Sometimes more is more
When it comes to smartphone camera systems, I always thought that three was the magic number. Phone makers have shown time and again that they can put together a solid photography system with a main camera, telephoto camera, and an ultra-wide camera.
We only need to take a quick look at today’s flagship phones for some clear examples. The iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 9 Pro both make use of this exact setup to produce excellent photos and videos, earning spots atop our list of the best camera phones as a result.
Then again, there are those that go further. Quad-camera phones are rare, but they exist, most notably in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with its rear panel so adorned with lenses and sensors that I’d be wary of using it around trypophobics.
There’s also the UK and global-only Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which is so focused on photography that it has an official conversion kit to give it the controls and ergonomics of a point-and-shoot camera.
Both phones sport an additional telephoto camera in the fourth slot, and while both produce great images, I’ve always been curious as to how much benefit that extra reach brings.
