2024 was a reasonably good yr for smartphone cameras. Google delivered the compact Pixel 9 Professional with some incredible outcomes, the Xiaomi 14 Extremely emerged as a Galaxy-beating digital camera cellphone, and Apple reinvented the digital camera button for a contemporary period.

Regardless of all these cell digital camera developments, there’s nonetheless some scope for enchancment. I actually hope the Pixel 10 sequence, Galaxy S25 vary, and different main flagship Android telephones handle these challenges in 2025.

Samsung, particularly, continues to wrestle with capturing shifting topics, be it folks, pets, or zippy little children. Colleague Rita El-Khoury discovered that the S24 Extremely incessantly blurred pictures in comparison with the Pixel 8 sequence on account of extreme shutter lag. This delay can even spoil pictures, as seen within the examples above. Google’s Pixels are likely to do a superb job of freezing topics in movement, however there’s at all times room for enchancment.

A number of manufacturers have supplied devoted snapshot or sports activities modes for some time now, whereas even Samsung’s Digicam Assistant app permits customers to prioritize velocity over picture high quality. In the meantime, OPPO has made particular enhancements to the usual photograph mode on the Discover X8 sequence — no snapshot mode wanted.

In any occasion, Samsung must get its act collectively in 2025 and make a concerted effort to cut back shutter lag on the Galaxy S25 Extremely.

Low-light pictures don’t appear to be an enormous problem anymore on account of right now’s massive main digital camera sensors and night time modes, however low-light video is one other matter. Few main smartphone makers provide nice low-light video high quality, typically churning out overly darkish clips. Even telephones with low-light video modes are in a position to ship elevated brightness however typically provide extra blur in trade.

However, cell chipmakers MediaTek and Qualcomm have each prioritized improved low-light video lately. And right now’s massive digital camera sensors are additionally sucking in additional gentle than ever. So, the items are coming collectively for higher footage when the solar goes down.

I’d particularly wish to see Google sort out this smartphone digital camera problem in 2025. Sure, some Pixel telephones provide high-quality low-light video by way of the Video Enhance function, however it is a cloud-based functionality that requires an web connection. Even you probably have speedy information, you continue to have to attend some time for the video to be processed on Google’s servers. So I actually need the Pixel 10 sequence to supply a correct Night time Sight Video mode working on-device. Sadly, a current leak suggests this function would possibly solely arrive on the Pixel 11.

I’d argue that Samsung continues to be the very best Android cellphone model relating to video high quality, though even Pixel telephones ship good video high quality. Nevertheless, the Android ecosystem at massive nonetheless lags behind iPhones on this regard.

Android Authority contributor Dhruv Bhutani pitted the iPhone 15 Professional Max towards the Pixel 8 sequence final yr (seen above) and referred to as the distinction “night time and day.” Dhruv particularly praised the iPhone’s brightness, the extent of element in quite a lot of circumstances, and the smoothness. In reality, he felt that “micro jitters” within the Pixel clips ruined the footage.

That’s to not say Android manufacturers don’t provide a great deal of video-focused options. However I’d actually like to see OEMs — significantly main gamers Samsung and Google — up their recreation to match or beat Apple on this class.

Samsung and Google have delivered some really incredible modifying instruments lately, permitting you to make transformative adjustments to pictures and movies after the very fact. Each producers (and a great deal of Chinese language manufacturers) provide object erasing, for starters. Google additionally provides the cool Audio Magic Eraser to get rid of undesirable sounds in movies and Photograph Unblur to (shocker) unblur pictures. In the meantime, Samsung and some extra manufacturers even provide shadow and reflection removing. How loopy is that?

It could be nice if Google, Samsung, and the remainder of the Android ecosystem gave us extra of those after-the-fact modifying instruments. Apple’s iPhone 16 sequence showcases some extra nice examples, comparable to the flexibility to vary photograph kinds after you’ve shot the picture and audio remixing after taking pictures a video. Each of those options could be wonderful additions to an Android cellphone.

I’d additionally wish to see OEM modifying instruments make higher use of RAW codecs, as this could help you make non-destructive edits to content material. Think about having the ability to shoot a snap on the OnePlus 13 after which going again to use the Hasselblad coloration tuning. Or, you may shoot a vibrant picture on the Xiaomi 14 Extremely and return to it months later to seize a monochrome model of the snap — not simply the identical picture with a filter slapped over it.

We praised the Google Pixel 9 Professional sequence for its long-range digital camera zoom capabilities, with colleague Ryan Haines noting that the Pixel 9 Professional XL‘s 10x pictures blew him away. Nevertheless, Ryan additionally criticized the long-awaited Zoom Improve function, which was meant to enhance zoomed-in snaps after the very fact. The function appears actually hit-and-miss, with the worst-case state of affairs being a ridiculously over-sharpened shot. A Galaxy S4 filter, if you’ll.

Samsung additionally wants to enhance the digital camera zoom tech on its prime Android telephones. We in contrast the Galaxy S24 Extremely to the Xiaomi 14 Extremely earlier this yr and located that the Xiaomi system delivered considerably higher long-range zoom. Try the comparability above.

So right here’s hoping that Google considerably improves Zoom Improve and that Samsung upgrades its long-range zoom algorithms to ship extra aggressive picture high quality. As a result of firms like OPPO are additionally bringing the warmth with extra superior smartphone digital camera zoom tech in 2025.