Choosing phone cameras over professional DSLR cameras has become common, especially with the powerhouse cameras phones come with today. With the addition of dual-lens to even four-lens cameras, it seems almost silly to have both. This begs the question; what smartphones had the best cameras in 2018?

Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS Max

With no surprise, Apple maintains its superiority for best camera over other well-known brands. With a newly improved image sensor, a newly added neural engine, and ISP, these cameras capture the best picture in almost any lighting conditions. Furthermore, the iPhone XS is known for the most natural color output.

Google Pixel 3XL

Google Pixel 3

Google follows closely behind with its Pixel series; whose main selling point is the camera abilities. The Pixel 3XL and 3 live up to the expectations with a single-lens 12MP rear camera and a dual 8MP front camera. This real selling point though, is Google’s machine learning technology that accelerates the camera capabilities further. The Pixel 3 series added the new Night sight mode to provide satisfactory pictures, even in pitch black dark.

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung Galaxy S9

Samsung was always in the running for quality smartphones, cameras included. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ was the world’s first phone with variable aperture technology¹ and f/1.5 aperture¹. With a dual 12MP rear camera, the Galaxy S9+ will not fail you when taking excellent pictures. The Galaxy Note 9 has a similar camera but features a scene optimization mode that optimizes a camera after detecting the scenario it is presented. Take note that the Galaxy S9 falls behind the others in its series, for it only has a single-lens camera, but it still manages pictures that will surely meet the everyday person’s standards.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Huawei P20 Pro

Huawei has made the running with its innovative triple-lens camera. The P20 Pro was the first ever triple-lens camera with a 40MP primary sensor, 20MP monochrome sensor, and an 8MP wide-angle sensor. The company also tied in its AI based image processing technology that allows the camera to reach 3X zoom at optimal quality. The Mate 20 Pro takes it even further with a 40MP wide-angle lens, 8MP telephoto lens, and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. Essentially, these components allow for the Mate 20 Pro to have a wide variety of photos with a range of settings. Additionally, the Mate 20 Pro has auto-scene detection, a macro mode, and a night mode. Huawei is a strong addition to Android power and capability against Apple.

LG G7+ ThinQ

The ThinQ makes the list due to the implementation of software for the camera. It follows the new standard of a dual-lens rear camera, with a 16MP primary camera with f/1.6 aperture¹, which is more than enough for a casual user. The really interesting part about this camera is the second camera is used to capture an extra piece of information, much like a bokeh effect².

These are my recommendations for an awesome camera that you can keep in your pocket. Do you own any of these phones? If so, what are your thoughts on the camera quality? If not, are you going to buy any one of the phones? Or are you going to stick with your DSLR? Let me know in those comments down below!

1 Aperture is what controls the brightness of the image that passes through the lens and falls on the image sensor.

2 The bokeh effect is the soft out-of-focus background with a subject in focus at the front, usually used for aesthetics purposes.