Advice needed - good mid-range Android smartphone camera

I’d like to know which mid-range Android smartphone you guys have and recommend from the camera quality perspective.
Thanks in advance!

for example: google pixel 3a

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Hi Rei!

Well, you will need (= want) something better than mine: I have a Huawei P Smart. It is cheap and the quality is “OK” – but I cannot say that it is “high quality”.

I remember that @shreedhar had a thread in this context:

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

for see more

If you can still find a pixel2, the camera is pretty amazing. I paid mine 170€ new

Not the One Plus 5T… Great phone, good price, terrible camera.

I’m waiting for the pixel 4a to come out.

@gadolf, I have Moto X4, a three year old phone which is still working great. I think that Motorola is a good choice for midrange phones. They have recently come up with Moto Fusion one plus (I think it is available for 900BRL in Brazil). A cheaper Moto G9plus (about 750BRL) is also good. They are half the price of Pixel 4a and their camera units are pretty good. Moreover, the Google Pixel Camera Mod works well for Moto phones (and so does the amazing Google Recorder app), so you may install that one too. Have a look!

PS: Whatever model you decide, check (if possible) using Camera2 API Probe app whether that particular phone has enabled third party apps to use Camera2API. Samsung is notorious for blocking it for other apps.

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I have a pixel 3a…takes great pictures and with Hedgehog Camera Ap…full suite of controls as for shutterspeed focus bracketing etc in addition to googles magic https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.caddish_hedgehog.hedgecam2&hl=en

The Pixel 4A is the newer version of the Pixel 3A, and the price is reasonable, for an excellent camera (for a smartphone).

I used to think that bezel-less screens were unnecessary, but it’s really nice to have more screen area, compared to my old Pixel 2.

Is this what you mean (on a Motorola G7 Play)? Does it mean third party apps aren’t enabled?
image

Hi Rei!

You must have more information below as well.

Thanks to all for the quick feedback!
I wish I could find Google Pixel and One Plus brands where I live, but I can’t. I can find one or another in local online stores, but usually used, and rarely.
@shreedhar’s suggestion is close to what I was thinking about (thanks @Claes for mentioning him).
Actually, I was considering Motorola One Fusion, where one of the strongest points to me is the fact that it is the closest to stock Android I can get in this country.
Now, I was thinking about Fusion, not Fusion Plus. By the specs comparison below (Fusion Plus at right) will it make a big difference? (I know you probably aren’t a smartphone expert, but maybe you can see something …)


EDIT: I confess I’m not attracted to a selfie pop-up camera, besides the economics, of course.
EDIT 2: @shreedhar Those prices must be from last year. Now a Fusion is aroung BRL 1,500.00 and a Fusion Plus 1,800.00

@gadolf Rei, whatever you pick: will your favourite RAW software be able to handle it?

@gadolf, Level 3 is the best. Better than Full! If your camera has Level 3 access, then you are all set!

About the prices, I just did a Google search and gave you the first available page! Snapdragon 710 of Fusion is not all that much different than SD730 of Fusion Plus in practical terms. However, the display is better, the max aperture is slightly wider on Fusion Plus. Also, even though 4GB RAM is more than enough, for some photo processing, having 6GB RAM is better. It is also more future proof (I don’t change my phone till it actually dies!)I have not used the selfie camera of my phone in the last four five years even once! Well, I for fun took some photos to see if it is working or not but that doesn’t count. So whether it is a pop up or not does not matter to me. But your usage may be different.
I am glad that you found my suggestions useful.

Ah, great! This is my current one, Moto G7 Play, low range, but one that fits more than enough my low profile needs.

Neither did I :smiley:
Actually, I opened this thread to help my wife, whose requirements are a smartphone with a good camera. She’s a compulsive shooter, selfies included…
Until I can get my hands on a real foss smartphone, I think I’ll look for those closer to stock Android, less bloatware and minimalistic skin. I know there’s some up there in the North, who knows when will they arrive here.

Claes, I can edit raw images from the one which specs I posted above and happens to be my current smartphone (and, as @shreedhar, will be with me until it dies).
The thing is that I still have a prejudice against photographing with smartphones. I’m old school.

Well, they get increasingly better. For instance, there is another fellow from India who is very skilled using his smartphone for macro shots.

I know, I know, but…

As for that link, I remember having read it, very nice.

If you’re happy to go Chinese, you could consider Xiaomi phones. Some of these have Android One which is a pure/stock Android I believe. Xiaomi are said to be good value for money. I have a Mi A2 which I’ve been very happy with. (I’m not well up on phones though)
https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_a2_(mi_6x)-9140.php
SOOP JPEG -

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Thanks, @RawConvert, that is the other brand I’m considering (though greatly pending to Motorola).
But, then I read this

and this

… and I get sad: we’re on their hands. It seems that the trend is to have you buy another device after, say, two years, because after that you’ll stop receiving updates. Period.

When I choose my next smartphone, I’ll have to choose one that can be jailbroken and is compatible with some free rom.

At least with computers you have a much broader choice if you don’t want to be a hostage from big tech.