Best Camera Smartphones Of The Year 2022

Smartphones have long surpassed compact dedicated digital cameras. Camera lenses and the algorithms governing photography and videography in smartphones keep getting better every year. This year's mobile phones have some of the finest imaging equipment. However, it is easy to get confused due to the marketing and promotions. Hence, we have curated a list of smartphones with some of the best camera equipment.

OnePlus 10 Pro - (8GB/128GB) ₹61,999

The OnePlus 10 Pro 5G launched in January this year. As expected, the "flagship killer" brand ensured its latest flagship Android smartphone had the best possible specifications. Besides the 6.7-inch LTPO2 Fluid AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, the OnePlus 10 Pro packs capable imaging equipment. The Android phone features a custom-made 48MP Sony IMX789 sensor capable of recording videos up to 4K at 120 FPS or 8K at 24 FPS.

The main camera lens has OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and phase detection autofocus. OnePlus has embedded a secondary 50MP fixed-focus 150-degree wide-angle camera (Samsung ISOCELL JN1) lens. It is capable of recording videos up to 4k 30 FPS. The third lens in the system is an 8MP telephoto sensor (OmniVision OV08A10) offering a 3.3X optical zoom. Incidentally, even this lens has OIS.

The OnePlus 10 Pro can capture excellent 12-bit RAW images. Users can even capture images in RAW+ mode. While these modes might not be useful for a casual photographer, they are appreciated by professional photographers. We have covered the imaging capabilities of the OnePlus 10 Pro in our detailed review.

Motorola Edge 30 Ultra - (8GB/128GB) ₹59,999

Motorola launched the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion and the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra a little late this year. These flagship Android smartphones arrived in September, but they make up for the delay by sporting incrementally better hardware.

The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is a flagship smartphone from Motorola. This was the first smartphone in the country to feature a 200MP primary camera sensor. The triple camera setup on the back is capable of shooting 8K videos. The primary sensor has OIS and is supported by a 12MP telephoto shooter as well as a 50MP ultra-wide sensor.

Motorola has also embedded a 60MP front camera for selfies and video calling. Needless to mention, very few Android smartphones have such a lens, especially for the front-facing camera.

Vivo X80 Pro (12GB/256GB) ₹79,999

Vivo has announced the Vivo X90 series, but the smartphones under this series are yet to arrive in India. This makes the Vivo X80 Pro the current flagship smartphone from the Chinese company.

During our detailed review, we discovered the Vivo X80 Pro has one of the most complex and advanced imaging hardware embedded in any smartphone. There's a quad-camera setup on the back of the Vivo X80 Pro, which is headlined by a 50MP OIS-enabled (f/1.6) custom-built Samsung GNV sensor which has Laser Auto Focus (Laser AF) as well as Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF).

There's an 8MP periscope telephoto lens. It has PDAF, and OIS, and offers 5X optical zoom. Vivo has embedded a 12MP telephoto lens with Dual Pixel PDAF, 2X optical zoom, and gimbal OIS. There's also a 48MP ultra-wide-angle lens with auto-focus.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra - (12GB/256GB) ₹93,999

Samsung retired the "Galaxy Note" sub-brand. However, the company's Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can be considered a member of the elite Galaxy Note series. The flagship Android smartphone packs a quad-camera setup on the back, which is headlined by a 108MP lens, which benefits from PDAF, Laser AF, and OIS.

In our detailed review, we discovered the cameras on the Galaxy S22 Ultra are able to deliver crisp 3X optical zoom shots, good 10X optical zoom pictures, and fairly usable 30X digital zoom pictures. The improved AI processing makes all the difference in preserving the quality and details of the images.

The camera system creates a very natural DSLR-like bokeh effect with realistic skin tones and excellent colors with a wide dynamic range. The Galaxy S22 also lets users capture 108MP high-res. images, HDR10+ videos, and Expert RAW pictures for better control in post-processing.

Google Pixel 7 Pro - (12GB/256GB) ₹79,500

The Google Pixel 7 Pro arrived in October this year. Coming straight from the Android OS developer, the flagship smartphone benefits from the latest developments in the software governing the imaging department.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro's camera hardware is nearly identical to that of the Pixel 6 Pro. The device has a 50MP wide-angle lens. The lens is supported by multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, and OIS.

Google has embedded a 48MP telephoto camera, which offers 5X optical zoom and 30X hybrid zoom (High Resolution 30x Zoom). The lens benefits from multi-directional PDAF, and OIS. There's another 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens in the Pixel 7 Pro which too has auto-focus.

Owing to the advanced Google Tensor G2 SoC, users can shoot videos with a blurred background using Cinematic Blur mode. The Pixel 7 Pro can also shoot with Macro Focus (macro mode) using the ultra-wide-angle lens.