ST Digital Awards: Nominees

ST Digital Awards: Nominees for best smartphone camera

ST Digital Awards nominees for best smartphone camera. PHOTO: APPLE; GOOGLE; SAMSUNG; SONY; LG

APPLE IPHONE 6S PLUS

Apple's mantra is that a good camera is never about the megapixel (MP) count.

While the iPhone 6s Plus' upgrade to a 12MP camera means the device still lags behind competitors with 16MP or even 23MP cameras, the photos themselves tell a different story.

A full slate of automatic and manual features, alongside software that brings out ideal colours and well-balanced images, shows that Apple still knows how to satisfy shutterbugs.


PHOTO: GOOGLE

GOOGLE NEXUS 6P

It took Google and Huawei a while to start a partnership, but their first attempt on the Nexus 6P has brought about a laser-autofocus 12.3MP camera capable of shooting beautiful images with great details and colours. Packed with features such as HDR+ and the ability to shoot video at 240 fps, the Nexus 6P handles well in both low-light and outdoor conditions. What is missing is the previous model's optical image stabiliser, which was dropped in favour of having larger pixels on the sensor.


PHOTO: LG

LG G4

When LG introduced laser autofocus for its phone cameras, some saw it as a gimmick. But other manufacturers soon followed suit, as a way for their smartphone cameras to quickly focus on a subject, be it in normal or low-light conditions.

The LG G4 throws an f/1.8 lens into the mix and the combination of features produces some of the best-looking images from a smartphone. It also comes with a fully manual mode.


PHOTO: SAMSUNG

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 5 4G+

After years of trailing Apple in the camera department, Samsung has finally produced a camera that Apple would be proud of. Packed with manual controls that allow users to lock focus and aperture size, the 16MP camera here is a great union of hardware and software features.

Samsung has also introduced live broadcasting, which allows users to broadcast videos directly from the camera to YouTube. A new user interface makes it easier to switch between camera modes.


PHOTO: SONY

SONY XPERIA Z5 PREMIUM

Sony did not just increase the sensor size for its flagship device to 23MP, it also included a camera with a larger field of vision, which means that more of a scene can be captured. And the new hybrid autofocus technology makes focusing and shooting faster, even if the subject is moving quickly.

A tweaked interface makes it easy to produce beautiful photos, and a manual mode that comes with HDR offers more control. To match the 4K display, the camera is capable of shooting 4K video at 30 fps.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 30, 2015, with the headline ST Digital Awards: Nominees for best smartphone camera. Subscribe