Best 48MP Camera Mobile Phones

Mobile photography is developing at a rapid pace. It is closer than ever to eliminating the need for more professional-grade equipment after already cannibalising the sales of point-and-shoot cameras. According to Statista, the digital camera market is expected to grow by -0.52 per cent – which is a decline in overall sales. This is expected to continue owing to the growing potential of smartphone photography. We’ve seen developments in several key areas such as the introduction of more and more 1-inch sensors, custom imaging chips, improving computational photography, and more. While the megapixel count isn’t as important as larger sensors in phones, many devices sporting 48 MP cameras in 2023 have displayed reliable photography performance. Some 48 MP smartphone cameras on the market right now include the Sony IMX803, Sony IMX581, Sony IMX789, Samsung ISOCELL GM1, and others. We’ve got phones across varying budgets in this list including flagship ones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro and budget ones like the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, and Realme Narzo 50 Pro. So, for some of the best optics on your smartphone, look no further than these 48 MP phones.

• 1.

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is widely recognized for its exceptional camera system, which sets new benchmarks in the industry. The camera system is a powerful combination of a 48MP main camera, a 12MP wide-angle camera, and a 12MP telephoto camera. This trio provides 5x optical zoom and 2x in-sensor zoom, offering a broad optical range that is one of the most potent ever seen in an iPhone. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x zoom has delivered much better-looking shots than many of its competitors, with more natural-looking colors and exposure. This is a testament to the phone’s powerful camera system and the software enhancements it employs, including Apple’s Photonic Engine and Smart HDR 5. Despite some limitations, such as occasional noise-handling issues and a weak zoom between 2.5-4.9x, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s camera is considered one of the best around.

• 2.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes equipped with a triad of rear cameras including a brand new 48 MP primary camera with quad pixel binning. The 48 MP lens can also be used for near optical level 2x zooming. You can also shoot full 48 MP photos by enabling ProRAW. Photonic Engine, introduced by Apple this year, promises to offer brighter and more colourful pictures using all the phone’s lenses. Images taken from this camera are sharp, detailed, and vibrant. The colours aren’t very oversatured and have quite a natural look. Shots taken at night also look stellar with good colour and detail. Portrait shots are fantastic during the day, but in low light, it is a hit and miss when it comes to edge detection. Overall, this is a capable and versatile camera that you can own if price is no bar for you.

• 3.

The iPhone 14 Pro also comes packing the all new 48 MP sensor like its more expensive sibling. It comes with quad pixel binning as well that outputs 12 MP binned photos and the detail in photos clicked by the 14 Pro are quite exquisite in most scenarios. Its other cameras complement the primary sensor well with similar colour tone across the board. According to Apple, the 48 MP sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro is 65 per cent larger than the main sensor present on the iPhone 13 Pro. Again, the main sensor can be used to click 2x optical-quality Telephoto images that look fantastic in the day time. The phone can also shoot Cinematic mode in 4K HDR at 24 fps. Overall, this is a fantastic camera system with a 48 MP primary lens.

• 4.

While the OnePlus 11’s primary camera is 50 MP, the phone does have a secondary 48 MP lens. This is the Sony IMX581 ultrawide shooter with a 115-degree field of view and autofocus. The lens should be able to provide good quality photos in daylight. The main camera is a 50 MP Sony IMX890 shooter with OIS, EIS, and autofocus. This is a tried-and-tested lens that has proven to be capable in multiple scenarios low as daylight, low light, portrait, and more. The phone also comes packing a third 32 MP telephoto camera from the house of Sony, yet again. This is a good camera setup that should be able to take decent shots despite the conditions.

• 5.

The Samsung Galaxy A34 is a decent mid-range phone with highlights such as its impressive camera system and decent battery life. The primary 48 MP camera is capable of taking detailed and vibrant shots in the daylight. Low light shots also look pretty fantastic for the price. The phone has a decent processor as well that works well in most scenarios except for heavy gaming or other intensive tasks. You also get a bright AMOLED display that looks fantastic when watching videos or playing games. 

• 6.

The OnePlus 10 Pro comes with you get a 48MP primary lens along with an 8MP telephoto camera and a 50MP ultrawide shooter. The main sensor and telephoto shooter remain the same as the previous gen phones, but the ultra-wide lens is a new Samsung JN1 sensor with 150-degree FOV. The phone comes with Hasselblad Color Calibration as well. The phone comes with 8GB of base RAM which can be paired with 128 or 256GB internal storage. There are also 12GB RAM variants available for this device. The phone comes with an LTPO2 AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. You get a 6.7-inch panel with 1440 x 3216 resolution. The phone also comes with IP68 certification for protection against external elements. It is powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC and comes with the Adreno 730 GPU. 

• 7.

The Mi 11X is quite impressive when it comes to cameras. The phone offers a triple rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary sensor. This sits next to an 8-megapixel secondary sensor with an ultra-wide-angle lens and a third 5-megapixel sensor. The cameras offer good performance for the price and capture well-detailed shots in all lighting conditions. It is older at this point in 2023 but still is a good choice for users who want a capable camera system without breaking the bank. 

• 8.

The iQOO 9 is a gaming-centric phone that comes equipped with a 48MP IMX 598 primary lens. It also comes packing a 13MP wide-angle camera and a 13MP portrait lens. The phone comes with gimbal stabilisation technology that allows users to take photos with minimal shake or blur. The phone houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC paired with 8GB/12GB RAM and 128GB/256GB internal storage. The device runs Android 12 with Funtouch OS 12 on top. It has a 4,350mAh battery as well. As for the display, it has a 6.56-inch FHD+ panel with 120Hz refresh rate. There are also some gaming-centric features such as a liquid cooling system, dual X-axis linear motor, 300Hz touch sampling rate, and dual stereo speakers. 

• 9.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G comes with a triple camera setup with a 48 MP primary lens, an 8 MP ultrawide shooter, and a 2 MP macro camera. The camera on the Redmi Note 12 is pretty decent for the price. Images are sharp with most details remaining intact in daylight scenarios. Colours are saturated but that’s quite common at this price range. In low light conditions, the details can get slightly hazy though. The front camera is weak though with a problem of over-whitening skin tones.