Huawei's Mate 60 Pro+ Hailed as Best Smartphone Camera in 2023

Smartphone photography enthusiasts pay heed—Huawei has set a new benchmark in the mobile imaging domain with its Mate 60 Pro+ sporting the best camera system of 2023. While South Africa eagerly awaits this flagship's arrival, the country's current top performer is another in Huawei's lineup, the P60 Pro.

Deteriorating the intricate performances of smartphone cameras, DxOMark—a benchmark for independently assessing image and video quality—has become an authoritative voice within the industry. The scoring system it employs is multi-faceted, encompassing photo quality, zoom capabilities, bokeh effect, preview accuracy, and video proficiency.

The Huawei Mate 60 Pro+ emerged as the world leader with a stellar overall score of 157, a noticeable jump from the previous year's champion, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, which scored 149. Other brands struggle to keep pace, as even in the top 20 bracket, the scores range from a competitive 141 to 157. Huawei's P60 Pro, with a score of 156, asserts the brand's dominance by securing second place, and it is the pinnacle of camera performance available in South Africa.

Apple's iPhone series often cited for its photographic prowess, has marked its territory in this coveted list as well, with eight spots making it to the top 20, showcasing the consistent quality of the iPhone's rear camera systems. Specifically, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro have received high praise, each scoring a remarkable 154 and sharing the third-place spot. This stands in contrast to Samsung, which notably didn't make the cut for the top 20 in rear camera rankings.

Nevertheless, the front-facing camera tells a slightly different tale. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max's front camera leads globally with a score of 149. Following closely are various phones from different generations of the Apple lineup, the Google Pixel 8 Pro, and the Huawei Mate 50 Pro—all scoring an impressive 145. Samsung may not contend strongly from the rear, but its front camera tech still secures a respectable placement in the top 20, signaling its commitment to selfie aficionados and video callers.

The list of top 20 smartphone cameras offers consumers valuable insight when selecting their next purchase, especially when camera quality is at the apex of their criteria. It's paramount to remember that these rankings are not cast on stone but reflect a snapshot of the continuous innovation and competition amongst smartphone manufacturers. With the pace of technological advancement, particularly in the realms of computational photography, the landscape of top-tier smartphone cameras is destined for perennial shifts and surprises. South Africans, in the interim, can cherish the excellence of Huawei’s P60 Pro until the Mate 60 Pro+ graces the market.