introduction
Here at GSMArena, we are shutterbugs above all else. Camera updates are probably the biggest reason we’re excited about new flagship phone releases, and when it comes to those, we’ve been downright spoiled over the last couple of years.
We’ve seen so many great phones out there, each surpassing the other in terms of hardware and software, with photography improvements taking leaps and bounds. Our office has seen many heated discussions about which phone has the best camera. Frankly, we were eager to find a direct face-to-face confrontation that could settle the matter, at least for the time being.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra • Xiaomi 12S Ultra • Xiaomi 13 Pro • vivo X90 Pro
So we decided to pit several of the best Android camera phones against each other in a photo-only matchup. We lined up the new Galaxy S23 Ultra, Xiaomi 13 Pro and Vivo X90 Pro, as well as the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, and snapped a few (hundreds) of photos and stacked them side by side to see what’s there. We wanted to have the Pixel 7 Pro in this comparison, but this wasn’t available at the time of testing, so we may include it in a sequel to this head-to-head.
Three of these phones have a 1-inch sensor, one has 200 million pixels, all can capture 8K video, and some can zoom to the moon and back from the comfort of your pocket. One could even say that they don’t even need to see the moon to photograph it (too soon?). It’s crazy to think that phones have come this far. It’s even crazier to think about what will be possible in a few years.
But let’s focus on the present day and see which phone deserves to be called the best camera phone in 2023. We’re focusing on taking pictures for this one to keep things manageable. Video is another matter altogether.
We’re also focusing on the main zoom, ultrawide, and midrange cameras on the Galaxy, Xiaomi, and Vivo — Samsung’s 10x zoom is more of a specialty lens that doesn’t directly compare to the midrange zooms on our pick phones. We’re also looking into the performance behind the lens so you won’t see any selfies here.
Two pros, two ultras: vivo X90 Pro • Xiaomi 13 Pro • Galaxy S23 Ultra • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Finally, we’re looking at the results directly from the camera. We are not doing any post processing or RAW editing. Every phone in this range has the ability to shoot in RAW format as well as powerful built-in apps and features to give the budding photographer more ways to capture the moment – our goal is to see which phone gives you the best baseline.
It looks funny? Let’s look at some photos.
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