Hi, I’m Ivan and I shoot most of the lifestyle images on GSMArena dot com. You might say I like phones with better cameras better, although it’s more complicated than that.
The wide-angle cameras on most phones these days are great and take mostly the same photos. It’s the zooms that I like best: they give me the creative freedom to take interesting photos with unique perspectives. So, in reverse order, here are my top 5 phones of the year.
No phone (2)
Wait a minute, the Nothing Phone (2) doesn’t even have a telephoto lens, what’s going on? Yes, the Nothing Phone (2) isn’t the phone I carry with me nor would I want to, but it’s unique, it’s perfectly smooth and it’s just plain fun to use. It’s also one of the best phones you can buy if you’re looking for a reliable, thoughtful device that’s also reasonably priced. It’s an easy recommendation when someone on a budget asks me which phone to buy.
One Plus 12
OnePlus 12 might be the least stable phone ever made. The spec sheet is the best of the best: 6.82-inch 1440p display with 120 Hz and 4,500 nits, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, up to 24 GB of RAM, 5,400 mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging , IP68 waterproof – top level stuff.
But what impresses me most is the camera system, which we have already tested on the OnePlus Open: it is a selection of quality sensors with excellent lenses in front. The zoom is particularly impressive to me: 70mm is one of my favorite focal lengths, and it’s paired with an f/2.6 lens with near-macro focusing capabilities and a large half-inch sensor—sign up!
vivo X100Pro
The vivo X100 Pro is pure smartphone excellence. It inherits the X90 Pro’s 1-inch sensor, which I loved when I compared it to the 200MP S23 Ultra and the rest of the 1-inch sensors, but adds a unique 100mm telephoto lens that might just be the best zoom in a phone today. It uses the same OV64B sensor found behind the OnePlus 12’s zoom (OnePlus Open, Oppo Find N3) but is pared down to a 50MP portion of its original 64MP and paired with a unique Zeiss-approved periscope with floating elements. Why are they important? Because they allow a close focus distance of 18cm – true macro with a long lens – amazing stuff.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
I’ve finished every year with the current Galaxy S Ultra since the Galaxy S20 Ultra existed, but in 2023 the Galaxy S23 Ultra should settle for second place in my pocket. I’ve been using the Galaxy S23 Ultra since it launched in February and have enjoyed it ever since. I’ve grown to love the S Pen and it’s become an integral part of my memories: Taking long-distance selfies with my friends on our annual late-summer road trip is now an S Pen tradition. The display is fantastic, One UI is easy to use and reliable, and Samsung has been excellent with software support.
I’ve taken 99% of my personal photos with it since February and can say that its 10x zoom camera, while not the best in technical terms, is unique and I hope Samsung finds a way to keep it in the S24 Ultra – possibly by stretching a 5x to 10x higher unit. But as I said, 70mm is one of my favorite focal lengths and, at that level, Samsung’s 3x is inferior to most flagships that have one: Xiaomi 13 Pro, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and…
Oppo Find N3
The Oppo Find N3 (and its global doppelganger OnePlus Open) has the best 70mm (3x) camera on any phone right now, and it’s the phone I have in my pocket as I close out 2023.
The Oppo Find N3’s entire Hasselblad camera system is top-notch: powerful hardware and significant software combine to take the Find N3 to a level above all other foldable phones and most other phones. But I consciously chose the Oppo Find N3 over the OnePlus Open for two reasons – the Gold model is the best-looking phone I’ve photographed in 2023 – and for some reason, the Oppo lets me use 3x in the dark, while the OnePlus by default used the main camera and digital zoom. Same hardware and presumably the same software, but the Oppo is perfectly happy shooting at its native 3x, while the Open only used it in low light.
2023 was the year that normalized big camera systems on foldables and brought us closer to a future where all flagships will have uncompromised cameras – it’s inevitable, it could even come in 2024 – let’s hope. Happy holidays everyone!
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