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Buying Guide: The Best Camera Phones
Forget those years of grainy, washed-out photos from cell phone cameras. Today's higher-end handsets snap pictures that rival many standalone point-and-shoots. Plus, your phone is always in your pocket or purse, and as any photography enthusiast will tell you, the best camera is the one you have with you.
Still, it's a bit of a minefield out there as to which phones take the best pictures. Just as is the case with point-and-shoots, you can't tell from the specs alone. For example, the Nokia Lumia 928 sports an 8.7-megapixel camera sensor, but it shoots photos better than several 13- and 16-megapixel camera phones we've tested. In addition, even the best smartphone cameras lack optical zoom, and of course none will stand up to even the least-expensive interchangeable lens camera.
Even so, you'll be amazed at the quality you'll get from some camera phones—enough that you can probably leave the point-and-shoot behind for good.
Before we go further, we should at least mention Nokia's experiment last year in pushing the envelope: the PureView 808. This unlocked phone comes with a 41-megapixel sensor, oversized (and protruding) optics, and what amounts to 5-megapixels of 3x lossless zoom. It's also a terrible smartphone, with an obstinate, completely outdated operating system that should have stayed in 2007. Don't buy it. That said, Nokia is rumored to be working on a new Windows Phone-powered Lumia known as EOS, which will contain the PureView 808's camera; stay tuned.
With that, these are our favorite camera phones available today. Before you buy, also check out our Cell Phone Product Guide for the latest reviews, and How to Buy a Cell Phone for shopping tips.
FEATURED IN THIS ROUNDUP
Apple iPhone 5 (T-Mobile)
$199.99
Apple has steadily improved the camera with each successive iteration of the iPhone. If you care about photo quality the most, the iPhone 5 is one of the top few to get. Although the cameras in the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 offer more features, the iPhone 5's camera remains all-around great, thanks to its upgraded optics, 8-megapixel sensor, and best-in-class HDR mode. It also records 1080p high-definition video at a steady 30 frames per second, complete with image stabilization.
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Samsung Galaxy S 4 (Sprint)
$249.99
The Samsung Galaxy S 4 includes a blinding number of features, but it's also incredibly fast, and its 5-inch, full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) display looks stunning. The phone's 13-megapixel camera stands out the most for its bevy of special modes, including Dual Shot, which uses both the rear and front-facing cameras to insert your own face into a photo. The camera's actual performance is good, too, with sharp shots that allow for plenty of room for cropping and zooming, unlike HTC's UltraPixel camera. There's a little noise, and low-light performance trails the Lumia 928 by a significant margin.
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HTC One (AT&T)
$199.99
HTC raised its game with the One's versatile UltraPixel camera. Instead of more pixels, it features better pixels—2 micron pixels, to be exact, which are larger than the 1.1-micron pixels on other phones. The One also features a dedicated image processing chip, two-axis image stabilization, a five-level flash, and a fast f/2.0 lens. It's a fun and capable camera, and we were almost universally pleased with our test images. The One is also great for displaying your photos on the go, thanks to its 4.7-inch, 1080p (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) high-definition display.
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Nokia Lumia 920 (AT&T)
$99.99
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The slightly older Lumia 920, while heavier than the Lumia 928, packs almost the same exact camera minus a few improvements in low-light performance. It's still a powerhouse performer, particularly for video recording, and like the Lumia 928, the Lumia 920 captures massive 3,552-by-2,000-pixel images. The Lumia 920 also packs a beautiful screen with vivid color, plus Nokia's suite of apps with improved driving and transit navigation.
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Nokia Lumia 928 (Verizon Wireless)
$99.99
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Nokia is busy riding the impressive Windows Phone 8 OS wave to a surprisingly solid—if still distant—third place in sales next to Android and iOS devices. The Lumia 928 pairs that OS with a superlative 8.7-megapixel camera that snaps detailed, colorful shots, thanks to its built-in software processing. Low-light performance is particularly good, and in this respect blows away the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S 4 both with and without the powerful Xenon flash enabled. Only its shutter speed, at just under a full second, is a bit of a letdown. But it's a great choice otherwise, and you can't beat the price.
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Sony Xperia ZL (Unlocked)
$759.99
The Sony Xperia XL isn't the best deal in an unlocked smartphone—that award goes to the Google Nexus 4—but it's got a considerably better camera than that model. The Xperia ZL's 13-megapixel sensor can snap photos in under half a second, with rich and natural-looking color at least outdoors. It's not quite as good indoors as the phone cameras above, but it still gets the job done. A large 5-inch screen, surprisingly compact design, and fast overall performance make this phone drool-worthy; if only it didn't cost so much.
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