Best smartphone cameras in the world

Smartphone cameras continue to improve every year, and for many, the photographic capability of the device is often one of the most critical factors when deciding to buy a smartphone.

However, several factors determine camera performance, including pixel size, megapixel count, and processing power, but this can be difficult to measure.

DxOMark provides an independent benchmark of camera performance that measures picture and video quality in a controlled environment.

It rigorously tests the camera systems of various smartphones to assign the front and rear camera systems of each a rating and, subsequently, a ranking.

It tests devices on their default settings and in various environments and scenarios to assess different aspects of each camera.

According to the benchmarking site, this is because research shows that most users capture images exclusively on default settings.

“That said, there are some exceptions. With the latest update to our test protocol, we have added a couple of manually operated features (zoom and bokeh), and we aim to add other frequently used special features in the future,” DxOMark’s FAQ page reads.

DxOMark assigns each camera a photo and video score, which is used to calculate an overall camera rating score.

Rear camera rankings

According to DxOMark, the smartphone with the best rear-camera system is the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, which received an overall rating of 149.

However, the competition between devices is tight, with the top 20 scores ranging from 131 to 149.

The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is followed closely by the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Honor Magic4 Ultimate, both scoring 147.

Samsung’s camera systems have been pushed down the rankings by devices released later in the year, with the highest score achieved by a Samsung device being the Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon 888 variation). It scored 135, putting it in 14th place.

The only other Samsung handset that features is the Exynos 2200 variation of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, with a score of 131.

On the other hand, Apple devices take up seven spots in the top 20, with the highest ranked being the iPhone 14 Pro Max with a score of 146.

DxOMark rankings for the top twenty best smartphone rear cameras are listed below.

Front camera rankings

DxOMark’s rankings show that the Apple iPhone 14 Pro has the best selfie camera, with a rating of 145.

This was closely followed by the Huawei P50 Pro, which received a score of 144.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is tied third for front camera rankings. It and the Huawei Mate 40 Pro scored 142.

The top twenty best front cameras on smartphones are listed below.

Now read: Best smartphone contracts under R500

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

Best smartphone cameras in the world