The best cell phone camera in 2024 was neither Apple nor Samsung

DT English mobile phone critic Andy Boxall has given his verdict on the cell phone he believes tops the podium for best camera in 2024.

When I had to photograph a car for a series of articles this month, only one phone came to mind, and it wasn’t one of the best devices made by Google, Samsung or Apple. This is fantastic Xiaomi 14 Ultra and within a few days it had established itself as my favorite camera phone of 2024. And here’s why.

Why is this the best?

I already rate the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s camera highly after reviewing the phone and testing it with other cameras. I especially loved the versatility of the glittery Photography Kit accessory. But most of this happened early in the year, before other brands had a chance to launch serious competitors. I knew I needed to try again, just to be sure of how I felt.

I was planning a series of articles on the Cupra Born VZ electric car, and photography was key to all of them. My DSLR and its main lens, which I usually use for work, were not quite suitable, so I decided to use my phone, but I needed to take the best photos possible. Although he Google Pixel 9 Pro And Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max shouted “Choose me,” I automatically reached for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, encased in a photo kit case and equipped with a polarizing filter.

I spent a few days taking photos of the car with my phone, and you can see them in my review and subsequent article about living with an electric car. I also edited them on my phone using Xiaomi software and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

Time was not on my side, but the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s camera was unfazed by difficult lighting. And no matter what zoom level I used (1x optical, 3.2x optical, or 5x optical), every image was clear and detailed. I know I couldn’t take the same photos with my DSLR camera, and I don’t think other phones could capture such emotional images.

Leica and filters

One of the main reasons I chose the Xiaomi 14 Ultra for car photography is the Photography Kit accessory, which allows you to attach a 67mm filter to the cameras. A polarizer is essential when photographing cars because it helps minimize surface reflections, highlighting the shape and lines of the car. No other phone makes using such a filter so easy, and it shows how serious Xiaomi has taken photography with the 14 Ultra.

Another important part of the camera’s brilliance is Leica’s involvement. The renowned camera brand showed how it understands smartphone photography and how serious it is about improving it when it partnered with Huawei. Now the good work from Xiaomi continues and its amazing customization gives the photos their own look. What’s more, there are two special Leica filters you can try: Authentic and Vibrant, and they will never look artificial or overly processed when you use them. Most of the photos I have taken of the car are in the Vibrant style.

Leica’s involvement goes far beyond the logo and some filters, and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera is all the better for this. Xiaomi’s software, editing and other camera features are not unique in the industry, but it all seems to fit together perfectly to create a camera system that gives me confidence and inspires creativity.

What about other photos?

Taking photos of the Cupra Born VZ reminded me why I love the Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera. Its brilliance also shines through when photographing other subjects. The photos scattered throughout this section further illustrate what I love about it. The photo of the leaf was taken at 5x zoom and a Leica black and white filter was applied. It has also been slightly modified in the editor. I love the depth of field and the sharpness of the image.

The photo of the yellow Porsche Cayman was taken by accident because the camera was in portrait mode when I took it, although that was not my intention. However, the car bounces so much and the depth of field is so natural that it looks fantastic. Again, I edited it in the phone’s Gallery app and removed some things using the AI ​​removal tool. Unfortunately, however, it can’t compete with Google’s Magic Eraser tool, and is slow and less capable of reproducing even the simplest backgrounds. But when random photos seem better to me than the ones I intentionally take with other phones, that says a lot about the phone’s capabilities.

I intended to use Portrait mode for a photo of a cat’s face and it was taken at a 75mm equivalent focal length, and the app also provides 23mm, 35mm, 50mm and 120mm focal lengths in Portrait mode. Cats rarely pose, so often you only have one chance to take a photo, and although the focus point isn’t quite perfect (or must be perfect?), shows the level of detail that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera can capture. This version also required minimal edits.

Best Phone Camera of the Year

Looking through the Gallery app on my Xiaomi 14 Ultra, I didn’t find many photos that I didn’t like, but moreover, I was able to see where I experimented with the camera: several photos were taken from different angles and edited. slightly different as I adjusted each photo to my liking. Although I do this on many phones that I check, I remembered that I left specifically to different places to take photos with your Xiaomi 14 Ultra and then edit the photos for yourself. I haven’t done this with any other phone.

We’ve been spoiled for choice with mobile cameras this year, and I’ve loved many of them, from the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. There are also several new special features, including iPhone 16 camera controls and a growing number of exciting AI photography enhancements. Each of them pushed me to be creative, but the Xiaomi 14 Ultra does something the others don’t or can’t: it feels like it using the camera camera, not phone camera, top to bottom, via software And hardware. I’m not a professional photographer, but I manage to feel like one, and I like it.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra doesn’t always take the best photos, it doesn’t always have the best editing tools, and it definitely lags behind some competitors when it comes to the wide-angle camera. It’s not perfect, but every time I’ve used it since its release, it has consistently impressed me and produced photos that I don’t think can be replicated on another phone. When you add the photography kit, it starts to act like a camera rather than a phone. As a whole, it is magnificent and, for me, unmatched in 2024.