This year 48MP camera specs are being thrown about a lot. We already have a handful of phones with Sony IMX586 and Samsung GM1 sensors, and a lot more are on their way. If you are looking to buy a phone with 48MP rear cameras, here is all that you should know. Page Contents:
Is higher megapixel count better? Samsung GM1 vs Sony IMX586 Sensor – Which One is better? Best 48MP camera sensor smartphones You can Buy
Is a higher megapixel count better?
The megapixel count or resolution of your camera is merely a measurement of how big an image you can shoot, and is not a metric for image quality. More the pixels, the wider canvas on which you can stretch the image. This is why 12MP or 13MP is big enough for all practical purposes. The thing with stuffing more pixels in a tiny smartphone sensor is that the size of individual pixels shrinks. For instance, the size of each pixel for the Sony IMX586 48MP sensor is just 0.8 microns. Without proper software to compensate, this could result in a loss of details and dynamic range, especially in low light.
But that’s an extreme situation we are talking about. Usually, a moderately high camera sensor resolution gives the software more data to work with, which is how most OEMs overcome photography limitations on phones. The 48MP sensors we see today have a quad-Bayer filter, or in simpler terms, they have been designed to shoot 12MP images, but do allow for 48MP bragging rights.
Samsung GM1 VS Sony IMX586 sensor – Which one is better?
Samsung ISOCELL GM1 and Sony’s Stacked CMOS IMX586 are the two 48MP sensors as of now and they are both theoretically the same. Each is a 1/2-inch sensor with a 0.8-micron pixel size and each combines four pixels for an effective 12Mp image output. Both of these sensors support PDAF and HDR. We heard reports in the media that the Samsung GM1 sensor (part number S5KGM1) has 12 million pixels and not the actual 48 million pixels and uses software interpolation to yield full 48MP resolution images. However, nothing on Samsung’s official website substantiates these claims. On the official page, the GM1 is clearly stated to have 48 megapixels and is said to combine 4 pixels into 1, just like the Sony IMX586. Having said that, Xiaomi is using the Sony IMX586 on the ‘Pro’ variant of Redmi Note 7 and the Samsung GM1 on the regular sensor. This does imply that the IMX576 is preferred of the two.
Best Phones with a 48MP camera sensor that you can buy in 2022
1. Poco M3
Poco M3 is a cost-effective smartphone and offers brilliant performance. It has a triple camera setup at the back that includes a 48MP main lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. It comes with an LED flash, HDR, and panorama. The smartphone has an 8MP selfie lens as well. The Poco M3 is powered by Snapdragon 662 chipset paired with up to 6GB RAM and up to 12GB storage. It runs Android 10 with MIUI 12 and features a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display. The smartphone packs a 6000mAh battery under the hood with 18W fast charging. It is available in Cool Blue, Poco Yellow, and Power Black colors and the price starts at Rs. 13,999.
2. OnePlus 10 Pro
The OnePlus 10 Pro features a triple camera setup at the back. The setup consists of a 48MP main camera, an 8MP telephoto zoom lens with 3.3x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. OnePlus is using a Samsung JN1 sensor with a wide 150-degree field of view. The camera hardware is supported by Hassleband. It has a 32MP selfie camera at the front. The OnePlus 10 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB internal storage. The smartphone supports 5G and flaunts a 6.7-inch LTPO2 Fluid AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It runs Android 12 and packs a 5000mAh battery with 65W fast charging. The OnePlus 10 Pro comes in Volcanic Black, Emerald Forest, and Panda White colors and its price starts at Rs. 61,999 in India.
3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro features a quad camera setup on the rear end. It includes a 48MP main sensor along with an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. It comes with LED flash, HDR, and panorama and features a 16MP front camera as well. The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 720G chipset with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB storage. It features a 5020mAh battery with 30W fast charging. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro sports a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display and runs Android 10 with MIUI 11. The smartphone comes in glacier white, interstellar grey, and tropical green colors and the price starts at Rs. 13,500 in India.
4. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
The latest from Apple, the highest variant of the iPhone 14 Series features a triple camera setup at the back. It includes a 48MP main sensor along with a 12MP ultrawide sensor and a 12MP telephoto lens. It has a 12MP selfie lens as well. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is powered by Apple’s A16 Bionic chipset with 6GB RAM and up to 1TB storage. It features a 6.7-inch OLED display panel and packs a 4323mAh battery under the hood with 20W fast charging. It is available in Space Black, Silver, Gold and Deep Purple colorways and its price start at Rs. 1,39,900 in India.
5. Realme 9 5G SE
The Realme 9 5G SE has 3 lenses at the backside. These include a 48MP main lens along with two additional 2MP lenses. It has a 16MP front camera as well. The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 778G chipset paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It features a 5000mAh battery with 30W Dart charging. The smartphone has a 6.6-inch IPC LCD display and is available in Azure Glow and Starry Glow colorways. The price starts at Rs. 18,999 in India.
6. Apple iPhone 14 Pro
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro comes with a triple camera setup on the rear end. It includes a 48MP main lens along with a 12MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultrawide lens. It also features a 12MP selfie camera at the front. The iPhone 14 Pro is powered by an Apple A16 Bionic chipset with 6GB RAM and up to 1TB storage. It features a 6.1-inch OLED display panel and draws power from a 3200mAh battery under the hood with 20W fast charging. The smartphone comes in space black, gold, deep purple, and silver colors and its price starts at Rs. 1,29,900 in India.
7. Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G
The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has 3 lenses at the back. These include a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP additional sensor. It has a 16MP selfie camera as well for video calls and selfies. The Narzo 50 Pro 5G is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display and packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood with 33W fast charging. It comes in Hyper Blue and Hyper Black colors and the price starts at Rs. 19,999 in India.
8. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A33 5G has a quad camera setup at the back. It includes a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. The smartphone has a 13MP front camera as well. It is powered by Samsung Exynos 1280 chipset with up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. It packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood with 25W fast charging. The smartphone flaunts a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display and comes in black, white, peach, and blue colors. The price starts at Rs. 23,700 in the country.
9. Oppo K10 5G
The Oppo K10 5G sports a dual camera setup on its rear end. The setup includes a 48MP main camera and a 2MP additional lens. It has an 8MP front camera as well. The smartphone is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset with up to 8GB RAM and 128GGB storage. It sports a 6.56-inch IPC LCD display and packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood with 33W Super VOOC charging. It’s price starts at Rs. 20,590 and it is available in ocean blue and midnight black colors.
10. iQOO 9 SE
The iQOO 9 SE has a triple camera setup on its back. The setup includes a 48MP main lens, along with a 13MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP macro sensor. The smartphone has a 16MP selfie camera as well. It is powered by Snapdragon 888 chipset and paired up with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It features a 6.62-inch AMOLED display panel with 120Hz refresh rate. The iQOO 9 SE packs a 4500mAh battery under the hood with 66W Flash charging and is priced at Rs. 29,990 in India. It comes in space fusion and sunset sierra colors.
11. Poco X3 Pro
The Poco X3 Pro has a quad camera setup at the back. It includes a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. The front has a 20MP selfie lens. The Poco X3 Pro is powered by Snapdragon 860 SoC paired with up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. It runs Android 11 and features a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display with 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone draws power from 5160mAh battery with 33W fast charging. It comes in Phantom Black, Frost Blue and Metal Bronze colors and the price starts at Rs. 41,990.
12. Oppo F19
The Oppo F19 features a triple camera setup at the back. It includes a 48MP main lens along with two 2MP lenses- macro and depth. It has a 16MP selfie camera and comes with panorama, LED flash and more. The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 662 chipset paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It features a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with 800 nits peak brightness. The smartphone weighs 175 grams and packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood with 33W fast charging. It comes in Prism Black and Midnight Blue colors and is priced at Rs. 19,990.
12 Best Phones with 48MP Camera you can buy in 2022
These are the best phones available with 48MP cameras as of now. Nowadays maximum smartphones come with 64MP, and 108MP main lenses, so the phones with 48MP lenses are still low in number. With camera technology going all the way up to 200MP sensors, only budget and affordable phones will include 48MP lenses in the future. We will keep you updated with more options as they get launched in India.
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