MP sensor that has 5x option zoom capabilities. The telephoto sensor combined with Pixel’s computational photography allows it to deliver some great results. Even the 12 MP ultra-wide delivers some solid results.
Both main and telephoto cameras have OIS which combined with Pixel’s new Action Mode provides some spectacularly stable video output. This is perfect for capturing cinematic action/stunt videos that require high-speed motion capture. The price starts at $750 (Rs 61,999 in India) approx.
Huawei Mate 50 RS Porsche Design
The Huawei Mate 50 RS Porsche Design may not be the best camera smartphone in the world, but it certainly delivers some excellent results. The phone certainly seems to have the hardware but lacks in the optimization part. However, it’s a lot better compared to the last flagship model as it now has much-improved color science that looks life-like and incredibly detailed. It also allows you to capture super steady videos with Laser AutoFocus and a 3D ToF sensor.
The new sensors combined with the ISP of the new chipset allow you to capture HDR videos with accurate colors and high dynamic range. It has video recording support for up to 4K60fps. Both the main camera and the telephoto camera has support for OIS and makes up for incredibly stable videos. The price is expected to start around $1839 (Rs 1,49,900 in India) approx.
Huawei Mate 50 RS Porsche Design Review
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you need to choose the best camera phones available in the year 2023, if you are really looking for a phone where the camera is the priority. These lists will definitely help you. But don’t forget to check out a separate section which is mentioned in the first paragraph, where all low and high-budget good camera phones are available for all types of users. Both Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra represent the best of what a powerful smartphone camera system is supposed to be. They have excellent detail level, high dynamic range, good color, and overall take real lifelike images. But they are not the only smartphones in the market that can take some incredible pictures. The Pixel 7 Pro also has some of the most amazing camera capabilities, albeit at a higher price tag.
If you can’t afford to spend that much cash on a smartphone, there are other smartphones. The OnePlus 11 and the Honor 70 Pro Plus are capable of delivering similar camera capabilities as other smartphones in the top 3 list, albeit at a lower cost. Which model should you buy will depend a lot on what budget you have and what sort of camera capabilities you need.
