They do everything, including take pictures! The characteristics of their sensors often make the value of a smartphone and a decisive criterion of choice. We tell you which ones to look out for before buying your photophone.
Sensor quality, not megapixel count
While many manufacturers boast about the number of megapixels in their cameras, this is not really that important, and appears to be a marketing argument. If you're in the market for a photophone, you need to focus on the quality of the camera's sensor and the quality of its photo processing (a process carried out by software to ensure the best possible photo rendering).
Google and Xiaomi go the distance
The Google Pixel series brings the two together. If you're looking for a top-of-the-range model, your choice might be the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, whose artificial intelligence offers exceptional edge quality. Less expensive, the Google Pixel 7a is still considered one of the world's best photophones in terms of sensor quality/price ratio.
Featuring 4 different sensors designed with Leica, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra lets you magnify landscape shots and group selfies with its ultra-wide-angle sensor, as well as shoot at very close range (for nature photos, for example) with its macro sensor.
Aperture for excellent rendering even in low light
The latest flagship models from the two behemoths Apple and Samsung, the Samsung S24 and iPhone 15, also feature an ultra-wide-angle lens, and have been particularly praised for the quality of their cameras.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Samsung's top-of-the-range camera), for example, offers a number of different apertures: f/1.7; f/2.2; f/2.4; f/3.4. Aperture is another very important feature to look at before choosing a phone. It provides information about the amount of light the camera can receive, and its ability to take good photos in low light conditions.