Best Phone For Photography - Money Is Important But Not Everything

Mobile cameras are evolving in leaps and bounds, and most of them are even much better than what you might expect. You also might wonder about the best phone for photography, but first things first, let’s see what really makes a phone outstrip the rest when it comes to photography.

Generally speaking, the best phone for photography must be a combination of both hardware and software. It thus comprises of good optics and sensors, along with sophisticated software algorithms that are based on science and math to result in the best detail, color, and light of every scene you capture.

Using AI-enabled technology, some phones don’t rely on the number of lenses on the back to process the images. Keep in mind that we always have plenty of ways to make the best phone for photography rather than just using the lens and high-megapixel sensors, and here’s a list of highest-rated devices for the award of best phone for photography.

1. iPhone 11 Pro / iPhone 11 Pro Max

As far as photography is concerned, the iPhone 11 Pro and its sibling iPhone 11 Pro Max are always stuck in an inevitable war against the Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup. But in the end, many users have confessed that the stronghold of Apple phones still remains unbreakable, and they’re always the best all-around option for iOS loyalists.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max offer ultra-wide angle and telephoto lenses and the latest photography-centric computational algorithms and video capabilities, so everything you need to do is to make sure that you have enough money to buy these masterpieces. Up to now, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has become the best phone for night photography as well as the best phone for photography in India!

• Pros

Consistent colors across cameras

Versatile triple camera

Excellent night mode

• Cons

No manual mode

Lower on detail than the competition

Expensive

2. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra / Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus

If the answer to how much the device costs doesn’t matter, and you’re hesitating to choose between iOS and Android, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S20 Ultra appears to be one of the most formidable competitors of iPhone 11 Pro Max as it's the best phone for photography 2020 that runs Android OS.

The phone is priced at around $1,399, but its lower model Galaxy S20 Plus almost shows the same performance, but $200 cheaper. In spite of not having a 108MP primary sensor or Space Zoom feature, it still produces excellent shots with ease.

• Pros

Support for 8K video

Fun Single Take feature

Impressive photos

• Cons

Few displays support 8K video right now

Expensive

3. iPhone SE (2020)

iPhone SE (2020) is regarded as the best phone for photography at the mid-range price segment. Not only does the phone houses a 12MP, f/1.8 single-lens camera but it also takes advantage of the powerful A12 Bionic chipset to leverage the computational power for photography.

It also benefits from night-mode shooting and other sophisticated imaging techniques, such as Semantic Rendering and Smart HDR. Like the Pixel 3a, the iPhone SE doesn’t support telephoto or ultrawide lenses, but they’re still good enough to produce photos with the highest quality.

• Pros 

Supports wireless charging

Excellent camera for the price

Fast A13 Bionic performance

Very affordable

• Cons

Big bezels

No ultrawide and telephoto lenses

4. Google Pixel 3a

The Google Pixel 3a speaks for itself when it comes to the best Android midrange camera phone thanks to its cutting-edge computational photography algorithms. The midrange phone even won the hearts of many people around the world then established itself as the best phone photography under $400.

Under the hood, the 5.6-inch smartphone sports a Qualcomm Spectra ISP to devote itself to image processing, alongside a 12.2MP sensor that is identical to what the Pixel 3 offers. It’s safe to say that Google’s Pixel lineup doesn’t create any distant differences between models’ photography performance, and Google Pixel 3a is the most affordable choice amongst all.

• Pros 

Excellent battery life

Low price

Flagship-caliber camera

• Cons 

No wireless charging

The display could be brighter

5. Google Pixel 4

The Pixel 4 couple, including 4 and 4XL, has marked themselves as the first Pixel phones that support dual-lens imaging system. The camera module includes a 12.2MP primary wide-angle lenses and 16MP lenses for telephoto. These Google’s latest flagships will surprisingly light up your day with phenomenal images regardless of how the weather/lighting condition is, even when you’re stuck in the some of the most challenging scenarios.

What makes Google Pixel 4 and its sibling so awesome is that Google has equipped them with the latest computational techniques machine learning-enabled imaging processes like white balance or Live HDR+. As reviewed by a lot of users, Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL also deserve the title of the best phone for photography with the aid of AI technology.

• Pros 

Effective Face Unlock

Smooth 90Hz display

Class-leading cameras

• Cons 

Relatively dim display

Disappointing battery life