October 30, 2023, 10:27 am | Read time: 4 minutes
The higher the number of megapixels, the better the camera–at least that’s what some smartphone manufacturers want us to believe. Some cameras now offer up to 200 megapixels. However, a good smartphone camera depends on entirely different factors.
The camera of a smartphone is more important than ever. Especially in the mid-range and high-end segments, it’s the feature that allows manufacturers to stand out from the crowd. It’s no surprise that many smartphones now come with not just one, but several cameras in a bundle. The number of megapixels has also increased–up to 200 megapixels are no longer uncommon. Yet, the quality of a smartphone camera is not solely determined by the number of megapixels, as manufacturers often suggest in their advertising.
Overview
Smartphone Camera: More Megapixels, More Details?
But first: What exactly is a megapixel? One megapixel stands for 1 million pixels, and generally speaking, the more megapixels a camera captures, the more detailed–and therefore sharper–the image theoretically is. But why do the 50- and 12-megapixel photos from the Google Pixel 8 or the 48-megapixel and 12-megapixel photos from the iPhone 15 not look any worse than those taken with the 200-megapixel camera of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
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Size Does Matter!
It’s not just the number of megapixels on a smartphone camera’s image sensor that matters, but also the size of the sensor itself. The larger a pixel, the more light the sensor can capture, and the less image noise occurs. If manufacturers pack many pixels onto a small sensor, the megapixel count may look impressive on paper, but in reality, the photos tend to be noisy because the individual pixels have little space.
In principle, you should ensure that the cameras built into smartphones have at least between 8 and 12 megapixels. With a higher pixel count, some manufacturers like to use what’s called pixel binning to minimize image noise and improve image quality. This involves combining several adjacent pixels into one, often in a 4:1 ratio. The camera may offer 48 megapixels, but the actual image resolution is only 12 megapixels.
The problem with image sensors in smartphone cameras is obvious: The devices are so compact that there’s hardly any room for a large sensor. It’s also frustrating that many smartphone manufacturers don’t directly specify the size of the built-in camera sensor in the data sheets. Some research is often required. A DSLR with 12 megapixels generally takes better pictures than a smartphone with 12 megapixels because the sensors are sometimes 30 times larger.
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Aperture and Lenses Are Becoming More Important
Another factor for a good smartphone camera is the aperture. To take good pictures even in low-light conditions, you need an aperture with the largest possible opening. This is indicated by a small number, such as f/1.8 to f/1.2.
Additional cameras can also be helpful. Many current smartphones offer, in addition to the main sensor, usually a wide-angle, at least an ultra-wide-angle, and a telephoto lens or depth sensor. Ultra-wide-angle lenses are particularly practical for their larger field of view, and telephoto lenses are useful for their zoom function.
“Besides the number of megapixels, the quality of the camera lens is important,” confirms photo expert Roland Franken from the professional magazine digit! TECHBOOK. “For photography in low light, you should choose a smartphone model with image stabilization. This reduces the number of blurry photos. And if you want to print your smartphone photos, you should know: Six megapixels are enough to print a photo in A4 format in good quality.”
The Most Important Camera Factors Summarized
Let’s summarize once more. A good smartphone camera generally has the following features:
- At least 8 to 12 megapixels, preferably more. However, you should keep an eye on the ratio of sensor size to pixel size.
- A large aperture from f/1.8 to f/1.2
- Various lenses: Ideally wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto