Best Android Camera: Shot for shot, who’s the king? [Gallery]

The best camera in any situation is the one you have with you, and most of the time, it’s your smartphone camera. That’s why, over the past few years, mobile photography has become such a crucial part of flagship smartphones, and the results are often incredible. But who has the best smartphone camera on Android? In “Shot for Shot”, we will let your eyes judge …

What are the best Android cameras?

Before diving into the samples, who are the competitors? In this comparison, we want to take a look at smartphones that are widely regarded as offering the best overall (rear) cameras in terms of versatility, consistency, experience, and quality. Currently, this list includes:

• Google Pixel 5
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
• Oppo Find X3

These phones offer vastly different hardware to achieve their end results, and starting at the bottom is the Pixel 5. Google’s formula for a good camera hasn’t changed much over the five generations. Much like the original Pixel, the latest generation has a 12MP camera at its heart – albeit with a newer sensor – now backed by a 16MP ultra-wide sensor. The Pixel is generally regarded for its straightforward and consistent shooting experience, with the results bolstered by excellent software processing.

Moving on to Samsung’s offerings, the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra both offer a very similar package. The headliner is a 108 MP main camera with laser autofocus. Beyond that, the two differ slightly. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the higher option at the hardware level, offering a 12MP ultra-wide camera and two 10MP telephoto lenses. One of them is a 3x optical zoom shooter while the other achieves a 10x optical zoom. With the software, the phone manages up to 100x “Space Zoom”. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is limited to 50x zoom as it only has a single telephoto lens, a 12MP camera with 5x optical zoom. There is also a 12MP ultra-wide.

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As for the Oppo Find X3 Pro, the emphasis is not so much on the zoom, but rather on the macro and microscope blows. The main camera is a 50MP sensor supported by a 13MP telephoto lens that manages 5x optical zoom. The third sensor, however, is another 50 MP shooter with an ultra-wide lens that can also be used for high-resolution macro shots. It even offers a special LED ring that can take photos of subjects a few millimeters away from the lens with high focus and detail.

How do the best Android cameras compare?

We could go on and on about camera features, resolution, colors and more, but honestly, the best judge of a smartphone’s camera is your own eyes. Below you’ll find test samples from each of our contenders in a few scenarios. After checking them out, vote in the poll below to let us know what you think is the best Android camera.

For each gallery below, you can click to enlarge each photo, or click “view full size” below to view the uncompressed photos on Google Drive.

Primary camera, natural light

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View full size | Left to Right – Pixel 5, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Oppo Find X3 Pro

When it comes to natural daylight, it’s honestly pretty hard to trip up a modern day flagship smartphone. Everyone here is basically on the same playing field and the comparisons boil down to colors, sharpness, bokeh and really just personal preferences. Still, HDR is an important tool for balancing bright sunlight with your subject for the most detail possible.

Main camera, inside

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View full size | Left to Right – Pixel 5, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Oppo Find X3 Pro

Even in the middle of the day and with all the lights in a room on, any smartphone can collapse when brought inside. In our tests, we are in a room with a good amount of natural light supported by several ceiling lights.

Ultra-wide camera, natural light

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View full size | Left to Right – Pixel 5, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Oppo Find X3 Pro

Ultra-wide cameras won’t make or break your shooting experience, but all too often the quality can quickly degrade compared to the main sensor. Often, too, the distortion can ruin even the best ultra-wide camera on an Android phone.

2x and 10x zoom camera (or maximum)

View full size (10x) | Left to Right – Pixel 5, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Oppo Find X3 Pro

After countless years of digital zoom giving the illusion of cutting through your subject, the best Android cameras are adding extra focal lengths to improve results at a distance, in some cases even literally capturing the moon. However, the results here often vary widely. We opted for 2x zoom and 10x zoom to show both what happens with occasional use and what you can expect when you push these systems to their limits.

Main camera, indoor low light

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View full size | Left to Right – Pixel 5, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Oppo Find X3 Pro

Perhaps one of the most difficult scenarios for a smartphone camera is indoors with low light, which means no natural light and medium or localized lighting. It really depends on the HDR and the size of the sensor to get the win here.

Night mode

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View full size | Left to Right – Pixel 5, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Oppo Find X3 Pro

Smartphones can now capture the stars if you use them correctly, but night mode photography is generally best used just to capture a scene without the need for the flash, and this is also a part of smartphone photography can and vary wildly. as from device to device.

What do you think is the best Android camera?

After reviewing the examples above, which do you think is the best option? Personally, I’m very impressed with what the Oppo Find X3 Pro has released, but the Pixel 5 still feels more consistent and the Galaxy S21 Ultra offers some of its own advantages. It’s a tough call!

This article is regularly updated as new competitors enter the market. Sometimes old devices will be removed as successors are released.

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