A good camera setup is one of the most sought-after features when choosing a smartphone. Smartphones are increasingly becoming the primary device for capturing photos and videos for many people. A good camera setup ensures that the photos and videos captured are of high quality, with accurate colours, sharpness, and detail. The convenience of having a high-quality camera in your pocket at all times is unmatched. Instead of carrying around a separate camera, users can rely on their smartphones to capture moments quickly and with ease. We have thus curated a list of the best camera phones to buy across price ranges. The list will discuss the key features, camera prowess, and some drawbacks to allow you to make an informed decision when buying yourself a camera phone.
Best camera phone under Rs 10,000
Itel P55
Price – Rs 9,999
The Itel P55 stands out as one of the best offerings in India under Rs 10,000. The MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC powers the smartphone and allows it to offer 5G network support. The smartphone features a 50MP AI rear camera to capture images. On the front, you’ll find an 8MP camera designed for selfies and video calls. The camera setup performs satisfactorily under well-lit conditions, delivering vibrant colours. The dedicated Super Night mode allows the smartphone to capture more light with long exposure shots, resulting in appealing images with minimal noise. The front camera performs well in daylight conditions with good facial details; however, it struggles in low-light environments.
The budget phone is more than just its camera. It features a 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel with HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate; however, the selfie camera is housed in a waterdrop notch, which feels a bit antiquated in 2024. With its large 5,000mAh battery, it easily powers through an entire day and then some. The smartphone is an exceptional value-for-money choice at its price.
Pros
- The performance is good for everyday use.
- The 5,000mAh battery ensures extended usage.
- The display quality is respectable for the price.
Cons
- Bloatware
- The cameras could use some improvement.
Best camera phone under Rs 20,000
Redmi Note 13 5G
Price – Rs 17,999
The recently launched Redmi Note 13 5G is a value-centric smartphone designed for budget-conscious users. Its 108MP primary camera captures pleasing shots in both daylight and low-light conditions, delivering detailed images with accurate colours. However, the 3x in-sensor zoom feature does not consistently deliver great results. In daylight, the primary camera excels at capturing details with good colour accuracy. The ultra-wide lens performs well but tends to produce slightly muted details compared to the primary lens, while the 2MP camera’s performance is average at best. As for the selfie camera, it performs satisfactorily in well-lit environments, yielding acceptable images. In low-light conditions, the images tend to be softer, with poor edge detection.
Pros
- Good multi-tasking and some light gaming capabilities.
- Impressive battery life.
- Good daylight primary camera.
Cons
- The software has bloatware and ads.
- Average selfie camera.
Best camera phone under Rs 30,000
Realme 12 Pro+
Price – Rs 29,999
Realme 12 Pro+ is the company’s new flagship smartphone in its number-series lineup and succeeds the Realme 11 Pro+ launched last year. It comes with refinements across the board, but one of the key highlights of the smartphone is that it includes a telephoto periscope lens, a camera feature usually reserved for premium and flagship smartphones. The Realme 12 Pro+ is equipped with a triple rear camera setup consisting of a 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 64MP OV64B periscope telephoto lens that delivers 3x optical zoom. For selfies and video calling, the handset relies on a 32MP Sony camera.
Pros
- The best-designed phone in the segment with a luxury watch-inspired camera and a vegan leather back.
- Versatile camera setup with a 64MP telephoto lens.
- Great display with rich colours and good viewing angles.
- Reliable battery life means an entire day of usage for most users.
Cons
- The phone’s portrait mode struggles with consistency.
- The ultra-wide lens struggles in low light.
Best camera phone under Rs 50,000
Google Pixel 7
Price – Rs 46,999
The Pixel 7 features a dual camera setup comprising a 50MP main sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with a 114-degree FOV. The device comes with a 10.8MP front camera for selfies and video calls. The 50MP primary camera images closely resemble real-world objects when it comes to colours, and it excels at creating a bokeh effect. The camera takes sharp and detailed pictures and does an admirable job of bringing out shadows in a scene without clipping the highlights.
The camera system lacks a dedicated telephoto lens but can take 2x crops, thanks to the 50MP sensor. The ultrawide images offer excellent corner sharpness as well as good detail retention around the centre of the frame. At night, the Pixel 7’s nightscape mode does well to enhance the details in a dimly lit scene, albeit with a slight amount of noise around the edges. Night shots also lack any lens flares, and the colours remain quite accurate. The 10.8MP selfie camera captures stunning selfies with accurate skin tones and ample facial details. In terms of specifications, the smartphone features a 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED display with a refresh rate of 90Hz and 1,000nits of peak brightness. The Google Tensor G2 SoC powers the smartphone along with a 4,270mAh battery.
Pros
- Sturdy design.
- Stunning display.
- Excellent cameras.
- Refined software with a bloat-free UI.
- Supports wireless charging.
Cons
- Slow wired and wireless charging speeds.
- Not the fastest phone in its segment.
- The display refresh rate is capped at 90Hz.
Best camera phone over Rs 50,000
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Price – Rs 1,29,999
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the latest flagship by the brand and is a solid contender for the title of the best Android smartphones of the year. The camera system on the premium flagship includes a 200MP f/1.7 primary camera with OIS, a 10MP 3x telephoto lens with OIS, a 50MP 5x telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. At the front, the device comes with a 12MP selfie camera. Compared to the S23 Ultra, the biggest change is the new 5x telephoto lens compared to the previous 10x telephoto lens. Samsung has provided a higher-resolution lens in favour of pure zooming power in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The high-resolution 200MP sensor manages to bring a lot of detail, keeps noise levels low, and shoots vivid photos that look pleasing to the eyes.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra produces better zoomed-in images compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, despite the 10x zoom being toned down to 5x. The colours appear more natural with the new rear camera, which captures a good amount of detail. The smartphone delivers reliable camera performance across all use cases and boasts one of the best camera systems on an Android device. The device also offers on-device generative AI features that allow for a variety of interesting changes, such as resizing and moving objects in your image, changing the background, and more.
The selfie camera maintains consistency with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and offers similar performance, with some slight improvements thanks to newer software. Being a premium flagship, the device offers top-of-the-line specs across the board, including its vibrant Quad HD+ AMOLED display with a new anti-glare feature, a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging and 15W wireless charging support, a range of new AI features, and Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 at its core.
Pros
- Excellent display with anti-glare that minimises most reflections
- Excellent cameras
- Solid performance and battery life
- S Pen is still unmatched
Cons
- Pricey
- Large and heavy
