Best camera phones in 2023: From Apple to Redmi, here are our top 6 across all price range

Best smartphone cameras: OnePlus Open (Price: Rs 1,39,999 onwards)

Selfie fiend? Pro photographer? We’ve got you covered. The last few months have seen the debut of a slew of mobile shooters. From portrait photography on the OnePlus Open to a raft of AI tools that power the Google Pixel 8 Pro, to the zoom capabilities on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you will be spoilt for choice. Smartphone photography continues to get better with each new wave of devices that are riding on a brilliant blend of superior hardware and improved computational photography. These are among the best smartphone cams you can buy now:

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Best smartphone cameras: iPhone 15 Pro Max (Price: Rs 1,59,900)

One of the headline features of the flagship iPhone is the rear cam. This year’s 15 Pro Max and 15 Pro are both powered by the all-new A17 Pro chipset – the first 3-nanometer in the heart of any smartphone; it has a significant impact on lowlight photography.

The Pro Max features also boasts of a 5x zoom at 120mm. The telephoto camera features a tetraprism design (that bends the light path four times before it hits the sensor) with a combined OIS (Optical Image stabilisation) and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module. It makes it one of the best smartphone cams for zoom photography. And then there’s Smart HDR that captures subjects and the background with more true-to-life renderings of skin tones, while ensuring photos have brighter highlights, richer midtones, and deeper shadows.

Price: Rs 1,59,900 onwards

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Best smartphone cameras: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Price: Rs 1,24,999)

We’re just a few months away from Samsung’s big 2024 flagship reveal and yet the S23 Ultra remains one of our favourite mobile cams. The 2023 Ultra gets a massive bump up over its predecessor with a 200MP sensor on the rear cam, an adaptive pixel sensor with Super Quad Pixel and 1.5x faster auto focus. Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) is even more robust this year; according to Samsung it corrects for 3 degrees of shake versus 1.5.

The quad rear cam also features a 12MP ultra-wide cam, a 3X and a 10x telephoto lens. It’s still the smartphone zoom lens to beat.

Price: Rs 1,24,999 onwards

Google Pixel 8 Pro

Best smartphone cameras: Google Pixel 8 Pro (Price: Rs 1,06,999)

Google calls it the generative AI-era smartphone. Nowhere does it play out more than the camera. Google was among the pioneers in the computational photography space with solutions like Night Sight and Magic Eraser; the 8 Pro takes it to the next level with cool new tricks like the Audio Magic Eraser feature that allows you to scrub out audio segments within your video almost the same way you would eliminate a photo bomber with Magic Eraser for photos. The other cool touch is Best Shot that works particularly well for group photos. Stellar lowlight and zoom photography add to its camera creds.

Price: Rs 1,06,999

OnePlus Open

OnePlus’ first ever foldable isn’t just one of our favourite smartphones of 2023 it’s also one of the most versatile mobile shooters out there. The Open benefits from OnePlus’ partnership with Swedish camera major Hasselblad – portraits are particularly sharp and a best of breed Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The OnePlus open becomes the first foldable to debut Sony’s new line of LYT-T808 image sensors. The device comes with a 48MP primary lens, a 64MP telephoto lens and a 48MP ultra-wide lens. There’s also a dual front cam.

Price: Rs 1,39,999 onwards

OPPO Find N3 Flip

Best smartphone cameras: OPPO Find N3 Flip (Price: Rs 94,999 )

Is this the best camera on a foldable, flip-style smartphone? OPPO has certainly upped the stakes in this segment with a triple rear cam – a first for the flip category in India. One of the visible improvements is in the lowlight department where this device has an edge over some of its rivals. We also like the results on the 48MP ultra-wide angle lens. The camera module has been co-designed with Hasselblad, the Find N3 Flip recreates the effect of a Hasselblad XCD lens with its stunning pro bokeh flare effect.

Price: Rs 94,999

Redmi Note 12+ Pro

Best smartphone cameras: Redmi Note 12+ Pro (Price: Rs )

The Xiaomi 13 Pro co-designed with Leica remains one of our favourite flagship smartphone cameras of 2023. The Redmi Note 12+ Pro from the Xiaomi stable is one of the best smartphone cams under Rs 30,000. It’s the first phone in India to debut with the 200-megapixel pro-grade HPX Sensor and combines with Xiaomi's super optical image stabilization (OIS) for staggering details. The presence of atomic layer deposition (ALD), an Ultra-Low Reflection Coating, cuts down on glare for better results in complex lighting situations.

Price: Rs 27,999