Android phablets with good cameras?

[stanw]

I currently have a Note3 and hate the camera. I want to get a new device with a similar sized screen, possibly the Note4 if they truly improved the camera. However, this has me wondering -- what other Android devices out there have a similar sized screen and specs, with possibly a better camera? By good camera, I could care less if it shoots 4K like the Note3 but the pictures are also blurry, soft and out of focus without good lighting. I don't care about specs on paper, I'm referring to good visual quality even in lower light. I considered switching to the iPhone 6 just for the camera, though it doesn't look like I will be doing that.

Thanks.

 

[tbayrgs]

I currently have a Note3 and hate the camera. I want to get a new device with a similar sized screen, possibly the Note4 if they truly improved the camera. However, this has me wondering -- what other Android devices out there have a similar sized screen and specs, with possibly a better camera? By good camera, I could care less if it shoots 4K like the Note3 but the pictures are also blurry, soft and out of focus without good lighting. I don't care about specs on paper, I'm referring to good visual quality even in lower light. I considered switching to the iPhone 6 just for the camera, though it doesn't look like I will be doing that.

Thanks.

LG's recent offering have had very good camera performance and they probably have the best display size to overall size ratio of any devices on the market. The G3's display is the same size as the iPhone 6+ and nearly as big as the Note 4, yet in an overall package significantly smaller than both. The OnePlus One also has a 5.5" display in a comparatively compact form factor.

If you want something even big, the LG G Pro 2 has a 5.9" 1080p display---its successor is likely to come out shortly as well, if you can wait a bit longer.

All that being said, if the S-Pen is something you value, you're not going to find that anywhere else.

 

[stanw]

5.9"??? If it will fit in my pocket I'd be all over it!!! If it has a good camera of course.

I never heard of the LG G Pro. Was it also a 5.9"? I guess I will start looking into it.

I like the idea of the S-Pen, though I can tell you how many times I've used it in the past year on one hand.

 

[Markyboy81]

You'll be hard pressed to find any phone that produces decent photos in low light. Even with OIS the subject needs to be still. I'm pleased with the performance of the note 3. Flash works well in the dark, as does the 'stabilisation mode'. But for decent low light photos you really need a large sensored camera...

 

[Tinmania]

The Note 4 supposedly has a similar camera as the S5, which is no slouch, with the added benefit of OIS.



Michael

 

[stanw]

I would think that I just had a defective Note3 for the past year, and perhaps I do, though I have read lots of other people on various forums complaining about the camera, but then I hear other people raving about the Note3 camera -- I don't get it. To me, it is just awful. I get that you can't get good low light photos with a camera phone like this, though my photos border horrible with low light and I have see photos from iPhones in similar lighting conditions that are just way better. I really want the Note4 camera to be better...guess I will just have to wait for the reviews to come in...

You'll be hard pressed to find any phone that produces decent photos in low light. Even with OIS the subject needs to be still. I'm pleased with the performance of the note 3. Flash works well in the dark, as does the 'stabilisation mode'. But for decent low light photos you really need a large sensored camera...

 

[pdqgp]

I shoot all my Note 3 pics in sports mode and they aren't blurry and the exposure is fine. I think out of the box, the auto mode favors exposure and way too slow of a shutter.

 

[Markyboy81]

I shoot all my Note 3 pics in sports mode and they aren't blurry and the exposure is fine. I think out of the box, the auto mode favors exposure and way too slow of a shutter.

This is very true. I don't know why but most camera phones favour a slow shutter speed, which leads to blur. You can also try manually selecting a high iso to force the shutter speed higher. I'd rather a grainy photo than a blurry one.

 

[ritholtz]

The Note 4 supposedly has a similar camera as the S5, which is no slouch, with the added benefit of OIS.



Michael

S5 does well during good light. It also do continuous AF during video along with decent audio recording mike and 4k video. It does good job of focus pulling during video like Canon 70D (aps-c sensor). It has phase detect focus points implemented on sensor similar to what Apple implemented for iphone 6.

I think, this dual pixel implementation (iphone and s5) are similar to latest Canon tech. Not sure if Apple and Samsung ripped off Canon.

 

[The Game 161]

I think the Note 4 when it arrives will be the besr based on what we have seen so far.