RS Recommends: The Best Camera Phones to Buy Right Now

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Even to photographers, choosing a camera phone can be a stressful process. There are endless stats and varying capabilities to compare, and is most likely going to be an expensive purchase. The good news is, with each new generation, phones continue to push the limit of what they can do, some even rivaling professional level photography. We’ve broken it down to a few key things to look at when choosing your next camera phone, and selected our top four for this year.

What Are the Best Camera Phones?

Sensor: While other aspects of a camera might get all the attention, the sensor is vitally important. This is what captures the light that enters via the lens, and helps create the best image possible. Generally, the more light a sensor can capture, the better your photo can turn out. The larger number of pixel size means the more light each pixel can capture, so shoot for a 12-16MP sensor.

Aperture: Once light enters the lens, it’s the aperture that varies the amount that hits the sensor. When you hit the shutter button to take your photo, the varying aperture lets the light in through the lens, and the more light that comes through, the better quality image you’re likely to get. A wider range of aperture means more options for the types of photos you can experiment with.

Zoom: For faraway shots, this is crucial, but can often be hard to handle at full zoom, resulting in a blurry, pixelated image that’s difficult to stabilize. There are two basic types of zooms: optical and digital. Optical is a physical process that involves mechanically moving parts inside the camera to magnify your subject. Digital also magnifies, but is done using algorithms, cropping the image that’s already there to make you appear closer to the subject. And though it’s gotten significantly better in recent years, digital can still sometimes result in unwanted graininess.

Video: If shooting video is what you’ll be doing most, make sure your phone can capture (at the very least) 4K video in 1080p. The standard resolution for online video is always evolving, but 4K UHD still looks crisp on streaming sites.

Front Camera: Though they’re most often not nearly as beefed up in features and quality as the rear cameras, don’t forget about the front one if you snap lots of selfies and livestreams. A front cam’s megapixel count is most commonly under 32MP, but can stretch up to 64 and even beyond, like Samsung’s insane 200MP.

Other: Don’t forget about things like digital image stabilization, which lets you take a clear photo even with shaky hands, and Night Mode for shoots after the sun goes down. For photographers who do lots of post-production editing in photo software, having a phone that shoots in RAW format is beneficial to really capture every little detail (but takes up way more storage space). If you’re not a pro, no worries – most phones nowadays have editing software with plenty of features built right in.