The best smartphone cameras of 2020

For many people, the camera system is the most important attribute of a new smartphone.

However, simply looking at the megapixel rating of each lens is not an accurate way of determining the actual capability of a smartphone’s camera.

This is because modern smartphone cameras use a wealth of technologies and features to improve the quality of photographs taken by these smartphones.

DxOmark is one of the best places to look if you want to determine the quality of a smartphone’s camera.

It gives each smartphone’s rear and front cameras a rating score that is based on a variety of rigorous tests.

DxOmark explains that devices are tested at their default settings both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes.

The tests cover an extensive range of light conditions and scenarios to provide a comprehensive report on the quality of the smartphone camera.

“Overall, an engineering team works for a week to capture and evaluates over 1,600 test images and more than 2 hours of video for each review,” DxOmark states.

It noted that these tests are purely objective and most are calculated directly by test equipment, while some perceptual tests use a set of metrics that allow a panel of image experts to compare image quality criteria accurately.

All tests are then compiled into two primary scores – for photo and video – after which an overall score is calculated.

Rear camera ratings

According to DxOmark, the best rear smartphone camera on the market is not from any of the “big 3” smartphone makers (Samsung, Apple, and Huawei).

Instead, the winner is the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, which boasts a score of 130.

It is closely followed by the Huawei P40 Pro on 128, while the 125-rated Honor 30 Pro+ rounds out the top three.

Selfie camera ratings

When it comes to selfie cameras, Huawei’s P40 Pro leads the way with a score of 103.

The Huawei Nova 6 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra are tied for second spot behind the P40 Pro, both boasting a score of 100.

It is worth noting that the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, which won the rear camera category, is yet to receive a rating for its selfie camera at the time of writing.

The inverse is true of the Nova 6 5G, which is why it did not feature in the rear camera table.