Chime in: Does the Lumia 950 XL still have the best smartphone camera?

Back in the good old days, the Lumia series was known for its excellent cameras. The Lumia 1020, Lumia 1520 / 930 and even the Lumia 950 series were all the best in the business when they were new on the market, but it's been over two years since the Lumia 950 hit the market. Is it still the best?

The answer, frankly, is no. Time has progressed, and the competition has caught up. The cameras on the latest iPhone's and Android devices are usually better if not the same. They're faster, too, something that the Lumia camera generally isn't. You can check out a comparison we did with the Lumia 950 camera vs the shooters on a bunch of rival smartphones. Spoiler, the Lumia 950 came last.

I had the 950XL and there is no contest between the newer Pixel 2 and the 950. In fact Dec 2016 and Jan 2017 I used a 950 and the original Pixel side by side and even then the Pixel consistently crushed the Lumia 950. The Pixel 2 is even better. This HDR+ / Machine Learning thing that Google employs is amazing.

worldspy99

This was always going to happen. If Microsoft isn't building Windows phones anymore, then they won't be able to compete in the smartphone camera wars. Now, that doesn't mean the camera on a Lumia flagship is terrible. In fact, most flagship Lumia cameras are still more than capable in 2018. Sure, they may not be the best, but they're certainly not bad.

Join the discussion on our forums and let us know what smartphone cameras you think are the best!

Lumia 950/XL still the best Camera in 2018?

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Zac Bowden
Senior Editor

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter and Threads