I think this is as close as we've gotten to smartphones being able to replace digital cameras.
(Image credit: Future)
I've been a photographer for over 14 years, and I believe this era is as close as we've ever gotten to smartphones being able to replace digital cameras. I spent some time in Slovenia this week with Honor, and captured some stunning landscape shots of Lake Bled (one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen) using nothing but one of the best camera phones – the new Honor Magic 7 Pro.
It's not a secret that I have always considered the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra as the ultimate camera phone, especially thanks to the latest advancements in AI imaging tools. But more recently I've been questioning the quality of this camera the more that I've gotten to use alternatives from competitors, including some of the best iPhones for photography.
I decided to put Honor's new Magic 7 Pro to the test during my time in Slovenia, with a camera phone shootout against my current smartphone, the S24 Ultra. To keep things fair, I used the same aspect ratio when shooting these images and the same resolution wherever possible. Take a look at the 100% unedited image sliders (move the slider to see the full image) and galleries below for the results of this ultimate camera phone shootout.
The Honor Magic 7 Pro only has a 50MP main camera, compared with the 200MP main camera on my Samsung S24 Ultra. However, the Honor Magic 7 Pro benefits from a larger aperture at f/1.4, compared with Samsung's f/1.7, meaning it can take in much more light.
Honor also seems to have the upper hand against Samsung when it comes to the telephoto camera, with a 200MP f/2.6 72mm periscope lens with the intelligent AI Super Zoom, compared with the S4 Ultra's 50 MP f/3.4 111mm periscope lens. Both phone cameras offer 100x zoom, and I was eager to put this to the challenge.
Photos from the Honor Magic 7 Pro
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Photos from my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
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(Image credit: Future / Beth Nicholls)
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(Image credit: Future / Beth Nicholls)
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As you can see from the image galleries above, both of these are exceptional camera phones (though the beautiful Slovenian landscapes certainly help). I found that my Samsung S24 Ultra produced the sharpest unedited results in most cases, though only by a fraction, whereas the Honor Magic 7 Pro produced the best final image with AI enhancements made for more vibrant colours and hues.
The Super Zoom on the Honor Magic 7 has amazing potential, but I don't think it's quite there yet. You can blatantly tell that AI has been used to fill in the gaps, and I think the result looks more like an abstract painting for now than a real image.
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The verdict: I think if you're someone who likes to edit and tweak images yourself for the best result then the S24 Ultra offers the best starting point with RAW capabilities. But if you're looking for a shot that's Instagram-ready from the get-go then Honor's Magic 7 Pro takes the crown.
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Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer and has the fun job of finding you the very best prices and deals on creative tech. Beth kicked off her journalistic career writing for Digital Camera World, and has since earned bylines on TechRadar too. With a Masters degree in Photography, Beth loves getting to tinker with new cameras, especially camera phones, as the resident Samsung fan on the team. Her background working as a tester for CeX let her play around with all kinds of weird and wonderful products, including robots, and she’s recently gotten into 3D printing too. Outside of CB, you’ll find her gaming on her PS5, photographing local shows under the alias Bethshootsbands, and making TikToks of her dog, Tilly.
