The Best 108MP Camera Phone in the Market Right Now

At the end of 2021, the first phones in the world with 108-megapixel cameras arrived on the market, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 and the Mi Note 10 Pro, in fact, the first of these just arrived in Mexico a few days ago. However, the year has barely started and we already have 3 other phones with a 108-megapixel camera, such as the Xiaomi Mi 10, the Mi 10 Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. The situation indicates that the fashion of 108 megapixels could continue to expand to other manufacturers throughout the year.

More is not always better in photography

Likewise, we have asked ourselves if it really helps that a phone has a 108 MP camera, is it useful? What benefits does it have? Is it a marketing trick? Is this a 7 inch mobile phone? Before answering all these questions we must mention that having more megapixels does not mean we have a better photograph, for this many other factors come into play such as pixel size, focal aperture, image processing, etc.

Therefore, the first thing to rule out is that one of these phones will take a better picture than a 48, 64, or even 12-megapixel phone. What is a fact is that a photograph with so many pixels will allow you to have larger images that we can print on advertising posters without a problem.

Galaxy S20 Ultra

The point is that people who are dedicated to advertising are not going to use a phone to capture an advertising image, because for that semi and professional SLR cameras are used. On the other hand, the sensors of the 108-megapixel phones that exist so far are 0.8 microns, that is, they are basically the same size as other sensors on the market, so the 108-megapixel is not used very much if the sensor is not bigger, because the bigger the sensor, the greater the amount of light that can enter, and in these cases, the photos with low lighting will not be as good if you want to take them with a quality of 108 MP.

For this reason, all manufacturers use a function to merge pixels, with which they mix several pixels into one, in the case of Xiaomi, the firm uses Pixel Binning, which allows 4 pixels to be merged into one, granting photographs of up to 27 megapixels but with a size of 1.6 microns, that is, fewer megapixels but more light, while the S20 Ultra can do the same, but mixing 9 pixels in 1, obtaining 12-megapixel photos of 2.4 microns.

Now, a 27-megapixel photo is still a lot for a phone, especially if all we’re going to do is post it on social networks or view it on Google Photos, so a 12-megapixel image is more convenient here, but with a greater amount of light.

The problem of storage and processing

Another detail that we must consider is that the photographs weigh much more when the resolution increases, for example, in the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 the weight of a 108-megapixel image is 20 MB. 

Although it is not something that will cause problems with the storage of your phone, in the long run, it could force you to delete your images to save some space, and if on the other hand, you are one of those who like to upload these images to Google Photos, then they will not be uploaded with this quality, unless that you occupy your storage space, and not as such the unlimited Google Photos.

On the other hand, a phone with a sensor of this size requires more processing work to take a picture, and this is something that is noticeable in the Xiaomi MI Note 10 since the camera application is less fluid compared to other phones. Of the brand. It is not a difference that bothers, but it will be noticed by users who are used to using other camera applications that work quite fast.

So there is no advantage to a 108-megapixel camera?

Yes and no. Yes, if we need very large images or if we can merge them to have a photograph with greater light, which in low light conditions will help significantly, however, in phones it is not common that we are going to see larger and larger sensors that allow you to take advantage of resolution without losing light gathering.

Now, for most users, a 48 or 64-megapixel sensor might work much better than a 108, especially for casual photography. The 108 mp camera phone is not bad news, but they are not a function that revolutionizes mobile photography either, so it will be up to each user to choose whether or not a phone with these characteristics suits them.

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