iPhone 15 Pro Gets Crowned As the Best Camera Phone of 2023 by MKBHD

The year 2023 is coming to an end. With it, we are starting to see roundups of some of the year’s best releases. We at Gizchina have recently given you a rundown of the best headphones of the year. Like us, popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, has ranked the best phone releases of the year. And he crowned the iPhone 15 Pro as the best camera phone of the year.

While some of you may not agree with his rankings, the iPhone 15 Pro brought many upgrades to the table. Aside from the performance-focused Apple A17 Pro, it packs a robust triple-camera setup. Combined with computational photography features, you’re basically looking at one of the best point-and-shoot mobiles in the market.

How Did Apple iPhone 15 Pro Get the Best Camera of 2023 Award?

Since its release, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro has garnered much attention, especially for its camera capabilities. But MKBHD didn’t just consider the hype surrounding it to evaluate its camera performance. Instead, Marques has put it against tens of phones to see how its photography skills compare.

Now, it’s not like the iPhone 15 Pro is the best camera smartphone for all possible scenarios. As Marques found out through his tests, there are different smartphones that have an advantage over the Apple flagship in specific scenarios.

But if you’re looking for a phone that offers better overall performance in most, if not all, cases, it’s the Apple iPhone 15 Pro that takes the lead. Marques has also noted that judging smartphone cameras largely depends on personal preference. After all, many prefer to have more saturated and vibrant photos than natural-looking ones.

However, one part where the iPhone 15 Pro has basically zero competition in video. As different camera tests have proved, Apple did a great job in making the sensors capable of taking breath-taking videos. You can see how good it actually is through the video attached below.

Apple has also improved the computational algorithms on the iPhone 15 Pro. That’s why the phone is capable of taking great shots in different scenarios. Apple has even released many Pro features that allow professionals to use nothing but this phone to make cinemas.

Overall, Marques’s ranking makes a lot of sense. And even DXOMARK’s camera score aligns with this ranking. For those unaware, it has achieved an overall score of 154. You can read more about the test through this link.

Camera Configuration of the iPhone 15 Pro

The iPhone 15 Pro brings a robust camera setup. It sports a 48 MP sensor as the main camera. It comes with an f/1.78 aperture and 24 mm equivalent lens. With second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, it can capture well-detailed images. The sensor supports super high-resolution photos as well.

For the wide-angle sensor, Apple chose a 12 MP Ultra Wide unit that can offer 120 degrees of FOV. It has a 13 mm equivalent lens and features a f/2.2 aperture. The third sensor on the back is a telephoto camera that can deliver 3x optical zoom. It has optical image stabilization and comes with a f/2.8 aperture.

Other Phones That You Can Consider If Camera Is Your Main Priority

As Marques said, there are many other good camera smartphones released this year. Here’s a quick rundown of the best picks for this year:

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

If you need a bigger phone than the iPhone 15 Pro and don’t mind using Android, your eyes should be on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. As a matter of fact, it has won the best big phone category in MKBHD’s rankings. With the release of this phone, Samsung introduced its 200 MP sensor.

Now, it’s not just the megapixels where this Samsung sensor excels. It’s also capable of taking great photos. To be precise, it can even beat the iPhone 15 Pro in most of the cases. And let’s not forget to mention that its zoom capabilities are very impressive.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

Like other Pixel phones, the Pixel 8 Pro takes camera performance to the next level. With the custom Google Tensor G3 chipset and computational photography skills, it delivers excellent details, colors, vibrancy, and dynamic range. The ultrawide sensor also brings improved macro focus.

Moreover, the Google Pixel 8 Pro has recently got many AI-enhanced image features. They made the smartphone more capable of capturing amazing shots.

Oppo Find X6

The Oppo Find X7 is about to launch very soon. But the Find X6 that Oppo launched this year is a great camera smartphone. With impressive specs and high-end features, it can offer upload-worthy pictures with just one click. It has achieved an impressive score of 150 in DXOMARK. You can read more about the phone and its camera performance through DXOMARK’s detailed overview found in this link.