Year in review: From Pixel 7 to iPhone 14 Pro, best camera phones of 2022

Advances in the field of imaging and optics have transformed the smartphone camera experience. Look at the five best camera smartphones launched in 2022

Smartphones have come a long way, especially in terms of imaging experience. The new-age smartphones offer a convenient way to capture high-quality photos and videos on the go, making them a compelling fit for both casual photographers, content creators, and professional videographers. Advances in the field of imaging and optics have transformed the smartphone camera experience. Here are the five best camera smartphones of 2022:

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Galaxy S22 Ultra brings the best of Galaxy S-series and Galaxy Note-series rolled into one device. Its many small upgrades together make for a wholesome package and uplift the user experience. It sports a triple-camera system on the back, featuring a 108-megapixel primary sensor, 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and 10MP telephoto lens. On the front, the phone has a 40MP camera. Besides improved performance in low-light conditions, the cameras in the Galaxy S22 Ultra take a leap in terms of portraits. Moreover, each of its camera sensors are capable of working independently for both stills and videos. The imaging-related features of the Galaxy S22 Ultra are geared toward improving experience for both amateur and professionals.

Price: Rs 1,09,999

Apple iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone 14 Pro is a familiar looking smartphone that is different in terms of experience. As part of upgrades, the phone gets a 48-megapixel primary camera sensor in the triple-camera system on the rear, which impresses with detailed output and colour accuracy. It is quick in terms of focus speed and delivers consistent results irrespective of lighting. The telephoto lens enables up to 3x optical zoom. Besides the cinematic mode, it introduces a new action mode, which stabilises the video by reducing shakes, motion, and vibrations.

Price: Rs 1,29,990 onwards

Google Pixel 7 Pro

Imaging has been the defining trait of the Pixel smartphones, and Pixel 7 Pro is no different. It has a triple-camera system on the back, featuring a 50MP primary sensor, which works well irrespective of lighting conditions. It takes detailed shots with natural colours and a wide dynamic range. The Pixel 7 Pro, with dedicated telephoto lens goes up to 10x zoom with no deterioration in quality. The camera feature includes real tone, guided frame, photo unblur, night sight and more.

Price: Rs 84,999

Xiaomi 12 Pro

From sleek design to power-packed performance and versatile imaging system, the Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G has everything one expects from a premium smartphone. It sports three cameras on the back, each of 50-megapixel resolution but different configurations. The cameras are good and work well irrespective of lighting conditions. Importantly, there is a symmetry in colours, frame, and details across all three sensors. Complementing the performance are the tons of value-added imaging features such as Xiaomi ProFocus, 8K recording, HDR10+ recording, Short Video, Vlogs, Movie effects, etc.

Price: Rs 62,999

Google Pixel 6a

Similar to any other Pixel smartphone, Google Pixel 6a is also a camera-centric smartphone. It has dual 12-megapixel camera sensors on the back with optical image stabilisation on the primary sensor. On the front, there is an 8MP camera sensor. Though not megapixel-rich, Google’s computational imaging algorithms back the camera system, and that makes the difference in the performance. Primary sensor is calibrated to capture natural colours. It takes detailed shots with appropriate white balance and contrast details. It is quick in fixing focus and there is zero shutter lag.

Price: Rs 43,999