Best camera phones to buy across price ranges

The camera is one of the most crucial components for many users when it comes to smartphone photography. Today’s camera phones can produce beautiful images that are on par with or even better than those taken by standalone cameras thanks to the rapid advancement of technology. There are many excellent camera phones on the market to choose from, including high-end models and affordable alternatives.

The quality of smartphone cameras is constantly improving, with manufacturers competing to provide users with the best possible experience. Some phones come equipped with multiple lenses, including ultra-wide, telephoto, periscope zoom, depth, and macro lenses, allowing users to capture a wide range of perspectives and details. Other phones utilize advanced computational photography techniques, such as pixel binning and AI-powered image processing, to enhance the quality of images even further. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best camera phones available today, highlighting their key features and strengths, to help you make an informed decision on which one is right for you.

Best camera phone under Rs 10,000

Samsung Galaxy F13

In the under Rs 10,000 segment, the Samsung Galaxy F13 leads the pack. The handset sports a 6.6-inch LCD panel with an FHD+ resolution and a dew-drop notch housing the selfie camera. It is powered by the Exynos 850 chipset and paired with 4GB RAM and up to 128GB internal storage that can be further expanded via a microSD card.

Coming to the cameras, the Galaxy F13 gets a triple camera setup on the rear with a 50MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro sensor. There is an 8MP camera on the front for selfies and video calls. Other features on the handset include 4G, dual-band Wi-Fi, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm audio jack, Android 12-based OneUI 4.0 custom skin, and a 6,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.

Pros

• Good design and build quality
• Decent display
• Excellent Battery Life

Cons

• Performance needs improvement
• Low-light camera performance could have been better

Price – Rs 9,699

Best camera phone under Rs 20,000

Redmi Note 12 5G

Another strong contender in the under Rs 20,000 market is the Redmi Note 12, which has quickly become quite a popular option in this segment. The handset features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ resolution AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a punch-hole cutout on the front for a selfie camera. It is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 SoC and comes paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.

As for the cameras, the Redmi Note 12 packs a triple-lens setup on the back, with a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. There’s also a 13MP camera on the front for selfies and video calls. Other features on the phone include stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, Android 12 with MIUI 13 on top, an IR blaster, and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support.

Pros

• Brilliant display
• Good performance and battery life
• Solid build quality
• Good daylight photography

Cons

• Comes with an old Android 12 build
• Excessive Bloatware
• Lowlight photography could have been better

Price – Rs 17,999

Best camera phone under Rs 30,000

Nothing Phone (1)

Nothing Phone (1) is the bold product from the smartphone maker startup which is a brainchild of the former OnePlus co-founder. The handset has a 6.55-inch OLED panel with an FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset which is paired with upto 12GB RAM and up to 256GB storage.

Coming to the camera, Nothing Phone 1 has shunned the extra sensor in favour of a dual-camera setup on the rear which includes a 50MP primary sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide lens. There is a 16MP camera on the front for selfies and video calls. The feature list on the Phone 1 runs long and includes a bunch of LEDs on the back which the company calls ‘Glyph Interface’, dual 5G, 4G, NFC, dual-band WiFi, Android 13 with Nothing OS, a 4,500mAh battery with 33W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging support.

Pros

• Stylish, unique design
• Clean software
• Capable primary camera
• Supports wireless charging

Cons

• Doesn’t ship with a charger
• Slow 33W charging speed
• Display’s peak brightness is not the best
• Facial recognition is finicky

Price – Rs 29,999

Best camera phone under Rs 50,000

OnePlus 11R

The OnePlus 11R is the company’s best-selling smartphone under Rs 50,000 in the country. The handset comes with a 6.74-inch 1.5K resolution curved AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. It is powered by the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC which is coupled with up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 256GB UFS3.1 storage.

As for the cameras, the OnePlus 11R accommodates a triple camera setup on the back, with a 50MP primary sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), an 8MP Ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. It also gets a 16MP camera on the front for selfies and video calls. The phone loses on the Hasselblad branding and camera modes which are present on the company’s flagship OnePlus 11 smartphone. Other features on the 11R include dual 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, stereo speakers, an in-display fingerprint sensor, Dolby audio, Android 13 with Oxygen OS 13, and a 5,000mAh battery with 100W fast charging support.

Pros

• Class-leading performance
• Premium Design
• Decent primary camera
• Excellent battery life

Cons

• Ultra-wide and macro sensors can be improved

Price – Rs 39,999

Best camera phone over Rs 50,000

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is 2023’s reigning King in the Android smartphone ecosystem. The handset comes at a hefty price tag similar to iPhone 14 Pro and packs a 6.8-inch dynamic sAMOLED panel with a Quad HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and support for the SPen. The phone is powered by a custom-made Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC which is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera capabilities are its strongest point and the handset gets a quad-sensor setup on the rear with a 200MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide angle sensor, and two 10MP telephoto sensors with support for 3x and 10x optical zoom, respectively. For selfies and video calls, the handset comes with an improved 12MP camera on the front. The feature list of the Galaxy S23 Ultra includes support for dual 5G, 4G, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi 6E, 5 years of software updates with Android 13-based OneUI 5.1 out of the box, and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging support.

Pros

• Lovely display
• Excellent cameras
• Solid performance and battery life
• S Pen is still unmatched

Cons

Price – Rs 1,24,999