It’s the time of the year for some self-love. The festive season is the perfect excuse to upgrade your smartphone, especially if you’re looking for a better mobile shooter to capture ever-lasting digital memories on your next holiday. The last few months have seen quite a few flagship launches. From the all-new iPhone 16 series to Google’s new Pixel unveil, we’re seeing both hardware and computational photography upgrades across the board. But it’s not just new smartphones, there are some cool deals on smartphones thanks to festive promos on most major online commerce platforms that make it the perfect time to upgrade your mobile shooter:
Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
While this year’s iPhones might be perceived as an incremental upgrade, Apple added some new camera enhancements that consolidate the newest ‘Pro’ grade iPhone’s reputation as one of the sharpest mobile shooters there. The big story is an all-new Camera Control button (also available on the entry-level iPhone 16 devices). It allows greater control when you shoot images and videos. This year’s Pro devices are kitted with a triple rear cam that includes a 48MP Fusion cam, an improved 48MP ultrawide lens and a 12MP telephoto shooter. There are also four new studio-quality microphones for improved audio capture that make it our pick for the best smartphone for shooting videos.
Price: Rs 1,19,900 onwards
Vivo X Fold3 Pro
Vivo’s flagship book-type foldable busts a lot of myths about foldable smartphones. It’s durable – one of only foldables that offers an IPX8 certification; yes, you can dunk this in a pool. But it’s the rear camera that has our attention. Vivo has managed to incorporate a Pro-level camera in a foldable device without impacting the overall form factor. Aside from the 32MP selfie shooter, the device boasts of a triple rear cam with a 50MP primary lens, a 50MP ultrawide cam and 64MP telephoto cam. Vivo’s partnership with Zeiss gives it a significant edge in the Portrait department where this rear cam truly shines.
Price: Rs 1,59,999
Xiaomi 14 CIVI
One of our favourite mobile shooters around the Rs 40K mark, the CIVI also scores with its lightweight form factor (under 180gm) and a 6.55-inch, 1.5K quad core display. The CIVI blends a 50MP primary lens, a 50MP telephone lens and a 12MP ultra-wide lens, all powered by Leica Optics. This cam comes to life in Portrait Mode where the cam’s multi-focal lengths open up a host of possibilities. You also get take advantage of the device’s Leica Filters that add to the overall camera experience.
Price: Rs 40,999 onwards
OnePlus Open
The Open isn’t just one of our favourite foldable smartphones, but also packs an impressive rear camera system. A recent, limited-period price drop makes this a compelling proposition. You get two immersive displays – a 6.31-inch cover display (2484 x 1116 pixels / 431 PPI) and a 7.82-inch primary display (2440 x 2268 pixels / 4236 PPI with a 120Hz refresh rate. The rear cam is co-designed with Hasselblad and features a 48MP primary lens, a 64MP telephoto lens and a 48MP ultra-wide lens. There’s also a dual front cam. It’s easily one of the most versatile camera packages in any foldable.
Price: Rs 1,04,999
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The S24 Ultra is one of our favourite Android flagships of 2024 with a gorgeous 6.8-inch AMOLED (1440 x 3120 pixels) and a premium, titanium build. It’s the rear camera that is one of the Ultra’s defining features. It’s our pick for zoom photography. The quad rear camera is headlined by a 200MP primary lens; the zoom duties are handled by a 50MP periscope lens and a 10MP telephoto lens.
Price: Rs 1,21,999 onwards
OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G Manish Malhotra Limited Edition
OPPO’s partnership with designer Manish Malhotra is timed to add some bling for the Diwali season with its unique black and gold finish. AI is the headline feature in the Reno12 Pro’s camera solution suite. The triple rear camera combines a 50MP Telephoto Portrait Camera, a 50MP Main camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. It’s just what you need to snap studio-style portraits this season.
Price: Rs 36,999
Google Pixel 8
The focus might be on Google’s new Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL for Google’s formidable hardware and AI-driven camera tricks, but it’s the 2023 Pixel 8 that’s on our radar after a massive price cut. The hardware is solid – a 50MP primary lens and a 12MP ultra-wide lens complemented by a 10.5MP selfie shooter. The Pixel 8 comes with a whole bunch of camera tweaks like Magic Eraser and Best Shot. Lowlight photography gets a boost from Google’s Night Sight.
Price: Rs 39,999
