Most people now prefer to use their smartphone cameras, rather than carrying standalone cameras, like back in the day. Even professionals are making a gradual shift, influenced by the ever-increasing quality of cameras on phones. Here are the best, from the first half of 2017.

Huawei P9

It might not be able to compete with the big guns in terms of sales, but Huawei knows a thing or two about cameras. The 12 and 12MP shooters at the back use two IMX286 Exmor RS image sensors that accompany Summarit f/2.2 lenses from the iconic camera brand, Leica. As a result of one colour and one black and white lens each, the camera kicks some serious ass under low lighting. The aperture can also be adjusted for obtaining a bokeh effect (which is enough to distract you from the slow focusing speed of the camera).

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

There’s no arguing that the 12MP shooter on the Apple flagship is one of the best cameras in the market at the moment. Thanks to a combination of a 28 mm wide angle lens (f/1.8 aperture) and a 56 mm telephoto lens (f/2.8 aperture), the phone offers great picture quality under all lighting conditions. Other features on the camera (apart from the famed portrait mode) include live photo, optical image stablisation, Quad LED true tone flash and a 2x optical zoom, with a total zoom up to 10x.

OnePlus 3T

The familiar 13MP camera sensor on the previous generation has been replaced by Sony’s new 16MP sensor on the latest member of the OnePlus family. The IMX298 sensor offers good image quality in multiple lighting conditions, along with supporting PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) and OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation). Low-light photo capturing is thus better than a lot of other Android phones, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC ensures crisp performance.

HTC 10

The phonemaker from Taiwan had been unsuccessfully testing the waters to implement the UltraPixel cameras on its flagship devices in the past, but the jinx seems to have been broken with the HTC 10. It uses the Sony IMX377 Exmor R sensor, which is aided by OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and even offers RAW support for professional photographers. The resulting image quality is incredible, despite some noise under low light conditions.

Kodak Ektra

Last, but definitely not the least, is the Kodak Ektra, which we got a chance to exclusively check out ahead of its official launch in India. Bringing the DSLR camera experience to a phone, the makers have brought in an intuitive camera interface, with a DSLR click-wheel inspired rotor that allows you to adjust the shutter speed and ISO. The 21MP sensor also supports RAW and 4K recording, while there’s a wonderful bokeh effect too. You also have a bundle of options to edit and share these images, and do so much more with this exciting new gadget.

Samsung Galaxy S8

The latest big toy from the labs of the second largest phone maker also makes it to the list, and not without reason. The flagship from the Korean manufacturer is not as ‘explosive’ as its predecessor, but it comes with the same 12MP lens that has been reworked for a lesser response time. Just like many other Android phones, low-light performance remains an issue, though the dual-pixel sensor focusses fast and makes it a better overall package.