Subj : Buying a new camera phone this Black Friday? Megapixels arent the To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Thu Nov 13 2025 20:15:07 Buying a new camera phone this Black Friday? Megapixels arent the only important spec Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2025 19:48:33 +0000 Description: If youre looking for a new camera phone during sales season, resolution isnt the only thing you should keep an eye out for on the spec sheet FULL STORY ====================================================================== For some phone users, the best phones must be the best camera phones those smartphones that come equipped with a selection of high-quality cameras to help you take photos and videos of key memories, capture artsy landscapes, or even just make your Instagram stories look nicer. The best camera phones on the market come equipped with high-resolution sensors, but resolution isn't everything. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has three 48MP cameras, all of which support Apples Fusion Camera tech (which weve explained in another piece). The rival Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra , however, has a 200MP main camera thats more than four times the pixels than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a super-high-res 200MP main camera, but it still isn't our number-one camera phone. (Image credit: Future / Chris Hall) Logic dictates that a higher resolution sensor makes for a more detailed image but this isnt always the case and, in fact, Id argue theres another factor at play that should be higher up on your list of camera phone buying considerations. Im talking about sensor size, which is exactly what it sounds like how big the sensor actually is. Lets consider the iPhone 17 Pro Max again. It has a 48MP main camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor. That's a measure of the sensor diagonally. If you want an easier measurement, you can divide that fraction to find the iPhone has a sensor that measures 0.78-inches. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 200MP main camera, with a slightly smaller 1/1.3-inch sensor. Dividing that fraction again, we see the Ultra's main sensor is 0.77-inches diagonally. The Ultra divides that sensor into more pixels, but it's almost the same size as the iPhone's 48MP sensor. Despite the Galaxy S25 Ultra's higher resolution, the iPhone 17 Pro Max holds the title of TechRadars best camera phone. Thats not to say that the main camera sensor size is the be all and end all of camera phone performance, or that this is exclusively why the iPhone 17 Pro Max holds the lead spot in our list. The iPhone also has higher-resolution ultra-wide and telephoto cameras than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, both with larger or comparable sensors. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra's 1-inch main sensor affords it a huge light intake and stunning depth-of-field effects (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd) So, how does this relate to Black Friday and Cyber Monday? During the sales season, were likely to see numerous discounts on a wide range of cheap and mid-range phones, some of which will sport high-resolution sensors. Some of these high-resolution, mid-tier camera phones like the Honor 400 take great photos, but some, like the Samsung Galaxy A35 , can leave something to be desired in certain conditions. Thats why you should try to determine the main camera sensor size if possible to paint as good a picture as possible before making a purchase. Of course, you could also try to get a look at some sample photos and videos, but this isnt always possible. Are you looking for a new camera phone this Black Friday? Let us know which models or early deals are catching your eye in the comments below. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/buying-a-new-camera-phone-this-black-friday-m egapixels-arent-the-only-important-spec --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .