If you look at the ultra-premium segment, the common denominator with non-foldable phones is that they all have the best set of cameras in the market–on top of using the latest and greatest processor and display. A look at DxOMark’s rankings further supports that, with major phone brands duking it out for the best camera performance with their flagship offerings.
Now, if you plan to buy a phone that has the absolute best camera performance, here are the top flagship offerings that you can buy in the Philippines in 2023–both based on our experience with them and with DxOMark’s scoring.
Best Flagship Camera Phones Philippines 2023 (Q1)
- Huawei Mate 50 Pro – 149
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro – 146
- Huawei P50 Pro – 143
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro – 141
- Galaxy S23 Ultra – 140
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Despite only having 4G connectivity and being the first Huawei flagship in a post-Leica era, the Mate 50 Pro is the best phone for camera performance with a score of 149 in DxOMark (we did not count the Magic5 Pro, since it’s not yet official in the Philippines). Instead of going for high megapixels or large camera sensors, the Mate 50 Pro’s camera performance is highlighted by Huawei’s clever variable aperture on the main camera, giving you finer control to suit the lighting condition you are shooting in.
Aside from the variable aperture solution, the Mate 50 Pro’s main camera utilizes Huawei’s RYYB arrangement for significantly better light sensitivity compared to conventional RGB layouts. And even though there’s no Leica collab this time around, Huawei’s XMAGE proved to be a real performer in all lighting conditions–even when using the 13-megapixel ultra-wide and 64-megapixel telephoto cameras.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
As the first iPhone to use a high-resolution sensor–specifically a 48-megapixel one, the iPhone 14 Pro (and Pro Max) is just three points behind the Mate 50 Pro in DxOMark with a score of 146. Paired with iOS’ powerful software features, a lot of users stand by the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera performance especially when it comes to video: with support for ProRes, the iPhone 14 Pro can shoot top-quality footage that can match bigger cameras.
While the Mate 50 Pro bests the iPhone 14 Pro in terms of camera zoom and photo performance, Apple’s current flagship is the best phone in the market if your priority is video. Granted that you don’t get 8K video recording, the color science of the iPhone 14 Pro for videos–along with top-notch autofocus performance across all three cameras–makes it a dream phone for any content creator.
Huawei P50 Pro
The last Huawei phone to have a Leica collaboration remains to be one of the best-performing cameras in DxOMark despite being close to 2 years old. With an overall score of 143, it’s really hard to top any Huawei flagship device when it comes to purely camera performance–not even the majority of 2022 or 2023 flagship devices could match it.
The P50 Pro has roughly the same setup as the Mate 50 Pro, but does not have a variable aperture or RYYB layout on the main camera and adds a monochrome camera. DxOMark is still impressed with its wide dynamic range and good detail preservation across all cameras. This is a testament to Huawei’s knowledge of image post-processing, which has been consistent since the early Mate and P models from the mid-2010s.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
The previous-generation iPhone may not rely on any high-megapixel sensors–in fact, it uses three 12-megapixel sensors–but the iPhone 13 Pro (and Pro Max) is a testament to why Android phone brands look up to Apple as the benchmark for overall camera performance.
Consistent with previous models, the iPhone 13 Pro has one of the most consistent exposure and one of the widest dynamic range for a phone that “only” uses a 12-megapixel sensor. Like the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 13 Pro is a top performer when it comes to shooting video, making it a suitable alternative for content creators who are under the Apple ecosystem.
Galaxy S23 Ultra – 140
The newest phone in this list also has the highest camera resolution with its use of a 200-megapixel ISOCELL HP2 sensor. With a score of 140, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the best Android phones to get in 2023–not just for overall performance, but with how their cameras perform.
Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the only phone in this list that can shoot 8K video, and Samsung updated it to shoot at 30FPS so that it’s more native to use especially when doing post-production. While the rest of the cameras are the same as its predecessor–12-megapixel ultra-wide, 10-megapixel short telephoto, and 10-megapixel periscope–the use of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and updated software from Samsung makes the Galaxy S23 Ultra a significant improvement–by as much as 5 points compared to the S22 Ultra.
That rounds up the best flagship camera phones that are officially available in the Philippines this 2023. Which flagship phone will you get–assuming that money is not an issue?
