Question

What's the best phone for taking photos?


Userlevel 1
Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

29 replies

Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

I like the samsung S8 pictures are clean and crisp great auto focus and zoom. They do say that the Huawei P20 pro has a good camera too the specs look good but I couldn't say for certain as I have never used one. The only cameras I have used are the Samsung S8, S6 and the Apple IPhone 7 and there is not much between them all they all perform great and take great photos. But if you want really good photographs you will need to get an SLR camera as all phones have there limitations.
Userlevel 6
Badge +1
I'd say most phones these days have very good quality cameras in them. Even with some of the cheaper model phones, you usually have a decent quality camera.
Well for the average user anyway.
Userlevel 1
#simple
#phoneorcamera
#camera
just buy a camera £££ + a camera printer (camera = good picture = $$$$$$$)
Userlevel 2
Depends on budget, sounds like the p20 pro and Samsung galaxy s9 are good at the top end, I've found Motorola Motos to be surprisingly good if looking for something cheap and cheerful.
Huawei phones!
P20 pro ... wife has one and whenever she Whatsapps pics to people they are amazed at the quality (as is she)!
Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

I find the cameras on Huawei phones to be great 🙂 girlfriend just got the p20 pro and it takes great pictures!!
Userlevel 1
Thing is, you can't go wrong with any phone camera these days, as most of them have performance capabilities way beyond their human handlers.

So choose a phone, any phone, then learn a bit about photography. There's much to assimilate, from composition, exposure, landscapes, lighting, close-ups and portraiture. But most of all (are you listening?) be brave in your editing.

The best photographers are almost invariably the best editors. Learn the power of picture cropping, colour balancing, and without doubt, deleting. Can you imagine the mess the Sunday Times would be if it didn't have a good editor?

Take lots of pictures, no harm in that. Compliment your subjects and keep shooting. Then, in the quiet, delete any that you wouldn't have shown at the National Gallery with your name attached.
The P20 pro is amazing for some types of picture and brilliant for low light pics like concerts etc. However it used so much processing that pictures are often unnatural. If you want more natural looking photos then Google or Samsung may be better for you. iPhones are of course also very good.
Userlevel 1
Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

My Huawei P20 lite camera performs with fantastic results.
Userlevel 1
Well the consensus is clear Huawei 20's are the way to go and magazine reviews agree. But, that's this month, things change so fast, wait a few months and something else will be best. At the same time the price of the Huawei may go down or else a less expensive but equally capable model will be released.

There is another approach (might not be popular with ID/Carphone): if photo quality is the key factor in your decision why not consider a separate camera and a budget phone (with a "good enough" camera for when you're not trying to wow everyone with your photo quality).
We seem to have forgotten that while mobile phones have been improving fast so have digital cameras. Just compare the size of the lens and sensors between camera and mobile phone - how can the tiny lens and sensor in a mobile phone compete with the orders-of-magnitude bigger and better capabilities of even an inexpensive digital camera.
It's a trade-off, people don't want two devices but for half the price of a premium mobile phone you could get both a very good but lower spec phone and an inexpensive but far more capable digital camera.
Userlevel 1
All the phones you listed reportedly have amazing cameras and if you're happy to pay the price tag then great. I for one however wanted a cheaper phone but with a great camera and I have not been disappointed with my Sony Xperia XZ1 compact - it's beaten my expectations, particularly in low light.
Userlevel 3
Huawaie mate 20 pro is one of the best camera phones out on the market and I believe PewDiePie has one or some similar version to it, if he has it then it must be a pretty good phone for taking pictures!
huawei p20 pro maybe.
Userlevel 3
DxOMark reviews the cameras on many of the top phones out there (dxomark.com). The top phones from Samsung, Huawei & Google all have well reviewed camera abilities from reviews from multiple sources.

Personally I'm a Huawei fan (seems like most of the responders are too!!) and the Huawei P20 Pro (which I own) and the Huawei Mate 20 Pro both have very versatile lenses. I like the fact they both have a telephoto module, which will produce photos with a more flattering perspective for portraits. The Mate 20 Pro also has a wide angle lens, which is great for capturing more of a view, which is useful for many subjects like (certain) travel photography subjects and landscapes.

All of the above cameras have great night-time modes that will take good photos even in dark conditions while hand-holding.

More generally, the cameras on flagship phones tend to be pretty good, so if photography is important to you then I'd stick to high-end phones. As soon as you move into mid-tier or budget phones, you'll see the camera modules being used swapped out for cheaper options, which may work well in good light, but won't be very versatile in more challenging situations.
Userlevel 1
Simpl said.. I have the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. I bought it at an absolute bargain during the sale compared to the mainstream phones out there.

It's been quoted as having a seriously impressive slow motion camera and it's solid rear camera captures a lot of detail.

With Super slow motion and Predictive Capture, the new Motion Eye™ camera lets you experience more than the human eye can see. It also has 4k resolution.

It's really underrated. And I week would seriously look into it as a contender. It has upgraded versions now out as well.
Userlevel 1
There are many good phones on cameras, but so many people never get beyond relying on the auto settings. They can do so much more, so whichever you get, make sure you get to understand how to get the best out of it. I love the panorama shot, but just adjusting the brightness can make a real difference to the quality of photos you take.
Userlevel 1
My wife's Huawei P20 is probably the best I have seen/used. I have used Nokia's, Samsung's Sony's and HTCs over the years but none produced as clear an original photo as the Huawei.
Userlevel 1
I tried the Samsung galaxy s9 but didn't like the camera so swapped it for the Hauwei P20 Pro and can honestly say the camera and the rest of the phone is fantastic! You won't regret buying this phone
Userlevel 1
Hello @Keyboard Warrior 91,
I can't offer such technical advise as the helpful people above but my friend's Huawei Mate 20 (sadly out of my budget) captured this photo with no filtering or additional technology used. Frankly I'm astounded by the quality! It says it can capture low light and it certainly can. I thought as well as knowing usefuls specs, you might like to see a direct result of one of your options. Hopefully I helped!

Not a Samsung A5 2017! Should really have carried out a bit more research before punting for this one!!
Userlevel 1
Hi Keyboard Warrior.
I've been using the Huawei camera, on a Mate pro, for some time and I'm very impressed with the quality and flexibility.
One thing I would mention which applies to all cameras .... if you're thinking of any sort of post-processing it's worth making sure the originals are well-exposed. Quite often I will slightly over-expose a shot, or take a couple. That way I have more chance of success with enhancements.
Userlevel 1
There are many phones out there now with excellent cameras, however I wouldn't buy a phone based on the camera alone. Phones automatically store pictures in JPEG format so it decides on how the final image will look and you get no say. If you are really interested in taking great photos I would buy a cheaper phone and invest the savings in a Digital SLR camera. The scope and versatility of a purpose built camera will vastly improved your pictures and you can choose to save the image in RAW format allowing you to decide how the final image will look.
Userlevel 2
Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

Hi. Either the Mate Pro, or for a bargain, P20 pro.
Userlevel 2
They're all good, there are a few rules to look out for when taking photo's for example the rule of thirds and learning how to focus correctly. Watch a few photography tutorials and the key thing in all this is to 'take photos's' whenever you can. I have a full frame DSLR which is fantastic and I never really bothered with my phone. I now tend to use my phone more now as its just so much better
This is great advice.

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