Want a phone with a great camera Here’s what to look for - Android

Smartphones have become indispensable tools in our lives, giving us a world of apps, keeping us connected, and helping organize our lives. However, many people buy phones because they want a great camera. After all, the best camera is often the one you have with you.

But how do you know whether you’ll get a phone with a great camera or a device with a disappointing shooter? We’ve got you covered with our guide to buying a phone with a great camera.

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Many different camera types

Triple and quad camera phones have become standard fare today, even on $200 to $300 smartphones. But what do all of these cameras do though? Well, there are generally six types of camera available today, namely your standard/main camera, ultra-wide camera, telephoto or periscope zoom camera, macro camera, monochrome camera, and depth sensor or 3D ToF sensor.

Standard/main camera

This used to be the only camera available on smartphones, capturing images without zooming in or out. This camera usually gets used most often, as it’s a jack of all trades. You’ll never have a phone without this camera aboard.

Ultra-wide camera

LG was the first to implement this type of rear camera back in 2016. It takes a picture with a wider field of view/perspective compared to the main camera, making it ideal for group shots, pictures of buildings/architecture, or photos of a landscape. The introduction of an ultra-wide camera also means you don’t need to use your phone’s panorama mode as often, which can be a tedious process.

You’ll generally find ultra-wide cameras on devices as cheap as $150 to $200, but don’t expect to see it on ~$100 phones. Still, between Samsung’s Galaxy A and Galaxy M series, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note devices, and Huawei’s higher end Y series phones, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding devices with this camera.

Telephoto or periscope camera

These cameras deliver zoomed-in shots, with telephoto cameras generally delivering 2x to 3x optical zoom. Periscope cameras are more recent inventions, using a prism to zoom in even further (between 4x and 6x optical zoom). Either way, these lenses are handy if you want to take a photo of something far away.

We’ve seen some companies harness software to deliver better zoomed-in results without using a telephoto or periscope camera. Some brands combine software and a telephoto/periscope camera to zoom in even further, in a concept known as hybrid zoom. For example, the Huawei P30 has a 3x telephoto camera, but it’s able to deliver 5x hybrid zoom shots. Hybrid zoom isn’t as good as having a camera with that particular zoom factor, but it’s better than software-only zoom.

You can find out more about the different methods of zoom via this article over here.

Macro camera

This sensor is a relatively new addition to the smartphone world. It allows you to take macro shots (i.e. extreme close-up pictures) of tiny subjects, such as insects, flowers, and coins. Some phones (like the OnePlus 7T) use the ultra-wide camera to take macro shots, foregoing a dedicated macro camera.

Monochrome camera

We don’t really see this type of camera on many phones anymore, with Huawei being first to offer a phone with a secondary monochrome sensor. In any event, this camera is used to take true black and white photos, as opposed to a color photo turned into black and white via a filter. Monochrome cameras can also be used to improve low-light performance, as the lack of a color filter enha