It’s been a while since 23MP camera phones ran the smartphone market. But now, it seems that they are no longer the top choice compared to other less-megapixel camera phones. Here are 4 signs that 2016 is NOT the year for 23MP camera phones.

23MP camera phones: a good choice for photography?

First of all, last year, Sony Xperia Z5 Premium was awarded The Best Phone Camera due to its excellent 23MP camera phone, but this year, the title has belonged to Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, which features only a 12MP main camera. That has proven that a great camera doesn’t have to always offer a massive resolution. Let’s talk about another example: iPhone 6 (and its siblings). The phone only supports a 8MP main camera and 1.2 front snapper, but as we all know, iPhone is ALWAYS popular because of its excellent camera lens that captures flawlessly stunning photos.

Second, as DSLR cameras are getting cheaper and cheaper, they are often a more preferable option for those users who want to take high-resolution photos. You may say that a DSLR camera will cost you a lot of money, but let us remind you that a 23MP camera phone will not charge less, also. So normally, people tend to opt for the DSLR because it is undoubtedly a much better camera.

Besides, it is not really necessary to take a massive-resolution photo. With the current trend of social network that seems to last forever, people tend to take smaller photos as it is faster to filter and to upload them. On the other hand, 23MP pictures take you more effort and time (and even money) to get them uploaded. They also occupy lots of space in you internal memory, cause each one takes at least 8MB of storage.

23MP camera phone: lens matters!

Finally, back to the example of iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, neither of them features a camera with more than 20 megapixels. The latest masterpiece of HTC – HTC 10 only comes with a 12MP camera. Lenovo Zuk Z2 Pro has just a 13MP camera on the rear. Xiaomi Mi Max features a 16MP snapper only. Even the upcoming iPhone 7 is reported to support only 12MP primary shooter. Thus, we can see that 23MP camera phone is no longer a desirable feature among current flagships. Even Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe, with 23MP main cam, has never been highly evaluated as an excellent camera phone. Actually, the thing that counts the most in smartphone photography is the lens, which is the strong advantage of Apple and Samsung.