HTC Desire EYE has 13-megapixel (MP) camera, both back and front.
Smartphones are replacing point-and-shoot cameras much faster than expected. The quality of hardware and optics has improved rapidly over the years, with phone makers adding better image-processing algorithms and features. Whatever the politics of competition or the evolution of technology, this is, simply put, good news for the consumer.
We look at some of the best camera smartphones available in the market.
New kid on the block: HTC Desire EYE
This phone doesn’t discriminate between the rear and front cameras—both are 13-megapixel (MP) cameras. Incidentally, HTC seems to have given up on its UltraPixel camera technology, because this is yet another phone (One E8 and One M8 Eye being other examples) that doesn’t feature it. But quite a few camera goodies have been added—take a selfie and add it to an image taken with the rear camera, or take photographs simultaneously with the front and rear cameras and join them. The quality of photographs and videos is crisp, though colour may be a tad inconsistent in low-light shots. But this camera gets the job done, particularly if you are a selfie fan.
Still rules the kingdom: Apple iPhone 6 Plus
It is surprising that the camera features aren’t the same across the two new iPhones—the 6 and the 6 Plus. The one feature that is exclusive to the iPhone 6 Plus is the stabilization feature, for photographs as well as video. And that really improves the quality of the pictures. The extra compensation for slightly shaky or unstable hands means that the photographs look sharper and videos don’t suffer from jerky movements or vibrations.
Eyeing the throne: Samsung Galaxy Note 4
The optics in
Samsung’s Galaxy range have been improving steadily. The Note 4 is the biggest phone in terms of screen size. And the 16 MP camera takes excellent photographs, be it in good light or at night. The camera interface remains the same as the one on the Galaxy S5 smartphone, which doesn’t initially inspire confidence. But the quality impresses. Every photograph is well detailed, the colours are crisp without being overbearing, and the image can be zoomed in on quite a bit before distortion starts to creep in. The best camera in an Android smartphone so far.
Surprise package: Gionee Elife S5.1
The underdog in this list, the Elife S5.1 has an 8 MP camera. On paper, that doesn’t seem like much. But we were surprised by the quality of photographs. Even low-light shots didn’t have much noise. The real highlight, however, is the richness in colour, more than a lot of the more expensive smartphones can manage.
Photographer in a business suit: BlackBerry Passport
For the first time, a
BlackBerry phone with a capable camera. The 13 MP camera on the Passport can click in 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. The camera app itself is simple to use. The image quality in low and good light is on a par with the best Android smartphones in the market. While the phone is meant for professionals, this might just give them a chance to upload a photograph of their business lunch on Instagram.
