How to choose a smartphone with the best camera. Rating of smartphones with a good camera Smartphone with the best camera

RAM and processor power are, of course, important parameters, but many would like to have a good camera in their mobile device that allows them to take clear and interesting pictures. In this regard, Chinese smartphones are now good - many companies from the Middle Kingdom equip their phones not only with “heavy hardware”, but also with “clean glass”.

Chinese smartphones with the best cameras

In August 2016, there are a number of new models on the market that are worthy of attention not only for people who want to see six-digit numbers in synthetic tests, but also who simply want to regularly or occasionally take pictures that they can show off, for example, on social media networks.

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10 successful smartphones that you can buy for up to 10,000 rubles →

Xiaomi Mi5 – 8 lenses, 16 MP

Photo from max-review.ru

Price from 16 thousand rubles.

Xiaomi Mi5 – powerful chinese smartphone smartphone with a pretty good camera. The camera design contains 8 lenses, under which is hidden a sensitive Sony IMX298 matrix with 16 million light-sensitive sensors. The same goes for the front camera. Its lighting sensors work on approximately the same principle. However, the resolution is 4 times less - only 4 MP. Not much, but the photos are quite high quality.

IMX298 is relative new sensor, which has not only enough high resolution, but also captures light well. Thanks to this, photographs are clear even in low light conditions (for example, at night on a city face).

Also, especially for those who like to take photographs, Xiaomi Mi5 provides functions for processing faces in photographs - there are 36 of them in total - you can select those whose results you like the most. The smartphone can apply appropriate effects in real time mode, for example, when communicating in a video chat.

Buy Xiaomi Mi5

Huawei P9/P9 Plus – camera from the legendary camera manufacturer

Price - 27 - 34 thousand rubles.

Anyone who loves photography already has, or would like to own, a camera from Leica Camera AG. And now you can get a powerful universal mobile device, which has built-in glass from the legendary brand. The main camera is 12 MP. Perhaps some will be confused by such a resolution in mid-2016, but Huawei has prepared a surprise.

But it should be noted that there is only one Leica camera here - the front one, but it has a fairly high resolution - 8 million pixels. The pictures come out great - a real gift for those who love selfies or want to start shooting video blogs, but do not yet have professional equipment.

This smartphone has two modules, as well as a separate high-performance processor, which is responsible for processing photos and videos even at the stage of taking them. Thanks to this, the resulting image is free of almost all noise, and the colors are as true to reality as possible.

Buy Huawei P9 Plus

Bluboo Maya - an ordinary camera with unusual solutions

Price - 4.7 thousand rubles.

It should be said right away that in Blueboo Maya the resolution of the main camera is 13 million pixels, and the front one is 8 megapixels. Everything is quite standard, but there are some solutions here that are not typical for many other phones. It would seem that 8 megapixels of the front camera are more than enough to take good selfies. But no, the smartphone manufacturer wants smartphone owners to use the main one for this task. And the reason is this: the rear camera has a very sensitive sensor, and there are two flashes next to the lens. Thanks to this, in low light conditions, the face in the pictures turns out to be very high quality.

Especially in order to simplify the process of photographing yourself with the rear camera, the company has built in Bluboo Maya a shutter function using a V-gesture. It’s quite convenient and interesting, but still something unusual. However, the pictures come out really good.

Buy Bluboo Maya

Meizu Pro 6 – a smartphone with a high-definition camera

Price from 21.8 thousand rubles.

Main camera Meizu Pro 6 is a modified version of the “glass” that is installed in Meizu Pro 5. However, they worked on it quite well. The camera acquired a wide-angle lens, and some algorithms were added to the smartphone itself that improve picture quality. Due to the increased processor power, the time required for focusing has also been reduced - now it works 3-4 times faster. And, of course, the phone can do 4K video.

The front one is only 5 MP. In principle, nothing special - just a peephole that allows you to take photos of acceptable quality.

Buy Meizu Pro 6

LeEco Le 2 Pro – two good cameras

Price from 9 thousand rubles.

LeEco Le 2 Pro, like Meizu Pro 6, is equipped with a 21 MP camera. However, it takes slightly worse photographs - color rendition is a little weaker and autofocus is not as fast. But, in general, it works quite well, and with a high enough magnification, the pictures do not lose their clarity.

The front has a resolution of 8 megapixels. Quite a good option for selfies, as well as creating videos for YouTube and other video hosting sites.

Buy LeEco Le 2 Pro

OPPO R9/R9 Plus is an excellent front-facing camera

Price 27 thousand rubles.

Well, OPPO decided to make a selfie phone. But an interesting fact is that the quality of the rear camera is significantly inferior to the front one, the resolution of which is as much as 16 megapixels.

The only problem is that the front camera does not have a flash, which is expected. Therefore, with its help, good pictures can be obtained only in fairly good lighting, although its sensor is sensitive, so it takes good (albeit lower quality than on a sunny day) photographs even at dusk.

Meizu MX6 – a smartphone for those who don’t like to tinker with settings

Price - 14 thousand rubles.

Meizu MX6 has an IMX386 sensor from Sony. The resolution here is quite mediocre - about 12 megapixels, however, this is not the main thing. The main thing to say is good optimization– everything works very quickly: autofocus works almost instantly, and pictures are taken immediately after pressing the shutter button. Another interesting point is the refined software part. The phone itself perfectly understands what white balance to use, how best to build the exposure, etc., so that the photo turns out to be high-quality and interesting.

Therefore, Meizu MX6 is an almost ideal smartphone for those who want to take high-quality photographs, but do not want or do not know how to set up the camera. Front-camera– standard for many phones – only 5 megapixels.

Buy Meizu MX6

Huawei Honor V8 – dual camera and dual flash

Price from 20 thousand rubles.

Huawei continues to experiment with cameras in its phones. And, here, in Huawei Honor V8 they installed a dual main one with 12 megapixels, which, moreover, also has a double flash. It takes good photographs, and in the dark it takes absolutely excellent pictures. For this, in fact, you need two cameras and two flashes.

The only downside is that the phone doesn't have enough power to shoot 4K video.
The front camera resolution is 8 MP.

For many, when choosing a smartphone, an important criterion is the built-in camera. In your search for the best, it would be a win-win option to choose this year’s flagship from any of the A-brands. Whether it is a phone from Samsung, Sony, Apple, LG or Microsoft is not important. Buying the latest flagship model, you will get a device with an excellent camera. The only thing that can put me off here is the price.

But not everyone considers it necessary to buy a phone that costs more than five thousand dollars. At the same time, having a good camera in a smartphone does not become less important. Just two years ago it was difficult to imagine that a smartphone in the mid-price segment could have an advanced camera. Now the situation has changed. If you pay attention to, you can get a smartphone with a good camera at a very affordable price. Since this is a 2015 model, it has dropped noticeably in price. Now it costs about 18 thousand rubles in Russia. Those who are willing to wait can order it at Chinese store for $199.99 (unlimited coupons available from time to time). This is for a smartphone with an advanced 16-megapixel Sony IMX234 Exmor RS camera!

ZTE nubia Z9 mini is a really inexpensive smartphone with a good camera. It’s difficult to find anything else for this money in Russia. Difficult, but possible! Recently the Wileyfox brand was introduced in Russia. The company sells smartphones only online. Everything is done for the cheapest possible price (even charger not included, only USB cable). They have a wonderful Wileyfox Storm phablet with a Sony Exmor RS 20.7 MP camera (the official website does not say what kind of camera model it is, but according to some sources it is IMX220, which is hard to believe; you can judge the interpolation from the photographs). On the same DJ website they are asking $189.99 for it without coupons. But this is the case when you shouldn’t “focus” on the megapixels of the camera. As smartphone reviews have shown, the camera in Wileyfox Storm shoots at the level of good 13-16 megapixel cameras.

In 2016, the Z9 mini was replaced by the Z9 mini, which also deserves the title of the most affordable smartphone with an advanced camera. It's still a mid-range smartphone, but it uses advanced technology. Sony camera IMX298, which is also equipped with the flagship Xiaomi Mi5 and Huawei Mate 8, which cost an order of magnitude more.

Now we can talk about megapixels and why the ZTE nubia Z9 mini is the most affordable smartphone with a 16 MP camera. The fact is that many Chinese are cunning by indicating this camera resolution in their smartphones. Yes, they do shoot at a resolution of 5328x2997 (this corresponds to 16 megapixels), but this can be achieved by software increasing the resolution (interpolation). For example, a smartphone will have a 13 MP camera module installed, but thanks to software processing, the smartphone will take pictures in 16 MP resolution. At the same time, the quality of the photo will not improve. Rather, the opposite effect is possible.

Looking for cheap smartphone with a good camera, you can run into devices such as iNew V7, Leagoo Elite 1 and Cubot X15. The manufacturer specifies a 16 MP main camera in them, but in reality they have a 13 MP camera module installed, and the image resolution is simply increased by software to 16 MP. That is, they are simply trying to deceive you. Photos from such smartphones will be an order of magnitude lower than in the ZTE nubia Z9 mini. As evidenced by numerous reviews.

Camera module in a smartphone Nokia Lumia 925

Actually, not only the number of megapixels is important in a camera module. The quality of the lenses, their quantity, aperture (aperture ratio) are important; the presence of optical image stabilization will have a positive effect. Last but not least is the camera application, that is, software image processing. So when choosing a smartphone you need to be especially careful. It is advisable to look for reviews of the device on the Internet so that you can see examples of pictures clearly and read the conclusion of the review author.

Engineering thought has reached the ceiling - further improvement of cameras is objectively impossible without a radical change in the design of the smartphone itself. All flagship models are equipped with almost ideal, from a technical point of view, modules, and to determine the winner, you will have to take an alternative route.

While smartphone users race to fill their file storages and social media accounts with photos of cats, landscapes, and their loved ones, engineers are scratching their heads over how to improve already excellent cameras. Moreover, the competition for the latter is even tougher, because the fight is not for likes, but for millions of dollars of potential profit for the company.

A few years ago, looking at the performance of cameras on flagship devices from Apple, Samsung and other A-brands, it seemed that the evolution of these modules was about to stop. High-quality, “silent” photos even in low light conditions, ultra-fast autofocus, optical stabilization when shooting video - what more? However, there is no limit to perfection; the emergence of new features and improvements depends solely on user demand.

By mid-spring, all the leading vendors had already pleased the public with announcements and releases of fresh flagship smartphone models, which means we can draw intermediate results. In this article we will look at the 10 best cameras in mobile devices as of 2020.

All the smartphones presented below take excellent photos and videos, but narrowly focused specialists can still set priorities, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of a particular model. This rating was compiled according to data from DxOMark experts and other authoritative resources.

Which smartphone has the best camera - Top 12 in 2020

12th place iPhone 11

Unlike its predecessor, the iPhone XR, which had only one lens (a standard wide-angle 12-megapixel module), received an additional ultra-wide-angle camera, which not only added the ability to “reverse” wide-angle zoom, but also significantly expanded the functional scope of the camera as a whole. Among other things, iPhone 11 has: auto-correction, improved Smart-HDR, etc.

11th place Honor P20 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro

Huawei's sub-brand pleases customers with more affordable price tags and very good cameras, the experience in building which is clearly borrowed from its older brother. The Honor P20 Pro does not have the same zoom capabilities as the Huawei P30 Pro or the latest Samsung smartphones, but it still demonstrates excellent shooting quality, rated by DxOMark experts at 111 points. The hardware characteristics of the camera phone are as follows:

The main lens is Sony IMX586 with a 1/2″ matrix size, 48 megapixel resolution, f/1.4 aperture, optical image stabilization and a focal length of 28 mm;
8-megapixel telephoto camera, matrix size 1/4.4″, aperture f/2.4, focal length 80 mm;
16 MP wide-angle lens with 1/3.06″ size and f/2.2 aperture;
Macro lens with 2 MP matrix.

Like its DxOMark rated neighbor Honor P20 Pro, OnePlus' flagship smartphone has a Sony IMX586 main lens and a 48 MP 1/2″ sensor, but with a slightly less strong f/1.6 aperture and a focal length of 26 mm. Two additional modules are also practically indistinguishable: an 8 MP telephoto, f/2.4 and a 16 MP wide lens, f/2.2, however, the telephoto lens, unlike its competitor, has its own optical stabilization system. The result is a smartphone that is capable of taking photographs and shooting video at a very high level of quality by the standards of 2020, for which it deservedly receives a high place in the ranking of camera phones.

10th place Honor V30 Pro

Another top-end camera phone, developed by Huawei specialists. One of the most noticeable disadvantages of the Honor V30 Pro, in comparison with the same Mate 30 Pro, is the lack of a portrait ToF camera; in addition, the smartphone shoots video of noticeably lower quality, but at the same time wins in direct comparison with many competitors on the market. The list of characteristics is as follows:

Main: 40 MP, matrix size 1/1.7 inches, focal length 27 mm, aperture F/1.6, optical image stabilization;
Ultra-wide-angle: 12 MP, pixel size 1.4 μm, focal length 16 mm, aperture F/2.2;
Telephoto lens: 8 MP, 1/4-inch matrix size, 80 mm focal length, F/2.4 aperture, optical image stabilization.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the dual front camera of the Honor V30 Pro, consisting of a wide-angle (32 MP, F/2.0 aperture) and ultra-wide-angle (8 MP, F/2.2 aperture) lenses. Another advantage of the camera phone is the combination of phase detection and laser autofocus on each of the three main cameras.

9th place Samsung Galaxy S20

The new flagship was positioned, in particular, as the best camera phone in the world, and therefore should stand out not only from its competitors, but also from its peers in the line. At the same time, even the difference between the models was deliberately emphasized - the most budget smartphone did not receive a module Depth sensor, the cost of which is not so high, but in practice many Galaxy S20 users will feel its absence. This camera is designed to improve the now very popular portrait shots with blur. background. Otherwise, the technical characteristics of the Galaxy S20 cameras are identical to the S20+ model.

Ultra-wide-angle: 12 MP, dot size 1.4 microns, aperture F/2.2;
Wide-angle: 12 MP, size 1.8 microns, aperture F/1.8, optical image stabilization;
Telephoto lens: 64 MP, 0.8 micron, F/2.0 aperture, optical image stabilization;

8th place Galaxy Note 10, Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S10 and Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

At the very beginning of 2019, they set a high standard for the quality of photo and video shooting for other manufacturers - both gadgets received a triple camera with an additional ultra-wide lens.

16 MP (Ultra-wide angle / F2.2), FF;
Dual Pixel 12 MP OIS (Wide Angle / F1.5 / F2.4), AF;
12 MP OIS (Telephoto / F2.4), AF.

In addition, the Galaxy S10+ model received a dual front camera:

Dual Pixel 10 MP AF (F1.9);
8 MP AF (variable depth of field / F2.2).

DxOMark experts rated the efforts of Samsung engineers at 109 points, and this is a repetition of the high Huawei results Mate P20 Pro. Experts consider the main advantage of Korean cameras to be excellent detail and clarity of images even in low light conditions. In addition, the software functionality has been significantly improved, including: expanded capabilities of the “Live Focus” mode, added new Animoji, real-time shooting tips for beginners and specific options for professionals in the Pro section.

In turn, presented in August 2019, the Galaxy Note 10 received a main camera that traditionally does not have any fundamental differences from the Galaxy S10, which was older by six months. However, some minor nuances and software improvements allowed the Galaxy Note 10 to take a high place in the DxOMark camera phone rating, beating the Galaxy S10 due to the quality of video shooting (experts noted a wide dynamic range and autofocus accuracy when observing an object).

7th place Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition

Perhaps the most anticipated camera phone of 2019, which is rated by DxOMark experts as equal in shooting capabilities to the rating leader Huawei Mate 30 Pro, but at the same time costs significantly less than its competitor.

In the description, the 5-module camera Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition looks very impressive:

Main lens: 108 MP, 25 mm focal length, f/1.69 aperture, optical image stabilization;
Small telephoto lens: 12.19 MP, 50 mm focal length, f/2.0 aperture;
Large telephoto lens: 7.99 MP, 94 mm focal length, f/2 aperture, optical image stabilization;
Ultra-wide-angle lens: 20.11 MP, 16 mm focal length, f/2.2 aperture;
Macro lens: 2 MP, f/2.4 aperture

Add here two dual LED flashes and you get a camera phone that has no equal on the market in terms of the listed characteristics. However, in fact, the impressive technical description gives a result comparable to more modest, but more carefully designed and high-quality systems, for example, in the same Huawei Mate 30 Pro.

6th place Huawei P30 Pro

Featured at the presentation on March 28, 2019 Chinese flagshipHuawei P30 Pro expectedly raised a new quality bar for premium-segment camera phones. Successfully continuing the tradition of its predecessors (Huawei P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro).

To create photos and videos use:

Base lens with 40 MP resolution and f1.6 aperture;
Wide-angle lens with 20 MP resolution and f/2.2 aperture;
Telephoto lens with 8 MP resolution and f/3.4 aperture;
ToF camera;
Front camera with a resolution of 32 MP and f/2.0 aperture.

However, this is that rare case when the advantages of a device are not very noticeable “on paper”, but leave no chance for competitors in practice. The main feature Huawei P30 Pro- this is the ability to shoot in any lighting conditions and even complete darkness:

Such miracles are possible thanks to an innovative spectral sensor with an unusual RYB (red, yellow, blue) structure instead of RGB (red, green, blue), which captures 40% more light.

Another trump card of the camera phone is the possibility of 5x optical, 10x hybrid and 50x digital zoom. The gadget uses a periscopic lens with 5 lenses as a “spyglass”, providing a 125 mm focal length.

5th place Samsung Galaxy S20+

The middle brother of the renewed one Samsung lines Galaxy is significantly inferior to the flagship, but at the same time it looks quite decent compared to most competitors. Installed here:

Ultra-wide-angle camera: 12 MP, pixel size 1.4 microns, aperture F/2.2;
Wide-angle: 12 MP, size 1.8 microns, aperture F1.8, optical image stabilization;
Telephoto lens: 64 MP, size 0.8 microns, aperture F/2.0, optical image stabilization;
DepthVision for portrait photography;
Hybrid optical zoom 3x, digital zoom 30x;
Front: 10 MP, size 1.22 microns, aperture F/2.2.

As can be seen from a dry comparison of numbers, the lag behind the flagship is noticeable to the naked eye, however, there are a number of advantages over last year's models available.

In particular, the Samsung Galaxy S20+ is also equipped with a “space zoom”, albeit not as sharp as the Ultra models - it is possible to enlarge the image 4 times through optical zoom and up to 30 times through digital zoom.

The Nonacell mode was not implemented for the S20+ model, but the device received a number of other flagship functions. For example, Single Take mode, in which all cameras are shot for 10 seconds, and the result is short videos and a few of the best selected artificial intelligence, pictures.

4th place Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro

The new Xiaomi flagship, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the company's presence on the market, was equipped with the most advanced cameras example Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, only slightly inferior Korean manufacturer in detail. Specifications Xiaomi cameras Mi 10 Pro look like this:

Wide-angle: 108 MP, F/1.7 aperture, laser autofocus, optical image stabilization;
Telephoto lens: 8 MP, F/2.0 aperture, 1.0 μm pixel size, PDAF, laser autofocus, optical image stabilization, 10x hybrid optical zoom;
Portrait: 12 MP, aperture F/2.0, size 1.4 microns, 2x optical zoom;
Ultra-wide-angle: 20 MP, F/2.2 aperture.

Experts note that the main achievement of Xiaomi specialists was the improvement of algorithms for processing data from smartphone cameras, which made it possible not only to make the process of shooting and saving the result instantaneous (not least thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chip), but also to implement a whole list of new functions for users, which will certainly be widely used in practice. For example, during the presentation it was shown how, in a couple of clicks, you can add an effect to a photo that creates the illusion of a photo from behind glass, along which “live” drops of water flow. Besides, big job was carried out to introduce new video shooting modes, among which support for recording videos in 8K quality stands out.

3rd place iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max

Cameras outperform South Korean cameras in DxOMark rating Samsung smartphones Galaxy Note 10+, while overall rating iPhones were significantly reduced for video shooting capabilities - only 117 points, 124 for photos and 102 for video. However, company experts noted that Apple managed to introduce the technologies necessary to directly compete with the best camera phones on the market within a year.

Following trends, Apple has equipped its flagship smartphones with a triple camera with the following characteristics:

12 MP main wide-angle lens with ƒ/1.8 aperture;
12 MP telephoto lens with ƒ/2.0 aperture;
Ultrawide 12 MP lens with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120-degree viewing angle.

In addition, in 2019 smartphones, Apple has implemented , which improves the quality of photos and videos taken in conditions of extremely low ambient lighting, which is important for all lovers of mobile photography without exception.

2nd place Huawei Mate 30 Pro

If we look at the technical characteristics of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro cameras, there are not so many differences with its predecessor P30 Pro and they relate primarily to the ultra-wide-angle camera:

Main: 40 MP, 1/1.7-inch matrix size, 27 mm equivalent focal length, F/1.6 aperture, PDAF autofocus, optical image stabilization;
Ultra-wide-angle: 40MP, matrix size 1/1.54 inches, 18 mm focal length, F/1.8 aperture, PDAF;
Telephoto lens: 8 MP 1/4-inch matrix size, 80 mm focal length, F/2.4 aperture, PDAF, optical image stabilization;
ToF 3D portrait camera.

So, for shooting photos and videos, roughly speaking, two separate modules of 40 MP resolution each are responsible, and the first has optical stabilization, while the second noticeably reduces the quality of videos when using digital camera motion correction.

In fact, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro camera can offer a higher level of detail in the corners of the photo when shooting during the day and slightly less noticeable noise in low-light conditions; other differences are almost impossible to notice with the naked eye.

As for video, the main feature here is the slow motion mode with a frequency of 7680 frames per second. In the video below you can compare this SlowMo with a frequency of 960 fps.

1st place Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

Of course, the best camera phone on the market at the time of its release, which fully met and even exceeded the expectations of fans of Samsung products. From a technical point of view, the device is equipped with the following main modules:

Ultra-wide-angle camera: 12 MP resolution, 1.4 µm pixel size, F/2.2 aperture;
Wide-angle: 108 MP, pixel size 0.8 μm and 2.4 μm in Nonacell dot merging mode, F/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization;
Telephoto lens: 48 MP, size 0.8 μm (1.6 μm in Nonacell mode), aperture F/3.5, optical image stabilization;
Depth Sensor: Portrait camera;
Hybrid optical zoom 10x, digital zoom 100x;
Front camera: 40 MP, pixel size 0.7 μm (1.4 μm in Nonacell mode), aperture F/2.2.

As can be seen from the description, the front camera of the flagship has been significantly improved compared to both previous models in the line and the younger versions of the Galaxy S20 / S20+ with last year’s 10-megapixel lens installed.

However, the main innovations concerned, of course, the main camera, which has the latest 108-megapixel module of Samsung's own production, which takes pictures with the highest level of detail and can combine pixels using Nonacell technology to obtain the optimal image in terms of quality and energy consumption. In practice, this means that the user can, for example, enlarge the resulting image several times, cut out the scene from the background and get a picture that is almost as detailed as the original image.

Another interesting new feature is support for shooting video in 8K resolution. Actually, such functionality is not in great demand on the market, because monitors with such a high resolution are still very rare, but the owners of new Samsung TVs 8K may well be interested in purchasing a flagship smartphone.

In addition, we cannot fail to mention the 4x optical, 10x hybrid and 100x digital zoom, which allows, with the proper skill, to shoot objects at a very long distance in quite acceptable quality.

Camera test: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and iPhone 11 Max Pro

Before purchasing, you should consider the real capabilities of smartphones that will really be useful to you. First of all, decide what you need from a phone and make a list of characteristics, prioritizing them.

For example, the first place may be the quality of the camera and the presence of a selfie camera. On the second - the ability to listen to music or play games, on the third - powerful battery etc. In order for a mobile phone to meet all your requirements, and even have an affordable price, you need to consider not only the flagships of the industry, but also secondary brands that are slightly inferior to them in capabilities.

Phone lines by brand level

Before you consider specific models, it is worth understanding what is happening in the market. All manufacturers’ offers can be divided into 4 categories, on which the quality and cost of the model directly depend.

A-brands. The most popular smartphones with mass additional functions. Fierce competition leads to manufacturers hiring development staff to search for the most advanced technologies. If today we hear models that are unlocked with a fingerprint, then tomorrow they will “learn” to respond to the retina. The downside of flagships is that half of the functions may not be useful. In addition, you will have to significantly overpay for the brand. We are talking about Apple, Samsung, LG, HTC, etc.;
B-brands. The second group includes “strong middle peasants”. Smartphones that have features comparable to major brands, but differ significantly in price. From this category it is quite possible to choose a budget camera phone. Decent brands: Xiaomi, Huawei, Meizu, Lenovo;
C-brands. Lesser-known brands from various global manufacturers at attractive prices. You can buy, but you need to carefully select the right model. These include: Oppo, Doogee, Zopo, Cubot, etc.;
The fourth category includes all other smartphones that do not have a brand. They can be produced underground, which means they often break down. It is not recommended to select a gadget from this category.

Features of super cameras

In terms of shooting quality, the cameras built into modern smartphones are superior to point-and-shoot cameras and are trying to catch up with SLR cameras. Moreover, megapixels are far from the most important parameter. It is necessary to pay attention to the aperture ratio, which determines the quality of shooting in low light conditions.

Attention! If the camera works perfectly during the day, then at dusk it can make noise, that is, produce dark photos. When choosing, it is better to compare not daytime, but evening photographs. This way you can get a real idea of the camera's capabilities.
Another significant parameter is the shooting start speed. How faster camera responds to the press of a button, the greater the chances of capturing an interesting moment. The optimal indicator is 2-3 seconds.

A high-quality camera is also useful for video shooting. A required parameter is support for recording in FHD format.

The criteria listed apply to both the main camera and the selfie camera.

Which operating system to choose

An ideal operating system (OS) should have a user-friendly interface, instant operation without crashes or freezes, and the ability to use online applications.

Advice. When choosing a model budget smartphone With a good camera, you need to pay attention to the processor, built-in and RAM memory and battery power.

There are 3 platforms:

. Judging by the research results, 70% of respondents use Android smartphones. Support is positioned as simple and reliable, available thanks to a large number inexpensive models;

IOS. Apple's brainchild features stable operation and high quality, but belongs to the premium segment. You will have to pay extra for reliable functionality;

Windows. The Microsoft platform is unpopular; the number of models running on this platform is limited. Therefore, despite the affordable prices of smartphones, experts do not recommend this choice, because it will significantly limit the capabilities of the gadget.

Large screen and its advantages

It is more convenient to study the details of photos, watch videos and films on a large screen, so recently there has been a tendency to increase the display diagonal. The optimal performance for a camera phone is considered to be a screen of 4.7 to 5 inches.

Rating of the best budget camera phones

A smartphone with a good camera at an affordable price is not a fairy tale. When choosing from B-brands, you can find very decent models costing from $120 to $150.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is the best budget camera phone of 2016

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is a budget gadget made in China. Its main camera (13 megapixels) is in no way inferior to flagship models. Copes well with artificial lighting and twilight. Shoots video at maximum resolution and with stereo sound. The front camera (5 MP) is characterized by high-quality, rich photographs.

The eight-core processor runs Android, has 16 GB of main memory and 2 GB of RAM.

2. Meizu M2 is available in two versions, note and mini. Oddly enough, the best cameras are the smaller ones. Camera resolutions are 13 megapixels. They cope with shooting indoors and outdoors; when photographing in the twilight, you need to use manual setting and the pictures will turn out perfect. The front camera (5 megapixels) provides clear, detailed images.

The smartphone works under Android control, equipped with a processor with 4 cores, 16 Mg of main memory and 2 RAM.

3. Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is a masterpiece with an excellent camera. Manufacturers have equipped it with laser autofocus and an intelligent removal system. It automatically removes moving objects located between the focus point and the lens. Both cameras work flawlessly in any lighting.

A 4-core processor provides the power of the device. Built-in memory of 16 GB and RAM 2 GB allow you to download the required number of applications.

The only negative is the battery capacity, which only lasts for a day.

4. THL 5000 T. Economical camera phone with good cameras (13 MP and 5 MP) and a capacious battery. Equipped with a powerful 8 nuclear processor, main memory – 8 GB and RAM – 1 GB.

5. Huawei Honor 4C has 2 cameras 13 and 5 megapixels. They are able to accurately convey colors and details at any time of the day. They shoot high-quality video and allow you to use not only automatic, but also manual settings. According to other data, the camera phone is quite competitive. It has an 8-core processor and 2 GB of RAM.

In addition to the indicated models included in the top five, you can pay attention to the following gadgets: Acer Liquid E3, Meizu MX 5, Doogee X5, Prestigio MultiPhone 3531 and ZTE Nubia 79.

The growth in technical characteristics and quality of “smart technology” makes it possible to purchase a budget camera phone that is practically not inferior to flagship models.

The best camera phones of 2016 - video

This is the most complete guide by choice of smartphone in 2016. We will choose top 10 best smartphones in all price segments, consider expert ratings and customer reviews. Let's define best flagships, camera phones, the best inexpensive smartphones, as well as best companies smartphones based on the results of 2016.

For many buyers, price comes first when choosing a smartphone, because not everyone can or wants to buy a top-end device that costs 50 thousand rubles or more. But regardless of budget, buyers always want to get the most for their money. That is why we have compiled several ratings - the best flagship smartphones, the best mid-price smartphones and the best inexpensive smartphones.

These are the most best models smartphones according to experts - sites and magazines involved in professional testing of electronics. Professional testing implies an independent and objective assessment, as well as the availability of special equipment and extensive knowledge to conduct the appropriate tests.

Rating of the best flagship smartphones of 2016

Let's start with the rating of flagship models. Essentially, this is just a ranking of the best smartphones of 2016, without adjusting for cost. According to most experts, the best smartphones of 2016 are recognized Samsung Galaxy S7 And S7 Edge, these are the devices that received the highest ratings according to the tests of TopTenReviews, CHIP, TechRadar and many other reputable sites. The smartphones have record-breaking performance, a reference screen and one of the best mobile cameras on the market. The average rating of smartphones was 93.5 and 93.1 points, respectively, this is the average rating the devices received based on 26 ratings from various publications.

93.5 (26 ratings)

93.1 (26 ratings)

92.4 (22 ratings)

92.0 (28 ratings)

92.0 (27 ratings)

91.7 (26 ratings)

91.5 (25 ratings)

90.3 (17 ratings)

90.2 (28 ratings)

89.5 (25 ratings)

In third place is Xperia XZ, the flagship from Sony. Apple iPhone 7 found itself in fourth place in the list of the best smartphones of 2016, and this can be regarded as a very good result, considering that in the past year iPhone I had to settle for only seventh place. Rounds out the top five Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, the leader of last year's rating, which is still in high demand among buyers.

Rating of the best smartphones of 2016 under 20,000 rubles

Now let’s look at the best smartphones in the middle price segment, according to experts, that is, costing from 10 to 20 thousand rubles. These are the optimal models in terms of price-quality ratio. Among the presented models there are both classic “mid-range” and top-end smartphones of past years.

What should you expect when buying a smartphone worth 10-20 thousand rubles, and what is the difference between these devices and the top flagships of 2016? Firstly, they have more modest screens with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and lower. Chipsets (processor, graphics chip) are also weaker, that is, lower performance, this will be noticeable in modern 3D games. Cameras, as a rule, have modules of the previous generation without advanced options (optical stabilization, dual flash, laser autofocus), and lack some hardware and software features that make flagships stand out. How to choose the right smartphone under 20,000 rubles and what characteristics you should pay attention to first - in our article.

90.2 (15 ratings)

90.0 (20 ratings)

89.4 (20 ratings)

89.3 (16 ratings)

89.1 (15 ratings)

88.2 (14 ratings)

87.5 (20 ratings)

87.3 (16 ratings)

86.7 (20 ratings)

85.0 (18 ratings)

Rating of the best smartphones of 2016 under 10,000 rubles

Let's move on to the most popular segment - smartphones costing less than 10 thousand rubles. If Samsung, Apple, Sony and other companies with a rich history occupy the leading positions in the ranking of expensive smartphones, Chinese brands are gaining more and more popularity among inexpensive smartphones. And there is nothing surprising here. For the same money, the Chinese offer devices with much more advanced technical characteristics, which naturally attracts buyers looking to get the most for their money.

We have compiled two ratings of the best inexpensive smartphones of 2016 - based on expert ratings (presented below) and based on customer reviews (available). The fact is that many authoritative publications limit themselves to reviews of products only from A-brands, and do not even bother testing second-tier smartphones, not to mention the products of little-known Chinese companies. That is why it is simply impossible to calculate the average rating for such devices, as a result they are not in the top best devices. However, you can find quite a lot of reviews with customer ratings (since smartphones are very popular), which we took advantage of by compiling. In this material you will also find several useful tips How to choose the right smartphone costing less than 10 thousand rubles.

90.0 (16 ratings)

89.1 (15 ratings)

87.4 (20 ratings)

87.3 (20 ratings)

86.8 (15 ratings)

86.8 (14 ratings)

85.0 (18 ratings)

85.0 (20 ratings)

82.8 (14 ratings)

82.5 (12 ratings)

Rating of smartphones 2016 with the best camera

Camera. Manufacturers of this component modern smartphones are paying more and more attention. Smartphones with a good camera are proudly called camera phones, and this does not mean that such smartphones are somehow inferior in other aspects.

Every year we see a competition between flagships for the title of the best mobile camera. According to the DxOMark website, the best camera phone of 2016 is Google Pixel(89 points in the rating), which beat three smartphones by just one point: HTC 10, Samsung Galaxy S7 And Sony Xperia X Performance.

The best camera phones of 2016 according to the DxOMark website

However, this rating agency's ratings often differ from those of other sites. Having summed up the ratings of various publications, we compiled our own (other characteristics of smartphones were not taken into account when calculating the rating). On this page you will also find comparative reviews smartphone cameras.

Best smartphone companies 2016

Which company's smartphones are the best? A separate study was devoted to this issue - We will not retell it in full, we will only outline brief conclusions. Experts most like products from A-brands such as Samsung, Apple, Sony, LG and HTC; just look at the ratings of the best smartphones above. This is especially true for expensive flagship smartphones. However, smartphones from companies such as Huawei, Asus and OnePlus sometimes also receive very high expert ratings.

As for buyers, they have their own opinion on this matter. We held a vote in which any site visitor could vote for or against any brand. On this moment More than 15 thousand people voted, the votes were distributed as follows:

We also analyzed customer ratings on Yandex Market, calculating the average rating for each brand using a 5-point system. The results were quite unexpected: the Chinese took four first places:

From this we can conclude that buyers are often dissatisfied with the quality of the products of many large companies (the so-called A-brands), having high expectations for them. And, on the contrary, they remain pleasantly surprised by smartphones from certain Chinese brands, which were initially aimed at the budget segment and offer more “tasty” characteristics at a lower price.