Finding the best smartphone camera is no easy task these days. Most all flagships now come packing some serious camera tech and software, and while certain brands and models may excel in certain areas, it's pretty much a neck-and-neck race. Some phones perform better in low light, others have dedicated Night Modes that are way ahead of the competition, and then there are those that are mediocre for stills, but are great for video. It's not easy picking the best of the best, especially if you don't get the chance to try out many, many phones for yourself. With so much choice, what do you have to look for, if you want the best smartphone camera?

How we choose the best smartphone camera

These days, the bar for a top-performing camera on a phone is quite high. To be competitive, a device has to have a good sent of lenses and sensors backed up by software that can get the most of them. The end result must be a photo that has sharpness, good color balance, adequate exposure, realistic saturation and a great amount of detail. It's especially important how the camera handles scenarios that test its HDR — very bright spots shouldn't be just white spots and dark shadows must contain details. Speaking of darkness, low-light photography is where most sub-par cameras struggle and we can't have any of that when it comes to the best smartphone cameras in 2021. The goal with low-light photos is not which phone can take the brightest shot with little or no light sources around. A photo has to be, above all, nice to look at. That being said, here are the best-performing cameras on the smartphone market right now:

Best camera phones, a summarized list:

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Google Pixel 6 Pro

OnePlus 10 Pro

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

Huawei P40 Pro Plus

Sony Xperia Pro-I

What are the phones with the best camera?

iPhone 13 Pro Max

The new iPhone 13 Pro Max brings new camera features like Center Stage and Cinematic Mode video, in addition to an inventive macro mode and an upgraded telephoto lens. Packing three main cameras on the back, the 2021 Pro Max is capable of producing some of the most impressive daylight and nighttime photos, in addition to recording the best quality video on any phone. In fact, that's arguably the iPhone's biggest strength. If you're looking for possibly the best cameras on a phone, capable of industry-leading video recording, iPhone 13 Pro Max is the choice for you.