Should You Demand More – Low Budget Phones Compared To Flagship Phones: Is It Worth Spending More For A Good Phone Camera?

Let’s start this article with a spoiler: if you consider yourself a photographer, then the answer is a resounding yes. There you go. That was probably the shortest article you read all week. Photography is the capture of moments, and those moments don’t wait for you to be with your DSLR or point-and-shoot camera. If any ‘moment’ occurs, the one camera you’ll most probably have on you will be your phone camera. But when even budget phones are fitted with performant cameras, is it still worth shelling out the extra cash for a flagship phone? Let’s discuss.

Low Budget Phones With Great Shooters

In 2021, we’re spoilt for choice in budget cameras with great quality features. Phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro offer 108 megapixels through an f/1.9 wide-angle lens for just a bit over 300 USD, and you’ll get an ultra-wide, macro, and depth lens to boot. In the same budget class, you can pick up a Google Pixel 5a for around 450 USD, an iPhone SE (450 USD), or a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (400 USD), if you like those brands better. The point is you don’t have to break the bank to get a decent device.

Comparison To Flagship Phones

But how do they stack up against the flagship devices of those same brands? The Google Pixel 6 (900 USD) has been named the best phone camera in many online reviews. The iPhone 13 Pro is said to shoot excellent video, but is it worth breaking the bank at more than 1000 USD? The Samsung Galaxy S21 with top-of-the-line telephoto capabilities will set you back 800 USD.

True, the 2021 flagship phones all offer multiple lenses with generally better performance in terms of pixels and speed (f/stops). But they don’t always outperform the budget options across the line. For instance, if you don’t switch lenses too often and you mostly keep to the default wide lens, then it remains the question of whether the extra f/0.2 on the iPhone 13 Pro warrants paying almost three times the price of the iPhone SE. At least not if the camera features would (theoretically) be your only deciding factor.

Should You Demand More Than “Good Enough” Cameras

In the end, it all boils down to your camera use and your budget. If you consider yourself a photographer and you have the budget, then let the camera you always have on you be the best you can get with the most options, such as multiple lenses. Especially if you expect to deliver professional-grade image quality. Increasingly, people are earning money from smartphone photography and selling video material they shot with their phones as royalty-free stock footage in online marketplaces. If this is your case, then one of the latest flagship smartphones will be worth its weight in gold!