Today, many smartphones are equipped with a dual photo module. This allows you to get spectacular background blur when taking macro photography and creating portraits, clearer pictures, zoom without loss of quality, or wide-angle photos.
In this article we have collected best models based on expert opinions (DxOmark, CNet, Techradar) and consumer reviews.
Perhaps, best phone, which can be purchased today. This also applies to him. A dual 12 megapixel module with optical stabilization is used. One is a wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture, the second is an f/2.4 telephoto lens (this allows for high-quality 2x zoom). The pictures are clear, juicy, macro like from DSLR cameras. The 7-megapixel front camera is also good.
We note decent battery life, a powerful chipset, a Face ID facial recognition system, and protection from water and dust according to the IP67 standard. There are also some shortcomings: there is no fingerprint scanner (but this is a matter of habit), a slot for memory cards and a very, very high price.
Characteristics
- Display: 5.8 inches (2,436 x 1,125 pixels).
- Processor: Apple A11 Bionic.
- Memory: 3 GB RAM, from 64 GB ROM.
- Cameras: main - 12 + 12 MP, front - 7 MP.
- OS: iOS 11.
- Price: from 66,000 rubles.
Possibly the second best phone you can buy today. Unlike the previous generation, the S9 Plus model received a dual 12-megapixel camera module (the regular S9 has a single one). And - we have to somehow persuade people to upgrade from the S8 - Samsung swears that they have reinvented the camera. And these are not marketing gimmicks. For the first time in the world, a camera with a variable aperture (from f/2.4 to f/1.5) has been created. This brings the S9 Plus as close as possible to a DSLR and allows the device to adapt to different shooting conditions. For example, when shooting landscapes, you get very natural light, and in the dark the pictures come out super clear and bright (as much as possible).
The modules also have optical stabilization, super slow motion and noise removal options (when 12 pictures are taken simultaneously and one almost perfect one is created), 2x zoom is available without loss of quality. Front camera(8 MP, f/1.7) blurs the background well and takes excellent shots.
Other features: a powerful hardware platform, a retinal scanner, IP68 moisture protection, a slot for memory cards up to 400 GB, stereo speakers. In the reviews, some complain about the active post-processing of images, others about the low battery capacity, but this is not very critical.
Characteristics
- Display: 6.2 inches (2,960 x 1,440 pixels).
- Processor: Exynos 9810.
- Memory: 6 GB RAM, from 64 GB ROM + microSD slot.
- Cameras: main - 12 + 12 MP, front - 8 MP.
- Battery: 3500 mAh.
- OS: Android 8.0.
- Price: from 67,000 rubles.
The DxOMark website claims that this is the best camera phone on the market today. There are already three “eyes” on the back panel of the device: a dual module (main sensor size 1/1.7″, f/1.8 aperture, 40 MP resolution + monochrome 20-megapixel sensor with 1/2.7″ matrix and f/1.6 aperture) + 8 MP telephoto with a focal length of 80 mm and an aperture of f/2.4. The smartphone boasts three-fold optical and five-fold hybrid zooms, the ability to shoot at high ISO 102400 and in Super Slow-Mo, an intelligent optical stabilization system and advanced autofocus and an equally advanced 24-megapixel front camera.
Here is a model with outstanding cameras. Everyone notes high-quality and extremely clear pictures under any lighting conditions, in black and white mode. Among other things, P20 Pro is a flagship with top-end hardware. Please note that there is no memory card slot, but the 128 GB in the base version compensates for this.
Characteristics
- Display: 6.1 inches (2,240 x 1,080 pixels).
- Memory: 6 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM.
- Cameras: main - 40 + 20 + 8 MP, front - 24 MP.
- Battery: 4000 mAh.
- OS: Android 8.1.
- Price: from 55,000 rubles.
Not such a “cunning” option, but more accessible. The dual camera under the Leica brand features two modules (12 + 20 megapixels, one monochrome, f/1.6 aperture) with optical stabilization and 2x hybrid zoom. The pictures are good both from the main camera and from the 8 MP front camera (but there is a minus - it has a fixed focus). Huawei is relying on artificial intelligence technologies - recognizing photographed objects.
And otherwise, a good device for the money: top-end chipset, IP67 waterproofing, capacious, attractive glass case (but quite easily soiled). There is no slot for memory cards.
Characteristics
- Display: 6 inches (2,160 × 1,080 pixels).
- Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 970.
- Memory: from 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM.
- Cameras: main - 12 + 20 MP, front - 8 MP.
- Battery: 4,000 mAh.
- OS: Android 8.0.
- Price: from 40,000 rubles.
Honor is a subsidiary of Huawei, as you probably know. At the same time, both brands are now releasing strong models good prices and they compete with each other. New Honor 10 can be called budget flagship. It is distinguished by an affordable price, an iridescent glass body, a fashionable design with a bang, a dual camera module (24 + 16 megapixels, one monochrome sensor, AI functions) and, although not top-end, but productive hardware. There is no slot for memory cards. The pictures are very good, but in poor lighting conditions the quality decreases.
Characteristics
- Display: 5.84 inches (2,280 x 1,080 pixels).
- Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 970.
- Memory: 4 GB RAM, from 64 GB ROM.
- Cameras: main - 24 + 16 MP, front - 24 MP.
- Battery: 3,400 mAh.
- OS: Android 8.1.
- Price: from 27,000 rubles.
The newest flagship from the Chinese. Of course, with top-end hardware and a dual camera. Modules with apertures f/1.8 and f/2.4 are used, 2x zoom is available without loss of quality, and optical stabilization is available. Again, artificial intelligence technologies are proposed to identify content and select best settings. The device just went on sale, but judging by the first reviews and test results from the same DxOMark, the camera turned out to be successful. The front 20-megapixel module with f/2.0 aperture is also excellent and uses different “beautyification” modes.
The smartphone is beautiful (although it obviously copies the iPhone X), the only disappointment is the relatively low battery capacity. The device has not yet “arrived” in Russia, but it can be purchased on AliExpress.
Characteristics
- Display: 6.21 inches (2,280 x 1,080 pixels).
- Memory: 6 GB RAM, from 64 GB ROM.
- Cameras: main - 12 + 12 MP, front - 20 MP.
- Battery: 3300 mAh.
- OS: Android 8.1.
- Price: from 35,000 rubles.
Another advanced Chinese flagship, which became a bright new product last month. The case is made of metal and glass, the screen has a “bang” and minimal frames. Not copy iPhone, and beautiful at the same time. Hardware is traditionally at the cutting edge for OnePlus. They also tried to make the camera stand out. Two modules from Sony are used: a 16-megapixel IMX 519 with optical stabilization and an f/1.7 aperture, as well as a 20-megapixel IMX 376K. To demonstrate the shooting capabilities of the OnePlus 6, a model was even captured on the cover of Indian Vogue. The manufacturer offers an improved HDR mode and automatic selection of shooting parameters depending on the scene.
Everything is not bad, but I would like the battery to be more capacious. And keep in mind: there is no memory card slot, just like the Mi8. It seems like he's starting to fade into history?
Characteristics
- Display: 6.28 inches (2,280 x 1,080 pixels).
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845.
- Memory: from 6 GB RAM, from 64 GB ROM.
- Display: 6 inches (2880 × 1440 pixels).
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845.
- Memory: 6 GB RAM, from 64 GB ROM, slot for microSD memory cards.
- Cameras: main - 12 + 16 MP, front - 8 + 8 MP.
- Battery: 3,500 mAh.
- OS: Android 8.0.
- Price: from 59,000 rubles.
DxOmark is confident that this smartphone ranks second in its photographic capabilities. - the first flagship of the company after a long break that has a dual camera (remember that the brand was once a pioneer in the market, introducing a model with a dual camera and a 3D screen). It uses a 12-megapixel wide-angle module (f/1.75, optical stabilization) and a 16-megapixel telephoto camera with a 54mm f/2.6 lens. This combination allows you to do a 2x zoom without losing quality. We also note the brand’s traditional UltraPixel 4 technology (enlarged pixels receive more light).
The smartphone has manual mode Pro shooting and RAW support. Ultraspeed Autofocus 2 (a combination of phase detection and laser autofocus) ensures sharp focusing. Video recording in 4K at 60 fps is supported. The pictures are beautiful, good effect bokeh This also applies to the front module: it is also double.
Otherwise, we have a top-end new product based on Qualcomm 845 with IP68 water protection and the Edge Sense option (you can squeeze the edges of the smartphone to activate some functions). The U12+ also has a translucent body. But the gadget is too expensive for a model from a company that is struggling to stay afloat.
Characteristics
The iPhone 7 Plus camera works wonders; the 2x optical zoom was appreciated by everyone six months ago: industry experts, professional photographers and, of course, ordinary buyers. There is no such thing as too much zoom, so at MWC they showed a technology that allows you to build a 5x optical zoom into your phone. Yes, not every point-and-shoot camera had this, but we are talking about thin and small phones.
The hero of the day, the Chinese company Oppo, is not particularly well known in Russia; it tried to capture our market, but the strategy failed. But at home in China, Oppo is doing great, it has consistently ranked among the top 5 largest smartphone manufacturers, and now ranks 1st in China and 4th in the world.
This time Oppo brought to the MWC exhibition new technology Called 5x Dual Camera Zoom, it allows you to build optics with 5x magnification into a thin 5.7 mm phone body. The Chinese are also those who like to lie, but the fact itself deserves respect; today there is no such camera in any other device.
We will study in detail how this works later. In the meantime, you can show a picture where you can see that the additional optics are at an angle of 90° relative to the main module, and the light falls through a rotating prism. Development was carried out over the course of a year together with Corephotonics.
In which phone will we see such an amazing feature? I don’t know yet, the technology itself was just announced at MWC. We will wait for announcements in China; probably the most delicious ones will appear for the local market first.
Here’s an example of how a new prototype shoots with an Oppo camera for clarity; the quality of the image compressed on the Internet is so-so, but that’s not the point. The main thing is that very soon phones will completely replace cameras. Pros will carry bulky equipment, while amateurs will be satisfied with the capabilities of a smartphone with 5x zoom and optical stabilization. You may remember a similar camera design, but the photography part there was far from perfect. And the phone itself was very large and bulky.
The miracles don’t end there; Oppo says that while shooting, digital zoom also works, and when the optical zoom “ends,” we get a 10x magnification of objects. Moreover, the Chinese promise that the quality of the pictures will be very high, although usually the software turns everything into mush when enlarging objects, and there is no point in taking pictures. I wouldn’t believe it, but according to the editor of Engadget, who tested the new product at the stand, the phone takes pictures much better than the iPhone 7 Plus. At the same time, the design of the case remains very compact, and most importantly, it is the optics that work, not the software, which means there will be minimal losses in quality.
The quality of cameras in Redmi smartphones is a song “don’t rub salt in my wound” for more than 4 years. In general, budget Xiaomi has never shone with the quality of shooting, and as soon as it comes to head-on competition, the budget Huawei nova from the same Aliexpress bypasses the army of Redmi mobile phones without difficulty.
But we’re not just interested in camera phones, but in durable camera phones, aren’t we? And in this case, it is better to choose a “snake-hedgehog hybrid” - a tuned model called Redmi Pro.
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
We take a standard Xiaomi “state-priced” camera, add to the slightly modified rear camera (based on the Sony IMX258 sensor, like in Redmi Note 4, by the way) an additional module for “blurring” the background and replace the IPS display with an AMOLED one - you’re done!
The shortcomings of the Note 4 have also migrated to this model - at night, instead of video, the camera shoots a disgusting slideshow, and generally does not please with the quality of shooting in the dark. But smartphones with a better camera (Honor 6X, ZTE Nubia Z17 mini) for the same money will not be marathon runners, to put it mildly. And all the other “long-livers” take photos even worse and will be slower - the ten-core MediaTek Helio X20 processor, although it is power hungry and does not shine in games, in combination with an AMOLED matrix gives good autonomy and a good performance reserve for applications.
There is simply no other similar combination of battery capacity, camera quality and performance within 15 thousand rubles - fans of universal budget mobile phones will love the Redmi Pro.
ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom
The camera is the second component of smartphones (after processors), for which manufacturers urge you to buy a new model instead of an outdated one. But buy a smartphone that has cool only camera, no one is in a hurry, and the first ZenFone Zoom with complex optics in a thick body ordered it. ASUS engineers scratched their heads and designed a “zoom smartphone” from scratch.
ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom
Therefore, ZenFone 3 Zoom is extremely durable (AMOLED + 14 nm processor + capacious battery), but not a thick middle-class mobile phone. What about the cameras? Present, but with many reservations.
Optical (lossless) zoom in a smartphone is now done not with “glasses”, but by switching to a second, initially more “far-sighted” camera. The 2.3x optical zoom can be supplemented with software zoom to bring the image up to 12 times closer. During the day, this way you can even read the inscription on a sign, the letters on which you cannot distinguish with your own eyes.
But from an artistic point of view, the cameras in the ZenFone 3 Zoom (as in any other ASUS, by the way), are not very impressive - just average class, with their narrow dynamic range (either white skies and light buildings, or black buildings and blue skies) and a huge amount of digital noise in night shots. Although we must give ASUS its due - in complete darkness, ZenFone 3 Zoom, even without a flash, “sees” objects where most smartphones see nothing.
ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom
In short, it cannot compete with Chinese flagships for the same money (Xiaomi Mi 6 or Honor 9) in terms of shooting quality, but with the middle class (Huawei nova, Samsung Galaxy A5 2017) is comparable, and sometimes a little better. We add to this excellent autonomy, a rarity in new smartphones, a bright and economical AMOLED display, good sound in headphones - and we get a durable and small-sized combine, the best camera phone among long-lived smartphones. Not cheap, but no one else has the same combination of autonomy and shooting quality.
Moto Z Play
Lenovo is wise enough not to interfere in the affairs of its subsidiary Motorola, so even non-flagship Motos look cool and feel like truly high-quality models, and not “basement China.” And smartphone developers are free to create with Chinese money, which is why the Z Play turned out to be such a successful model that it even eclipsed the flagship.
The smartphone, which was supposed to be a model from the “neither fish nor fowl” category (sub-flagship), turned out to be something more. Firstly, because it is confusingly similar to the much more expensive Moto Z, and the difference of 2 mm in thickness is not immediately noticeable. Secondly, because Motorola packed 3500 mAh into a thin (like the iPhone 7 Plus) flat body. God knows what capacity for a 5.5-inch display, but the display here is an expensive and economical AMOLED matrix, and the processor is not a flagship, but fast and not voracious Snapdragon 625. Add to this Android with almost no frills - and we get the most durable smartphone in a thin body.
The camera is middle class (at the level of ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE552KL or Meizu MX6), but focusing is fast, and the noise reduction always knows how to maintain a balance between the level of sharpness and the level of “roughness” of the frame.
Young people will like the ability to attach a speaker, gamepad, Power Bank, a projector or even a “piece of camera” in a standard way - the choice of Moto Mods is not bad, although few people need them in real life.
For the 18-19 thousand that this model is asking for on Aliexpress, Moto Z Play is an excellent choice for those who need a durable thin smartphone no frills and a good camera. Moreover, the Moto Z2 Play turned out to be no better than its predecessor.
LeEco Le Pro 3
This is the case when “Chinese rules,” but we are not talking about Xiaomi. LeEco admit that sales of certified smartphones in Russia were “so-so” - if the cheap Le 2 somehow “went to the people,” then people were in no hurry to pay 25 thousand for the flagship Le Pro 3. Therefore, Le Pro 3 and Le Max 2 are no longer officially sold in Russia - LeEco plans to officially sell only budget models.
We live in a time when almost every person, before buying a new smartphone, thinks about its photo and video capabilities. Now there are simply a lot of excellent camera phones on the market. And they all take approximately the same pictures. The time has passed when best camera there was one that had more megapixels. Now other camera characteristics are also important, like .
In 2016, Apple announced two phones: iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The most interesting innovation is the dual camera with 2x optical zoom. Apple set a trend that was followed by most mobile manufacturers.
What is optical zoom?
Optical zoom is a function of cameras or smartphones that allows you to bring your subject closer or further away. Optical zooming is used to enlarge objects with special optical elements, so that the resolution of the photo remains unchanged.
If your camera has a 12-megapixel module, then when the object is optically zoomed in, these 12 megapixels will remain (without pixel enlargement). This article presents best smartphones, which are equipped with a camera with optical zoom.
iPhone 8 Plus
This smartphone was introduced a couple of weeks ago. Just a few days later, the DxOMark resource rated the device’s camera as the best on the market. Let us remind you that the iPhone 8 Plus has a dual camera of 12 megapixels, the main one with f/1.8 aperture, and the second one with f/2.8 aperture. The camera specifications have not changed compared to the iPhone 7 Plus.
The second camera has an optical zoom with 2x zoom for creating beautiful portrait shots. And this is definitely one of the best and most compact optical zoom smartphones you can buy today.
Smartphone Specifications:
- Display: 5.5 inches Retina, 1920×1080p, 401 ppi
- CPU:
- RAM: 3 GB, LPDDR4
- Flash memory: 64/256 GB
- Main camera: 12 MP + 12 MP, f/1.8 and f/2.8
- Front camera: 7 MP, f/2.2
- Battery: 2691 mAh
- Navigation: GPS, GLONASS
- Operating system: iOS 11
- Dimensions: 158.4×78.1×7.5 mm
- Weight: 202 grams
Xiaomi Mi6
Xiaomi's flagship has become very popular this year, thanks to its price and decent characteristics. It was introduced almost six months ago. It's great top processor Snapdragon 835, a beautiful glass body with a metal frame, and of course, an impressive dual camera.
It has an all-metal body, a fingerprint scanner, a good 5.5-inch Full HD screen with a resolution of 1920×1080p, an eight-core Snapdragon 625 processor and a dual 12-megapixel camera with f/2.2 and f/2.6 apertures.
Smartphone Specifications:
- Display: 5.5 inches, 1920×1080p, 401 ppi
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, 8 cores
- RAM: 4 GB, LPDDR3
- Flash memory: 64 GB
- Main camera: dual 12 MP + 12 MP, f/2.2 and f/2.6
- Front camera: 5 MP
- Battery: 3080 mAh
- Navigation: GPS, GLONASS
- Wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Operating system: pure Android 7.1.2
- Dimensions: 155.4×75.8×7.3 mm
- Weight: 165 grams
OnePlus 5
This phone was announced this summer as a “flagship killer.” It received flagship characteristics: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 6 GB or 8 GB RAM, as well as 64 GB or 128 GB of built-in, 5.5-inch Optic AMOLED screen with Full HD resolution.
The main feature was its dual 16-megapixel camera with f/1.7 and f/2.6 aperture, as well as the presence of 2x optical zoom. But not everything is so good. After the announcement, the craftsmen were able to understand the technology and found out that the smartphone received a 1.6x optical and 0.4-digit zoom. This caused outrage among many users. But, despite this, the smartphone deserves to be in this rating of camera phones.
Smartphone Specifications:
- Display: 5.5 inches AMOLED, 1920×1080p, 401 ppi
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- RAM: 6/8 GB, LPDDR4
- Flash memory: 64/128 GB
- Main camera: 16 MP + 16 MP, f/1.7 and f/2.6
- Front camera: 16 MP
- Battery: 3300 mAh
- Navigation: GPS, GLONASS
- Wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- Operating system: Oxygen OS (Android 7.1.1 Nougat)
- Dimensions: 154.2×74.1×7.3 mm
- Weight: 153 grams
When choosing the best camera phones for our rating, we focus, in particular, on the rating of the very authoritative (in the relevant circles) network resource DxOMark. But we also try to take into account the reviews of ordinary users as fully as possible, giving preference to reviews on specialized threads of various forums. We hope that the following will be useful for inexperienced readers: general information that can influence the choice specific model camera phone.
Other things being equal, Photosensors with larger elementary cells provide better images. At a minimum, the physical dimensions of the pixel should be greater than one micron (ideally, closer to 1.4 microns). In addition, a small matrix (1/3" or less) desperately needs high-aperture optics (at f/1.9 and higher). Otherwise, good quality Taking pictures in low light conditions is just a dream. By the way, the most complete technical specifications smartphones, including the camera part, can be found on the DeviceSpecifications website.
About fashion dual cameras Here's what you need to know. There are benefits from such a tandem, but it also has its own characteristics. At the moment, the two approaches are approximately equivalent. The first involves using a pair of full-color cameras with wide-angle and television lenses. If you don't take extreme cases, like the Oukitel U20 Plus model with its additional megasensor 0.3 MP, then such solutions provide a very simple implementation of optical enlargement (zoom) and some special effects (the same bokeh) solely due to different focal lengths. Those. without loss of quality in principle. As a bonus, you will receive information about the “depth” of the frame and the ability to adjust sharpness after saving the image.
The second option is based on joint work of RGB and monochrome photomatrix. The trick is that the latter has no filters and receives three times more light than the color one. In other words, information about color is taken from RGB, and from monochrome detailed picture, after which all this is combined programmatically. This is a practical trick in tight circumstances.
WITH autofocus not everything is so simple, and it is impossible to give preference to a specific type. It is not surprising that some manufacturers are trying to implement all options in “one bottle”. As an example we can name Huawei smartphone P10 with its four focusing methods.
One of the main parameters of the classical photo flashes is the leading number - a quantity characterizing the power of the generated light flux. Alas, in relation to smartphones it is practically irrelevant, regardless of the number of available LEDs and their brightness. At best, we can talk about some help at a distance of a couple of meters to the subject.
Availability of opportunity save pictures in uncompressed format- a useful thing in itself, but it is extremely difficult to imagine a professional photographer armed with only a smartphone. As well as an amateur who is constantly engaged in serious post-processing of his photos before posting them on Odnoklassniki. Yes - good, no - not fatal.
And finally - optical or hybrid stabilization preferable to purely electronic.
As you can see, there is a choice, and quite diverse. We do not undertake to recommend any of the models with a price even lower. In principle, now most smartphones can take relatively decent pictures of stationary objects in good lighting conditions. More complex tasks require more expensive equipment.
Happy shopping!
