The camera is probably the first feature you use in a smartphone. It is also the first thing you compare between friends if they are using different brands.
With the rise in popularity of camera in smartphones, companies are investing heavily to improve their cameras and are upgrading accordingly. They are even tieing up with professional camera brands to upgrade their camera in smartphones.
Today, we will be talking about the best camera phones available in Nepal for this year.
7. Google Pixel 5
Google Pixel 5 is one of the handiest smartphones in the market. Google’s phones are always known as one of the best camera phones. Though only boasting a dual rear camera setup, the Pixel 5 gives a tough competition when it comes to photography to all other smartphone brands housing triple or quad-camera setups. The Google Pixel 5 has a 12.2MP 27mm wide camera along with a 16MP 16.5mm ultrawide camera on its back while there is an 8MP camera on the front.
There are different modes to help the user click pictures at different times and situations. The Night Sight mode lets the user capture low light portraits with all the details and without using the flash. Similarly, the HDR+ mode on the camera automatically enhances colour and lighting for the photos to stay vivid. The 117-degree ultrawide camera fits a wider scene in the photos.
The phone also takes brilliant portraits. If the shadow gets in the way of a great portrait, the Pixel drops in extra light to illuminate the subject. The camera can record videos in 4K@ 60fps. It provides a cinematic effect to the videos making the phone more interesting. Other features of this phone are adaptive battery, extreme battery-saver, fast charging and built-in malware protection.
There won’t be any official launch in Nepal, but it might be available through unofficial channels and will probably cost around Rs 90,000.
6. iPhone 11 Pro Max
Though released in September 2019, iPhone 11 Pro Max still has one of the best cameras in the smartphone market today. The phone packs a 12MP triple camera setup. The main camera equivalent to a 26mm wide lens with 1.8 aperture is housed with a telephoto camera and 120-degree ultrawide camera. The cameras also take videos in 4K @60fps. The front-facing is also a 12MP camera that has a wider field of view to capture selfies.
The cameras in the phone are deeply integrated into iOS to create a pro-level camera experience for everyone. The ultra-wide can capture four times more scenes which can be great for landscapes or architectural photos. The night mode on the camera delivers great pictures indoor and outdoor in low lights.
iPhone has always been known for taking natural photos, and the smart HDR does the same here. It uses advanced machine learning to recognise subjects in the frame and to intelligently relight them. Another interesting thing about the camera in this phone is that all the cameras can record the videos in 4K with extended dynamic range and cinematic video stabilisation.
The price for iPhone 11 Pro Max in Nepal starts from Rs 162,000.
5. Huawei P40 Pro
Though the Huawei P40 Pro does not have Google services, it surely has one of the best cameras in the smartphone market. Huawei has grown exponentially, not only in sales but also in camera in these past few years. The Huawei P40 Pro features Ultra Vision Leica Quad cameras on its back. The main is a 50MP, f/1.9 camera which is housed with a 40MP ultrawide camera, 12MP super-sensing telephoto camera and 3D depth-sensing camera. The company claims it is the first smartphone to pack a true dual zoom camera. It also boasts a dual 32MP wide and TOF 3D camera sensor in the front.
Along with the large sensor, Huawei P40 Pro comes with an RYYB filter. The RYYB colour filter has the green sub-pixels replaced by the yellow ones. Huawei says the yellow allows the sensor to collect up to 40 per cent more light than the regular RGGB filters. This change in the filters allows capturing better images even in the low lights. The rear cameras capture brilliant photos while the ToF camera speeds up the autofocus and provides a more convincing background defocusing for portraits. The camera app is enhanced by Huawei’s AI and recognises settings for up to 1,500 scenes.
Another amazing feature of this phone is its Pro mode with you can adjust parameters yourself. It has an ISO range from 50 to 409,600, which you do not get in most DSLR cameras. You can also choose different shooting and metring modes. Likewise, it lets you adjust even aperture ranging from f/0.95 to f/16. While capturing bokeh photos, you can choose the shapes as well. There is also Super Moon shot in the camera and the pro mode is available on all three cameras of the phone, which usually is not the case with other phones.
The price for Huawei P40 Pro is Rs 129,990.
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra comes with impressive features. It has a perfect balance of power and beauty. The phone is popular for having an S-pen. In addition to all the features, the phone also has a power-packed camera.
There is a triple camera setup in the back of this phone. There is a 108MP main camera accompanied by a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 12MP telephoto camera. The front-facing is a 10MP selfie camera.
The cameras in Note 20 Ultra is really impressive and is perfect for shooting videos and taking pictures. The phone gives you the possibility to capture the videos in 8K. This option is not available on most smartphones. More resolution means more detail and crisp recording. The Pro mode in the phone gives you precise control of your recording and photos. While recording videos in the Pro mode, you have the option to control the zoom speed; you can zoom slowly for a dramatic close-up or fast for a grand reveal of the whole scene. The recordings can also be done in 120fps.
There are plenty of features for those who love photography and videography. There is advanced AI that turns one shot into multiple formats. When recorded for a few seconds, the phone does the post-production work and delivers several formats and even suggests the best one. There is also a super steady video mode that gives clear and steady footage. The Space Zoom option provides super-resolution zoom enhanced by AI to zoom in 30x or 50x without losing the details. The night mode enables you to capture brilliant photos even in low lights. Both the front and rear camera setups can record videos in 4K.
The price for Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Nepal is Rs 139,999.
3. iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 12 Pro Max has a quad-camera set up in its back. There is a primary 12MP f/1.6 camera that has dual pixel PDAF and sensor-shift stabilisation accompanied by a 12MP telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom, a 12MP 120-degree ultra-wide camera and ToF 3D LiDAR scanner. There is also a 12MP front-facing selfie camera.
This phone maxes out the pro camera system. It boasts a 47 per cent larger sensor and larger pixels which means an increase in the amount of light gathered on the wide camera. The presence of an optical image stabiliser (OIS) stabilises the sensor instead of the lens so the shots are steady. This is probably the best phone for video recording. It is the first camera ever to record in Dolby Vision. There is also a provision for night mode time lapse.
The photography is also pretty awesome in iPhone 12 Pro Max. The night mode portraits, realistic colouring, deep fusion are some of the helpful features for the users to capture better images. The machine learning of the phone effectively distinguishes the subject from the background and creative control lets you adjust your photos precisely. The Smart HDR 3 in the phone automatically refines and highlights shadows and contours for more precise and natural photos.
The price for iPhone 12 Pro Max in Nepal starts from Rs 170,000.
2. OnePlus 9 Pro
This was the most awaited phone ever in the OnePlus series. Due to its partnership with an iconic name in photography, Hasselblad, the phone gained a surreal hype. The premium-designed OnePlus 9 Pro has a rear quad camera setup. The main 48MP Laser AF camera is equipped with 8MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide and 2MP depth camera sensor. There is a 16MP auto-HDR camera on the front for taking selfies.
To help increase the image quality, OnePlus has come with a host of new features. Hasselblad colour calibration OnePlus 9 Pro captures stunning pictures and videos. The company claims this phone brings industry-leading colour performance to smartphones. The camera in the phone is very user-friendly for beginners to professionals. The portraits and ultrawide images are quite stunning. The macro and night shots can also be taken brilliantly through this phone.
The video can be recorded in 8K at 30 fps. Such high video resolution will give flexibility to the users in post-production. It also lets the user record videos in 4K up to 120fps and if you need an even faster frame, you can opt for 1080p at 240 fps or 720p at 480 fps.
The starting price for the OnePlus 9 Pro in Nepal is expected to be around Rs 105,000.
1. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has the best smartphone camera in the market at the moment. It has a quad-camera setup at the back with a laser autofocus system. It has a 108 MP primary camera bagged with a 10MP periscope telephoto lens, 10 MP telephoto lens and 12MP ultrawide lens. The front-facing is a 40MP selfie camera with dual video call and choose a colour tone feature.
The main focus this time is to improve telephoto camera performance and for that, Samsung has gone with two independent 10-megapixel telephoto cameras: one with 3x optical zoom and another with 10x optical zoom. Both of these cameras are optically stabilised and have dual pixel autofocus. The space zoom has a hyper-detailed new 100x zoom. Using advanced Remosaic processing, the new 108MP sensor of the phone provides images with more clarity and higher colour fidelity. There are plenty of features for the users to choose from. Night mode, director’s view, single take are some of them.
The primary camera can record cinema-grade 8K videos, while all other cameras can record videos in 4K up to 60 fps. This set of cameras has a better dynamic range and performs better in low lights and can record super steady videos. Even the selfie camera can record videos in 4K up to 60 fps. With super-steady mode, the user can take exceptionally steady videos even in harsh conditions.
The price for Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in Nepal is Rs 154,999.
