Best Camera Phones 2020

Camera has become a major selling point for mobile phones recent year. The best camera phones are pushing the boundaries of technology and are often capable of delivering better results than the 'proper' camera in your kit bag. As screens get larger, camera phone sensors get more advanced and chipsets get more powerful, it can be tricky to keep track of the latest and greatest handsets. Faced with more and more lenses and choices, you may be confused which one is the best camera phone. Fortunately, we've rounded up the best for you right here. Let's take a look.

5 Best Camera Phones 2020

1. Huawei Mate40 Pro+

Huawei has a history of designing smartphones with great cameras and the Mate40 Pro+ is no exception. 

Key specifications:

• Penta camera setup
• Primary: 50MP 1/1.28" sensor (12MP output), 23mm-equivalent (1x defined as 27mm) f/1.9-aperture lens, full-pixel Octa-PD, OIS
• Ultra-wide: 20MP 1/1.54" sensor, 14mm-equivalent f2.4-aperture lens, optical anti-distortion, PDAF
• Tele: 12MP 1/3.56" sensor, 70mm-equivalent f/2.4-aperture lens, PDAF, OIS
• Tele: 8MP 240mm-equivalent f/4.4-aperture lens, OIS
• 3D depth sensor

Powered by new ISP on Kirin 9000, Huawei Mate40 Pro+ has a great leap on algorithm. Dynamic range is a particular highlight. As you would expect from a flagship phone in 2020, the camera captures good target exposure down to low light. In addition the Mate 40 Pro+ manages to maintain a wide dynamic range across light levels, even in very low light. With 10X optical zoom lens, Mate40 Pro+ can shoot up to 100X hybrid zoom.

                         Shot by Huawei Mate40 Pro+ 10X Optical Zoom Lens

2. iPhone 12 Pro Max

On paper, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has the most impressive imaging capabilities to date in an Apple phone.

Key camera specifications:

• Quad Camera
• Primary: 12 MP sensor (1.7µ photo sites), 26 mm-equivalent f/1.6-aperture lens, sensor shift OIS, PDAF
• Ultra-wide: 12 MP 1/3.6″ sensor, 13 mm-equivalent (14 mm measured) f/2.4-aperture lens
• Tele: 12 MP 1/3.4″ sensor, 65 mm-equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens, PDAF, OIS
• LiDAR depth sensing

Exposure is generally accurate (as you’d hope), especially on portraits, and even down to very low light levels. Less impressive dynamic range holds the exposure score back, however, as highlights and shadows tend to clip when the camera faces scenes with a very high brightness range. Color is generally pleasant, especially indoors, where a slightly warm rendering is often flattering. However, in high dynamic range scenes, color is less reliable.

                               Shot by iPhone 12 Pro Max Primary Camera

3. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

The S20 Ultra packs more photographic possibilities compared to its S20 and S20 Plus sister models, with a quad-camera configuration that features a time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensor, a higher-resolution sensor, and a longer focal length tele-camera.

Key camera specifications:

• Quad Camera
• Primary: 108MP 1/1.33″ sensor, 26mm-equivalent f/1.8-aperture lens with PDAF autofocus and OIS
• Telephoto: 48MP 1/2.0″ sensor, 103mm-equivalent f/3.5-aperture periscope lens with PDAF autofocus
• Ultra-wide: 12MP sensor, 13mm-equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens
• Depth: 0.3MP ToF 3D sensor with f/1.0-aperture lens

Images from the primary camera display excellent exposure, dynamic range, and color in most lighting conditions, with very few visible artifacts affecting image quality. The S20 Ultra’s wide-angle shooter is excellent, achieving a new top. Ultra-wide exposure and color are mainly accurate in all lighting conditions, and an expansive field of view ensures you can fit loads into the frame, with geometric distortion well corrected to keep lines straight. The tele-camera also performs well at medium and long range when the 4x optical zoom lens is fully utilized.

                         Shot by Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Wide-angle Lens

4. Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Like its sister device (the Mi 10 Pro that was released earlier this year), the Mi 10 Ultra comes with a quad-camera setup that includes dual-tele cameras and an ultra-wide module. However, there are some important differences in the camera hardware.

Key camera specifications:

• Primary: 48MP 1/1.32-inch Quad-Bayer sensor, 25mm-equivalent lens with f/1.85 aperture, PDAF and OIS
• Telephoto 1: 12MP 1/2.56-inch sensor, 50mm-equivalent (2x optical) lens with f/2 aperture, Dual-Pixel AF
• Telephoto 2: 48MP 1/2-inch Quad Bayer sensor, 120mm-equivalent (5x optical) lens with f/4.1 aperture, PDAF and OIS
• Ultra-wide: 20MP 1/2.8-inch sensor, 12mm-equivalent lens with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF

Mi 10 Ultra camera gets all the basics right most of the time such as target exposure, color rendering, and white balance, and offers a very wide dynamic range, capturing good detail in both bright and dark areas of the scene. This makes it ideal for shooting in challenging high-contrast conditions. Xiaomi has managed a good trade-off between texture and noise in images captured in dim conditions, and the camera is capable of achieving good exposures even in extremely low light.

                                Shot by Xiaomi Mi10 Ultra Primary Camera

5. Vivo X50 Pro+

The X50 Pro+ has a quad camera setup like the older X50 Pro, but does not offer that phone’s remarkable gimbal-based stabilization.

Key camera specifications:

• Primary: 50 MP 1/1.31-inch Quad-Bayer sensor, 24 mm-equivalent lens with f/1.9 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF and OIS
• Telephoto 1: 32 MP 1/2.8-inch sensor, 50 mm-equivalent (2x optical) lens with f/2.1 aperture, PDAF
• Telephoto 2: 13 MP 1/3.1-inch sensor, 124 mm-equivalent (5x optical) periscope lens with f/2.8 aperture, PDAF and OIS
• Ultra-wide: 13 MP 1/3.4-inch sensor, 16 mm-equivalent lens with f/2.2 aperture

Low light poses few problems for the X50 Pro+. It controls noise very well while keeping plenty of detail in images. Exposure remains accurate at night, with natural-looking white balance and pleasant colors. Target exposure is generally accurate, as are white balance and color rendering. Dynamic range is wide, holding detail well in both shadows and highlights in high-contrast situations.

                                   Shot by Vivo X50 Pro+ Primary Camera

How to Enhance Photo Quality?

Method 1: Enhance Photo on App. Lightroom, Snapseed, VSCO are recommended.

Method 2: Enhance Photo on Computer. Photoshop, Lightroom, Leawo PhotoIns are recommended. (Tip: Transfer photos to computer would be the first step)