Robert Triggs / Android Authority
It seems like software has become just as important (if not more important) than the hardware when it comes to the best camera phones. In fact, I bought the Pixel 7 Pro in 2022 because I thought it offered a great blend of camera software and hardware.
But when I played around with phones like the HUAWEI P60 Pro and vivo X100 series, I realized that Chinese brands, not Google or Samsung, are at the forefront of camera hardware.
Do you think Google and Samsung are falling behind in camera hardware?
20 votes
What impresses you about these phones?
Perhaps what impressed me most about recent Chinese flagship phones is the upgraded telephoto camera experience. Many of these phones have excellent low-light performance, close-up focusing capabilities, relatively large sensors, and wide apertures for high-resolution output.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro series certainly ticks most of these boxes, and although macro focus is noticeably omitted, we’re happy with the images from the periscope camera. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra also offers some of these perks, but it lacks wide aperture and close-up focusing. The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, on the other hand, stick to the ancient 10MP 3x telephoto camera and retain many modern telephoto camera features.
Check out my favorite telephoto snaps taken with China’s flagship phone below.
Some of Sony’s recent Xperia 1 flagship phones also offer variable telephoto cameras. The Xperia 1 VI is equipped with a variable telephoto camera that can continuously zoom from 3.5x to 7.1x. This means you get consistent image quality between these two zoom ranges and no cropping or hybrid zooming is required. What’s stopping Google and Samsung from investing in similar cameras?
Main camera hardware improvements
Apart from telephoto cameras, many Chinese flagship phones now feature a 1-inch main camera sensor that allows for clearer and brighter shots. As a result, I really enjoy the handheld astrophotography mode on newer vivo smartphones. Using a tripod will give you sharper, cleaner results. And while the brand’s low-light processing is aggressive, the image quality is good enough for handheld snaps and perfect for Instagram.
Google’s recent Pixel flagships all have decent-sized main cameras, but I’d like to see the company adopt a larger sensor to better capture low-light photos, portraits, and videos. I hope so. I feel like it’s time for Samsung to offer a 1-inch 50MP camera as well. After all, who cares about the S24 Ultra’s 200MP main camera if shutter lag is still an issue? The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus use essentially the same sensor as the 2022 S22 and S22 Plus A main camera upgrade is also very necessary.
Switchable apertures, larger sensors, flexible telephotos — a lot of things are missing from flagships from Apple, Google, and Samsung.
Major camera innovations aren’t limited to huge sensors. Recent phones from HUAWEI and Xiaomi also offer variable aperture main cameras, giving you more control over focus and depth of field effects.
If you want everything to be in focus, you can choose a narrow aperture. On the other hand, a wide aperture provides a shallow depth of field with a natural bokeh effect compared to the artificial bokeh seen in portrait mode snaps. Check out the comparison of the P60 Pro’s main camera with wide and narrow apertures below. Incredibly flexible, right?
Software is another story
Ryan Haynes / Android Authority
I love seeing cutting-edge camera hardware from Samsung and Google’s rivals, but I still use my Pixel 7 Pro a lot for photography. This is mainly due to the natural-looking photos, without any over-sharpening or neon feel from aggressive HDR. Google has introduced some really useful software features to subsequent models in recent years, such as Add Me and Best Take. I’m also a big fan of Samsung’s suite of software features, including Single Take, Director’s View, and Shadow/Reflection Removal.
However, in some areas Chinese rivals are catching up to, if not surpassing, Google and Samsung on the software front. Color profiles have been added significantly to OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, and vivo phones, but are completely absent from Google and Samsung phones. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra also offers AI-assisted zoom, which outperforms the S24 Ultra in our tests. Also, unlike Google, the Chinese flagship includes on-device video capabilities such as 8K and improved low-light video.
If only Google’s software could be combined with Xiaomi’s hardware.
Either way, Samsung and Google still offer top-class camera software that can provide a polished and fully featured experience, but it’s clear that there is room for improvement on the hardware side. This is especially true with Samsung’s more affordable flagships and increasingly aging cameras. I wish I could combine Samsung or Google software with OPPO, Xiaomi, or vivo hardware.
