Diwali is one of the most important festivals in India, and it is also one of the best times to shoot some stunning photos. And if you’ve been holding out for a flagship phone till now, the market now has plenty of options to pick and choose from. In this list, we will look at the best flagship phones you can consider this Diwali season, purely based on camera performance.
Keep in mind this list is looking at premium phones, which typically start above Rs 60,000 or so. These phones stand out because they offer a number of great camera features both on the software and hardware front. Most importantly they deliver exceptional photos at night, an area where phones in the mid-premium and mid-range are still somewhat lacking. Here are the best camera phones you can get your hands on this Diwali.
Pixel 7 Pro
The recently launched Pixel 7 Pro improves on its predecessor and features an upgraded camera setup. Powered by Google’s in-house developed Tensor G2 chipset, the phone has a triple camera setup on the back that consists of a 50MP primary sensor, a 48MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultrawide lens.
The Pixel 7 Pro also happens to be the first Pixel device to offer SuperRes Zoom up to 30x. The Portrait mode also has some nice improvements compared to its predecessor. The ultrawide camera, lets you focus on a subject and take macro shots.
The Pixel 7 Pro features a triple camera setup. (Express Photo)
Another notable addition is the Photo Unblur feature, which resides in the Google Photos app and lets you fix blurry photos using AI and machine learning, including those taken from an older device. Also, if you want to take full-resolution photos, Google lets users capture photos in RAW format.
Coming to Night mode, the Pixel 7 Pro is two to three seconds faster than the Pixel 6 Pro, which is really great if you want to take a lot of pictures at night. On the video front, the phone now comes with a new mode called Cinematic Blur, which is similar to Apple’s implementation of Cinematic Mode. And with improvements to Real Tone, Image Signalling Processor and Tensor G2’s AI models for photo processing, the Pixel 7 Pro gives the iPhone 14 Pro Max a run for its money. It starts from Rs 84,999.
iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max
Starting with Apple, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is undoubtedly one of the best camera phones you can buy right now. Powered by Apple’s latest A16 Bionic chipset, the phone has a triple camera setup that comprises a 48MP primary sensor backed by a 12MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultrawide camera.
The latest iPhone is great for both daylight and nighttime photography thanks to Apple’s recently introduced ‘Photonic Engine’.
If you turn on the auto mode on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the camera will then automatically choose between pixel binning and high res photos. Of course, you can always enable ProRAW and force the camera to capture 48MP photos.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a 48MP primary sensor. (Express Photo)
The new iPhone series also supports 2x crop from the main sensor, which Apple calls ‘optical quality zoom’. The telephoto and ultrawide cameras now capture better photos in poor or low light conditions as well.
Apple also introduced a new Action Mode that provides video image stabilization and improved the Cinematic mode, which now supports 4K at 30fps. On the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you can also record videos in ProRes at 4K. For creators, the new M2 processor and the upgraded camera makes the iPhone 14 Pro Max a complete package. It starts from Rs 1,39,900.
Samsung S22 Ultra
Samsung’s latest flagship device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and comes with a 6.8-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen. The back of the phone sports a quad camera setup with a 108MP primary camera, 10MP periscope telephoto lens, 10MP telephoto sensor and a 12MP ultrawide camera.
On the software side of things, the S22 series comes with Advanced Auto Framing, a feature that can auto-detect up to 10 faces and optimise the focus of the shot accordingly. Samsung has also introduced a new mode called Nightography, which helps users take pictures in low light or dark environments.
Samsung has also improved the portrait mode on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Using AI Stereo Depth Map, which uses AI to create a depth map and pick small details when taking portrait shots, the Advanced Portrait Mode improves edge detection and makes sure small things like strands of hair and spectacles are not blurred.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the company’s most premium smartphone. (Express Photo)
Then there is the Adaptive Pixel feature, which works by capturing two images instead of one whenever the user takes a photo, which is then combined into a single image. This means you will be able to capture more details while saving up some space.
The Expert RAW from Samsung gives users multiple export and edit options as well as the ability to use all four lenses. Compared to the camera app, the Expert RAW app gives users granular control and access to advanced controls like ISO, shutter speed, histogram and focus points among other parameters.
The camera on the S22 Ultra is great, with Samsung opting for more natural colours compared to its other products. Competing with the likes of the recently launched iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Pixel 7 Pro, the Samsung S22 Ultra is one of the best camera phones you can buy this Diwali. It is priced at Rs 1,18,999.
Vivo X80 Pro
The Vivo X80 Pro is undoubtedly one of the best camera phones you can get your hands on. Backed by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, the phone sports a quad camera setup with a 50MP primary lens, 8MP periscope telephoto sensor, 12MP telephoto camera and a 48MP ultrawide shooter.
It also comes with the new V1+ image processing chip, with the gimbal stabilisation moved to the portrait lens, which is Vivo’s terms for the 2x zoom camera. While the phone can shoot up to 8K videos, the video quality is top-notch when captured in 4K.
The Vivo X80 Pro maybe the best camera phone launched this year. (Express Photo)
No matter how the lighting conditions are, the Vivo X80 Pro is able to take good pictures most of the time. The phone is also able to retain most details, even if you use 4x zoom. The newly introduced Cinematic mode developed in partnership with Zeiss is able to continuously keep people in focus while blurring out the background and is ahead of the Cinematic mode on the iPhone series.
Some other camera options include Astrophotography mode, pro sports mode that helps capture moving subjects, pro mode and an AI group portrait mode. If you want a phone that packs top-of-the-line hardware and one of the best camera phones money can buy, the Vivo X80 Pro is a great choice. It starts from Rs 79,999.
Xiaomi 12 Pro
Earlier this year, Xiaomi launched its flagship phone, the 12 Pro. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, it is one of the few phones that comes with a 50MP primary camera along with a 50MP telephoto lens and a 50MP ultrawide sensor.
With all three cameras supporting night mode, the phone takes great photos even in poor lighting and manages to retain most details and contrast. The phone offers 2x optical zoom on the telephoto lens and 20x digital zoom. You also get 50MP mode, which captures photos in full resolution along with motion tracking focus that automatically focuses on moving subjects like animals, children and vehicles.
Xiaomi has packed the 120 Pro with three 50MP cameras. (Express Photo)
You can also record videos in up to 8K at 24fps, and HDR is available in 4K videos as well, which is a nice addition. Xiaomi has also added some AI-powered video modes like slow shutter and time freeze. With newly added features like motion tracking, motion capture and eye tracking, Xiaomi has nailed it in the camera department. The Xiaomi 12 Pro starts from Rs 62,999.
Here are the best camera phones you can buy right now. (Express Photo) 
The Pixel 7 Pro features a triple camera setup. (Express Photo)
The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a 48MP primary sensor. (Express Photo)
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the company’s most premium smartphone. (Express Photo)
The Vivo X80 Pro maybe the best camera phone launched this year. (Express Photo)
Xiaomi has packed the 120 Pro with three 50MP cameras. (Express Photo)
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