In Could 2023, we evaluated the very best smartphones for his or her final digicam efficiency for Q1 2023. Since then, now we have been in a position to consider extra cameras from flagship telephones that launched at MWC and after: the Xiaomi 13 Professional (02/27/2023), the Honor Magic5 Professional (02/27/2023), and the Xiaomi 13 Extremely (06/12/2023).
Right here is our choice of the 5 Greatest Digital camera Smartphones for Q3 2023. We now have not received our arms on the iPhone 15 Professional Max but, and we are going to replace this text after the launch of the Google Pixel 8 Professional.
The costs of the 5 smartphones go from €1,499.99 (~$1570) to $1099 (launch costs that will not replicate the present costs). To pick out the very best units for cellular pictures, we use a number of standards. We test in precedence the digicam prowess, and by order or significance, the show high quality, the system’s pace, the economic design, and the battery life.
We evaluated the digicam potential utilizing our proprietary Ubergizmo CAMERA HW rating*, and for this comparative assessment, we shot pictures with every lens of every smartphone’s principal digicam system. You may be taught extra by going to the benchmark web page.
Our present choice contains smartphones that we had time to play with and assessment. Nonetheless, new cellphones with nice pictures capabilities are continuously being launched, and we are going to replace this choice within the coming months.
*Our CAMERA HW rating solely contains the primary rear digicam system and doesn’t take into account the entrance selfie digicam. It’s generated by algorithms based mostly on the technical specs of the digicam {hardware}
1/ Xiaomi 13 Extremely
Excessive
- Final principal digicam system with 4 lenses, together with 1” principal sensor and a 5X optical zoom
- Glorious SoC efficiency
- Glorious massive show with 2600 Nits theoretical peak brightness
- IP68
- Quick 90W charger within the field (~$40 worth) – about 40 min for a full cost
Low
- The costliest of the choice
- No 4K video recording for the selfie digicam
- No U.S. availability
World launch on June twelfth, 2023 – launch value €1499.90 (~ $1,570)
Digital camera specs highlights:
- Extensive angle (principal) 23mm 50MP f/1.9-4.0 variable aperture, OIS
- Ultrawide angle 12mm 50MP f/1.8
- Telephoto 75mm 50MP f/1.8, OIS optical zoom 3.2X
- Telephoto 120mm 50MP f/3.0, OIS, optical zoom 5X
- Selfie Entrance Digital camera, 21 mm 32 MP, f/2
The Xiaomi has a quad 50 Megapixel rear digicam system, which is kind of distinctive Xiaomi got here up with a design that’s highly effective and really well-balanced. The major 23mm digicam makes use of a Sony IMX989 50MP sensor with sizeable 1.5-micron sensing pixels. The sensor is about 57% bigger than the iPhone 14 Professional Max, and the lens is optically stabilized to maximise the pictures’ sharpness.
The 75mm and 120mm zoom cameras even have optical stabilization, and each are powered by a Sony IMX858 sensor, which is a high-end alternative since this chip can be present in major cameras of different contenders. 120mm will not be absolutely the strongest zoom on a telephone, but it surely ought to produce terrific zoom pictures.
Even the 12mm Ultrawide digicam is supplied with the identical Sony IMX858 sensor, which makes it essentially the most potent ultrawide digicam on this group. This one doesn’t have OIS however would possibly outperform lesser stabilized sensors.
Like all Android smartphones in our prime digicam telephones Q3 2023 choice, the Xiaomi 13 Extremely options Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship System-on-Chip (SoC), some of the highly effective cellular processors available on the market. For the worldwide market, Xiaomi presents a single model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The Xiaomi 13 extremely delivers the most effective performances of this choice, each on the CPU and the GPU sides. (Test the efficiency comparability graphic on the finish of the article).
The beautiful 6.73” AMOLED show with 1-120Hz adaptive refresh and a QHD+ decision of 3200 x 1440 delivers wonderful picture high quality and a powerful 2600 NITs theoretical peak brightness.
2/ Honor Magic 5 Professional
Ubergizmo Digital camera HW rating: 213
Excessive
- Nice principal digicam system with 3 lenses
- Very Good SoC efficiency
- Superb massive show
- IP68
- 66W charger within the field (~$40 worth) – about 45 min for a full cost
- The most important battery of this choice (5450 mAH)
Low
No U.S. availability
World launch on February twenty sixth, 2023 – launch value €1199 (~ $1,255)
Digital camera specs highlights:
- Extensive angle (principal) 27mm 50MP f/1.6, OIS
- Ultrawide angle 13mm 50MP f/2
- Telephoto 95mm 50MP f/3, OIS, optical zoom 3.5X
- ToF Sensor 0.3MP
- Selfie Entrance Digital camera, 12 MP, f/2.4
The Honor Magic 5 Professional comes with triple 50 Megapixel digicam sensors, augmented by a ToF (time of flight) sensor, for computing bokeh (background blur). Probably the most crucial cameras, the 27mm major (OIS) and the 95mm zoom (OIS), have optical stabilization that reduces the probability of blurry pictures.
Each these cameras characteristic the Sony IMX858 sensor, which may be very common on the excessive finish this 12 months. The IMX989 is about 12% bigger, so not all 50 MP sensors are equal, however Honor’s large-aperture f/1.6 lens maximizes the sensor floor utilization, and general, the Magic 5 Professional has the most effective major digicam {hardware}.
Its 95mm zoom is good however much less excessive than the 230mm zoom that different cameras might need. Likewise, the 13mm Ultrawide digicam may be very first rate however barely under common when in comparison with the opposite contenders on this listing.
In essence, the Magic 5 Professional emphasizes its assets and funds utilization within the major 27mm digicam. That’s not a nasty technique, however the efficiency between its inside cameras will not be essentially the most balanced,
Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, just like the three different Android telephones in our choice, the Honor Magic 5 Professional delivers superb efficiency. Within the Geekbench 5 multi-core benchmark that evaluates the CPU efficiency, the Magic 5 Professional that includes 12GB of RAM is barely above the Galaxy S23 Extremely however beneath the iPhone 14 Professional Max, the Xiaomi 13 Extremely, and the Xiaomi 13 Professional.
Test the efficiency comparability graphic on the finish of the article.
The gorgeous quad-curve 6.81” OLED show presents the bottom decision of the 4 Android telephones in our listing however barely increased than the iPhone 14 Professional Max’s 2796×1290 decision. The LTPO panel has a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh fee and delivers 1800 NITs theoretical peak brightness, which is barely above the one discovered within the Galaxy S23 Extremely however under the iPhone 14 professional max (2000 NITs), the Xiaomi 13 Professional (1900 NITs) and the Xiaomi 13 Extremely (2600 NITs).
3/ Xiaomi 13 Professional
Ubergizmo Digital camera HW rating: 205
Excessive
- Nice principal digicam system with 3 lenses
- Nice design with ceramic again
- At 219g, the lightest of the choice
- Nice SoC efficiency
- Glorious massive show with a excessive 522 PPI
- IP68
- Uber-fast 120W HyperCharge charger within the field (~$40 worth)
- 0 to 98% in 20 minutes, the quickest charging pace right here
Low
- Costly in comparison with the competitors in the identical Digital camera HW rating vary
- No 4K video recording for the selfie digicam
- No U.S. availability
World launch on February twenty sixth, 2023 – launch value 1299 € (~ $1,360)
Digital camera specs highlights:
- Extensive angle (principal) 23mm 50-MP f/1.9, OIS
- Ultrawide angle 14mm 50-MP f/2.
- Telephoto 75mm 50-MP f/2, OIS
- Selfie Entrance Digital camera, 32 MP, f/2
The Xiaomi 13 Professional additionally includes a triple 50MP digicam setup within the rear, with a 23mm major (OIS) digicam, a 75mm zoom (OIS), and a 14mm ultrawide digicam. There’s no bokeh sensor, however we don’t take into account this to be a crucial factor as telephones such because the iPhone, Galaxy S, and Pixel have confirmed that it’s potential to attain wonderful Bokeh, with no devoted sensor.
The first digicam is backed by a Sony IMX989 sensor, which explains why its {hardware} is so well-ranked. Nonetheless, its lens doesn’t appear to be as high-performing because the Xiaomi 13 Extremely, which is designed to rank on the prime.
The 75mm zoom digicam could be corresponding to the iPhone 14 Professional Max’s and is extra constructed for portrait pictures than excessive zoom. The Ultrawide digicam may be very first rate however could be the weakest of the telephones current on this listing, so there’s nothing particular to brag about.
That includes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mixed with 12GB of RAM, the Xiaomi 13 Professional delivers wonderful efficiency, particularly for gaming.
The 6.73” LTPO AMOLED show presents WQHD+ 3200×1440 decision, with the best 552 PPI of all of the telephones right here, adaptive 1-120 Hz refresh fee, and 1900 NITs peak brightness.
4/ Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely
Ubergizmo Digital camera HW rating: 201
Excessive
- Foremost digicam system with 4 lenses, together with 200 MP sensor within the major module
- Two high-quality telephoto modules, one is a un 10X optical zoom
- Lovely design, IP68
- Glorious SoC efficiency
- Glorious massive show with the S-Pen
Low
- Costly
- “Quick” charger (45W) will not be supplied, and prices about $50
- At that value, the charging pace might have been quicker
Introduced on February 1st, 2023, out there since February seventeenth, 2023 – launch value $1,199.99.
Digital camera specs highlights:
- Extensive angle (principal) 24 mm, 200 MP, f/1.7, OIS,
- Ultrawide angle 13 mm, 12 MP, f/2.2, OIS
- Telephoto 69 mm, 10 MP, f/2.4, OIS, optical zoom 3X,
- Telephoto 230 mm, 10 MP, f/4.9, OIS, optical zoom 10X
- Selfie Entrance Digital camera 26 mm, 12 MP, f/2.2
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely wants no introduction and has been a digicam reference for a few years. The 2023 S23 Extremely version stays the most effective digicam methods available on the market, however it’s truthful to say that Samsung has not invested as a lot within the elements as a few of its rivals.
As an alternative, it’s sticking to its technique of providing a particularly excessive 200MP sensor (OIS) on its major digicam, paired with an excessive 230mm zoom that has been universally applauded by customers. In long-distance zoom contest, the S23 Extremely is the very best of all, and this has been confirmed time and time once more.
It will get a CAMERA HW rating of 201, which is superb however just about equal to the S22 Extremely.
In case you love portrait pictures, there’s additionally a 69mm zoom, which is OK, however its 10MP sensor is noticeably weaker than the S23 Extremely major digicam, whether or not measured by degree of particulars or shade accuracy.
Lastly, the 12MP ultrawide (HW) digicam is nice however has but to see a lot evolution. Nonetheless, it stays one of many higher ultrawide cameras on this group as a result of different OEMs typically neglect this perform, although ultrawide pictures are extremely popular. Whereas 12MP may appear small, 50MP ultrawide sensors typically have tiny pixels (right down to 0.65-micron). This UW digicam has 1.4-micron pixels as an alternative.
Outfitted with Qualcomm’s newest System-on-Chip (SoC), the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the S23 Extremely presents superb efficiency particularly for gaming (test the efficiency comparability graphic on the finish of the article).
The 6.8” 1440p AMOLED show with an adaptive refresh fee 1-120 Hz delivers a powerful picture high quality and presents 1750 NITs theoretical peak brightness that we measured at 1045 NITs. The show will not be the best decision or the best brightness of this choice, the Xiaomi 13 Professional delivers 552 PPI (vs 501 for the S23 Extremely), and the Xiaomi 13 Extremely delivers a powerful 2600 NITS peak brightness.
5/ iPhone 14 Professional Max
Ubergizmo CAMERA HW rating: 200 (similar because the iPhone 14 Professional with an similar digicam system)
Excessive
- Excessive-quality digicam sensors and lenses
- Glorious SoC efficiency
- Lovely show
IP68
Low
- At 240g, the heaviest smartphone on this choice
- Sluggish charging (30W)
- Charger not included
Introduced September 14, 2022, out there since September 24, 2022– launch value $1,099.
Digital camera options highlights**
- Extensive angle (principal) 24 mm, 48 MP, f/1.78, OIS,
- Ultrawide 13 mm, 12 MP, f/2.2,
- Telephoto 77 mm, 12 MP, f/2.8, 3X optical zoom,
- Selfie 23 mm, 12 MP, f/1.9
Amongst all of the smartphones we chosen right here, the iPhone 14 Professional Max possesses the weakest technical specs, apart from its digicam system. Nonetheless, at $1099, it’s now the most cost effective of our choice.
The Apple system show delivers the bottom pixel density, its battery has the smallest battery capability (4352 mAh vs. 5000 mAh for the others and 5450 mAh for the Honor Magic 5 Professional) alongside the slowest charging pace.
On the graphics efficiency facet, the iPhone 14 Po Max will not be pretty much as good in some frequent benchmarks (which replicate a lot of the present video games) as its Android friends with the same measurement and outfitted with the very best Qualcomm chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. With newer benchmarks, it does an excellent job. Nonetheless, it delivers the very best CPU efficiency of all of the units we chosen. (See graphics efficiency charts on the finish of this text).
That mentioned, the 6.7” OLED show is superb, and the sound high quality the stereo audio system ship is likely one of the greatest, simply behind the Galaxy S23 Extremely.
The iPhone 14 Professional Max exhibits Apple’s effort to shut the hole relating to digicam {hardware}. Previously couple of iterations, Apple has caught up with Samsung in general digicam {hardware} power, and also you now not hear folks speak a lot about massive picture variations between the 2 rivals, besides relating to long-zoom efficiency, the place Samsung stays the definitive chief.
The similarity in rating will not be fully stunning. Regardless of the 48MP vs. 200MP, the first sensor measurement is similar to the S23 Extremely. We discovered the 14 Professional’s 77mm zoom to be a bit higher than Samsung’s 69mm zoom, however the Ultrawide cameras are tied and the very best on this group.
We selected to assessment the iPhone 14 Professional Max for this choice, even supposing the iPhone 14 Professional options the identical digicam at a lower cost level ($999 launch value). One of many principal variations is its smaller display screen measurement, at 6.1”. On one hand, we want massive shows, and alternatively, it was logical to contemplate an iOS smartphone with the same measurement to the remainder of our listing.
The lately launched iPhone 15 Professional Max options an upgraded principal digicam system, and we are going to replace this text within the upcoming weeks.
Conclusion
The arms race within the cellular digicam house has resumed, and producers similar to Xiaomi and Honor are doubling down by investing in spectacular sensors which might be virtually 50% bigger than main established rivals. Over time, this funding can repay not solely in picture high quality but in addition in popularity and branding.
Utilizing our rating, we’ve beforehand demonstrated that Samsung constructed its digicam popularity by investing in higher digicam {hardware}. Huawei used the same technique.
Clearly, there’s extra to a telephone expertise than how highly effective the digicam {hardware} is, however it is usually clear that digicam efficiency is much more vital than battery life, in response to latest buyer surveys.
Filed in . Learn extra about Android, Digital camera Benchmarks, Editor’s Selection, iOS, Qualcomm, Smartphone Evaluations and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
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