Best Camera Mobile Phones in India (September 2023)

Apple’s been making great camera phones for years now, so it’s no surprise that the iPhone 14 Pro Max finds place on our list of best camera mobile phones available to buy right now. In fact, because Apple has managed to bring in substantial upgrades in the camera department with this device, the iPhone 14 Pro Max manages to make it to the top of the list this year. This is in part because with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the phone maker finally ditched the 12-megapixel primary lens that it has been using since the iPhone 6s and upgraded it to a 48-megapixel one. This one offers a big f/1.78 aperture and sensor-shift optical image stabilisation among other features, that help the iPhone 14 Pro Max achieve the camera prowess it is known for. Supporting the 48-megapixel primary shooter are a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens and a 12-megapixel telemacro shooter, which help achieve consistent results in wide angle and portrait mode alike. Apart from photos, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is also considered the best smartphone for videography, so if you are a creator or someone who takes a lot of photos and videos on your device, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is as good as it gets for you.

This new camera phone from Vivo has cameras that have been developed in collaboration with German photography giant, Zeiss. The X90 Pro uses Sony's 50MP IMX989 for all the heavy lifting. This huge 1-inch type sensor clicks natural looking photos with a very good depth-of-field and a clear distinction between the blurred background and in-focus foreground. This allows the X90 Pro to click some very impressive point and shoot images that look almost like they’ve been clicked using a DSLR camera. The 1-inch sensor is helped by OIS and a super fast shutter speed that make sure you never miss a moment to capture, and in the best quality possible. The Vivo X90 Pro also comes with a Vivo V2 imaging signal processing (ISP) chip, which takes care of all the camera processing and runs all the algorithms in the background. Given the large primary sensor, the Vivo X90 Pro clicks very detailed shots in low light scenarios, so this smartphone is for those who play around a lot with their camera and want to get DSLR-like shots straight out of the mobiles.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro is yet another smartphone with a main 1-inch type camra sensor. The Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with a triple camera set-up on the back, with the primary lens being a 50MP Sony IMX989 sensor, which is paired to a 50MP telephoto lens with 3.2x optical zoom capabilities and a 50MP ultrawide camera. Like Vivo and Zeiss, Xiaomi has partnered up with German camera make Leica to cater to the photography enthusiasts with the Xiaomi 13 Pro. All the three lens are tuned by Leica which not only brings Leica’s aesthetic to Xiaomi smartphones, but also a ton of features. Images clicked on all three lenses are superb and bring out a ton of details in every shot. The photos from the Xiaomi 13 Pro are true-to-life and offer an impressive contrast. One big change that Xiaomi’s brought in this year with the 13 Pro in terms of photography performance is that resultant images don’t look too processed and have a natural look to them. So if you are a photography enthusiast and geek out on optics, the Xiaomi 13 Pro should be your next smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the company’s flagship for 2023 and it was no surprise when it achieved very good results in our camera testing. The S23 Ultra’s cameras are headlined by a 200-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HP2 lens from the company. At a time when OEMs are considering moving to bigger sensors, Samsung has moved to a bigger megapixel count, which means that the images are bigger and more detailed. Supporting the 200-megapixel shooter is a 10-megapixel periscope lens, another 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide angle shooter. With the help of these, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is able to achieve the impressive zoom capabilities that the smartphone is so popular for. Even in the video department, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra does well, but the smartphone’s video processing isn’t as good as what we get to see on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. With a more saturated colour tone, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s photos aren’t very true to life and the smartphone doesn’t necessarily has the “best camera setup” in the market, but given the astonishing zoom capabilities and the amount of tech involved, it deserves a spot in our list of best camera smartphones. So if you are looking for the “ultra flagship” that not only does the camera right, but everything else at the same time, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a no-brainer.

Pixel 7 Pro is Google’s flagship for the year, and brings with itself some really impressive cameras and photography smarts. The hardware on the Pixel 7 Pro’s cameras includes 3 lenses at the back, with the primary being a 50-megapixel shooter with f/1.85 aperture and laser autofocus, a 12MP ultrawide lens that has a wide 126-degree field-of-view, and a 48MP telephoto camera that enables 5x optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom with Google’s Super Res Zoom feature. Since this is a Pixel, it is all about the still photos that one can potentially click using this smartphone. Photos from the Google Pixel 7 Pro are stunning, to say the least. Google’s marvelous AI smarts also step in here in order to process these images and make them appear as vibrant and detailed as possible. Furthermore, the portraits from this smartphone are probably still the best in the market, making the Pixel 7 Pro the perfect phone for anyone looking to get their hands on a one of the best point-and-shoot camera phone with the most raw and cleanest Android experience.

Pixel 7 is the more affordable device in the Pixel 7 series. It comes with two lenses, with the first being the same as the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s 50-megapixel shooter with OIS, PDAF and Laser Auto Focus. Since this is the same as the Pixel 7 Pro’s primary lens, it is capable of capturing stunning shots with great amount of detail across varying lighting conditions. Much like its older sibling, it also takes advantage of Google’s AI chops, and brings with itself Google’s low-light night sight mode and the picture perfect portraits, both of which feel more advanced than ever before. There’s also a 12MP ultrawide lens with 114 degree field of view and PDAF. Pictures clicked using this lens also come out with plenty of detail. The Pixel 7 is great for users looking for a flagship-level camera without spending too much money.

Much like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is also a phone that uses a large 200-megapixel sensor for its primary lens. However, unlike the Samsung phone which uses the latest HP2 version of the lens, the one on the Edge 30 Ultra is the previous generation HP1 sensor from Samsung, which results in slightly less detailed images when compared to the S23 Ultra. This gulf in image quality only increases when we start comparing low light shots, with the Moto Edge 30 Ultra’s low light performance being hamstrung by its under-powered camera software. But overall, the picture quality still remains more than acceptable on the phone.

Unlike the iPhone 14 Pro Max which brings powerful new hardware, the iPhone 14 relies on similar hardware as its predecessor, the iPhone 13. But we still get some important improvements that make the iPhone 14 a worthwhile investment. Running the show we have a 12MP primary wide-angle lens which has been paired to a 12MP ultra-wide lens. While the megapixel count remains the same as the iPhone 13, the iPhone 14 uses a slightly bigger lens, which allows the smartphone to take in more light and data to be able to product better quality images with a better dynamic range. In terms of software, we also get Apple's new Photonic Engine, that improves colour reproduction in photos. All of these combined, help the iPhone 14 become one of the best camera phones for those who create content and want a seamless experience without any compromise on performance.

Like Vivo-Zeiss and Xiaomi-Leica, the OnePlus 11 flaunts cameras that have been tuned by Hasselblad. It gets three shooters, including a 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor with an f/1.8 lens, a 48MP Sony IMX581 sensor with 115° field-of-view and a 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto lens for portraits. These three lenses combine to create what is arguably one of the best camera set-ups on a OnePlus phone to date. Shots clicked using the primary lens especially turn out natural and pleasing to the eye. Colour accuracy is on point most of the time, and this consistency of output also ensures the user has a good experience clicking shots using the OnePlus 11. However, the phone does encounter some issues with balancing colours when shooting images with HDR on. But apart from this, the OnePlus 11 gives you a great camera experience that’s definitely worth the price.

Since we have only talked about premium offerings so far, this one is for those looking for a brilliant camera setup in the mid-range segment. One of Vivo’s more impressive camera phones in the market right now, the V27 Pro comes with a triple camera set-up at the back. The primary is a 50MP Sony IMX766V lens with OIS, while the secondary is an 8MP ultra-wide lens. These two have been paired with a 2MP super macro lens. All three are quite capable lenses, but the star of the show is the primary which shoots adequately detailed shots in well-lit conditions and also does a decent job in low light and portrait mode. The Vivo V27 Pro’s major focus is on portraits, and here, the company has done a lot of things to make the portraits stand out. Our favourite is the Wedding mode, which tunes the images around a wedding ceremony-like setting. Even without a wedding, the portraits from the wedding mode look brilliant and artsy. Apart from the great cameras, the Vivo V27 Pro also has a colour changing back panel, which adds to the quirky features that the smartphone is known for. So if you are looking for a mid-range device which has that “different” factor, the Vivo V27 Pro is a superb choice.