Brightness
The maximum brightness in nits provided by the smartphone display.
The brighter the display, the more readable the picture remains on it under intense ambient light (for example, outdoors on a clear sunny day). Also, high brightness is important for the correct displaying of HDR content. However, a large amount of brightness affects the cost and power consumption of the screen. Manufacturers can specify standard, maximum, and peak brightness values. At the same time, an equal sign cannot be put between the maximum and peak brightness. The first indicates the ability of the screen to produce the specified brightness over its entire area, while the peak one — in a limited area and for a short time (mainly for HDR content).
Display-to-body ratio
The ratio of the screen area to the total front panel area of the phone. Simply put, this spec describes how much of the front panel is occupied by the screen; the rest is the bezels.
This indicator is given exclusively for smartphones with touch screens — it is for them that it is most relevant. The larger the percentage of the body is occupied by the screen, the thinner are the bezels, the neater the smartphone looks and the more convenient it is to work with it with one hand. As for specific numbers, the average values are 80 – 85 %, the higher values allow us to talk about a
thin bezel, and more than 90 % — about a
“bezel less” design.
Separately, we note that this parameter has nothing to do with the aspect ratio of the screen. The aspect ratio describes only the display itself — its proportions, the ratio between the larger and smaller side of the rectangle.
Stock Android
"clean" Android operating system/
The Android OS is open source, allowing developers to create various modifications of this OS, including branded builds and software shells. Such modifications can be quite advanced, but they often change or even limit the functionality of the original Android, and updates to such firmware are highly dependent on their creators and often fall back behind updates to the original OS. Thus, some users prefer to use "clean", stock Android, without any add-ons or shells; those devices are designed for them.
RAM type
The type of random access memory (RAM) installed in the smartphone.
All modern devices use LPDDR format RAM (
LPDDR4,
LPDDR4x,
LPDDR5,
LPDDR5x,
LPDDR5T). In addition to its miniature size, it differs from regular computer RAM by supporting special data transfer formats (16- and 32-bit memory buses). But the versions of such memory can be different:
— LPDDR3. The earliest generation of LPDDR of the current ones — presented in 2012, implemented in devices since 2013. Standardly operates at speeds up to 1600 MT/s (megatransactions per second) and a frequency of up to 933 MHz; the “enhanced” version supports speeds up to 2133 MT/s. Nowadays, this standard is rare, mainly among outdated mobile devices.
— LPDDR4. The successor to LPDDR3, officially presented in August 2014 (although the first hardware developments were released back in late 2013). The operating speed, compared to its predecessor, has doubled — up to 3200 MT/s; the frequency has grown to 1600 MHz; and the power consumption has decreased by 40%. In addition, the data transfer format has changed — in particular, two 16-bit buses are used instead of one 32-bit, and some security improvements have been introduced into the standard. This memory can be found in some mid-range smartphones. — LPDDR4x. An improved version
...of LPDDR4 with reduced power consumption — the standard uses a voltage of 0.6 V instead of 1.1 V. In addition, some improvements have been implemented in this type of RAM, aimed at increasing the speed (it reaches 4266 MT/s) and general optimization of operation — for example, a single-channel mode has appeared for undemanding applications. Thanks to such characteristics, this version of memory has become much more widespread than the original LPDDR4. It can be found in mid-range and top-end devices.
— LPDDR5. Further development of "mobile" RAM, officially announced in early 2019. The operating speed in this version has been increased to 6400 MT/s, a differential signal format has been introduced to improve resistance to interference and errors, and dynamic frequency and voltage control has been implemented to reduce power consumption. The use of such memory modules is typical mainly for high-end smartphones.
— LPDDR5x. A more energy-efficient and faster version of LPDDR5 RAM. Its data transfer rate has been increased to 8533 MT/s, and the peak throughput indicator is up to 8.5 Gbps. The number of memory banks per channel in LPDDR5x is always 16. RAM of this standard is typical for advanced smartphones of the highest grade.
— LPDDR5T. T — means "turbo". The operating speed of the LPDDR5T standard "RAM" has been increased to 9600 MT/s, and devices with such memory modules are approximately 13% faster compared to LPDDR5X. The memory operates in the low voltage range from 1.01 to 1.12 V. The corresponding modules are aimed at use in top mobile devices.Storage type
The type of the phone's storage.
The specification determines, first of all, the speed of the memory, and, accordingly, the performance of the device as a whole (especially when working with large amounts of data or resource-intensive applications). Nowadays, there are two basic specifications — eMMC and UFS; each of them has several versions. In general, storages with
UFS 3.1 and
UFS 4.0 are the fastest and most advanced today, but they cost accordingly, and therefore are used mainly in premium smartphones. A more detailed description of these standards looks like this:
— eMMC. One of the simplest and most affordable standards for solid state memory — for example, this specification is used by most flash drives. In smartphones and other portable gadgets, this standard was generally accepted until 2016, when the introduction of UFS began; however, even now it is very popular — mainly due to its low cost and low power consumption. But the speeds of eMMC are noticeably lower than those of UFS. So, in the latest version of eMMC 5.1A (2019), the read speed is up to 400 MB/s, and the earlier and more common version of eMMC 5.1 provides up to 250 MB/s in read mode, up to 125 MB/s in sequential write mode and all only up to 7.16 MB/s with random writes (in other words, in application mode).
— UFS. A solid state drive standard designed to be a faster, more advanced successor to eMM
...C. In addition to the increased data exchange speeds, the format of work has also been changed in UFS — it is fully duplex, that is, reading and writing can be performed simultaneously (whereas in eMMC these processes were performed in turn). Also, efficiency in random read and write mode has been significantly improved, which has a positive effect on the quality of work with applications. Specific data exchange rates and features of work depend on the version of UFS, nowadays you can find the following options:
- 2.0. The earliest of the versions found in modern smartphones; was released back in 2013. Provides data transfer rates up to 1.2 GB/s, the maximum available in this version. The newer version 2.1 has the same speeds, but it is supplemented with a number of important innovations. Therefore, UFS 2.0 memory is rarely used in mobile phones.
- 2.1. The first of the versions that are widely used in smartphones; was released in 2016. In terms of speed, it does not differ from version 2.0 described above, and the main differences are in some improvements. In particular, UFS 2.1 introduced storage status indicator (“health”), the ability to remotely update the firmware, as well as a number of solutions aimed at improving overall reliability.
- 2.2. An evolution of the UFS 2.x standard introduced in Summer 2020. A key improvement is the introduction of the WriteBooster feature (originally introduced in UFS 3.1); this feature allows you to significantly increase the write speed and, accordingly, the overall performance in tasks like running applications.
- 3.0. A version released in 2018 and implemented in hardware a year later. The throughput was increased to 2.9 GB/s per two lines (1.45 GB/s per one), new versions of the M-PHY electronic protocol (physical layer) and UniPro based on it were introduced, the reliability of working with data and the temperature mode of operation of the controllers has been expanded (theoretically, it can range from -40 °С to 105 °С). UFS 3.0 is used mainly in fairly advanced smartphones, although in the future we can expect this specification to be extended to more modest models.
- 3.1. The successor to the UFS 3.0 standard, officially introduced in early 2020. It is positioned as a specification created specifically for high-performance mobile devices and aimed at increasing speed while minimizing power consumption. To do this, UFS 3.1 has a number of innovations: a non-volatile Write Booster cache to speed up writing; special DeepSleep power saving mode for relatively simple and inexpensive systems; as well as the Performance Throttling Notification feature, which allows the drive to send overheating signals to the control system. In addition, this standard may additionally provide support for the HPB extension, which improves reading speed.
- 4.0. UFS 4.0 doubled the throughput per lane (23.2 Gbps per lane) and improved energy efficiency by about 46% (compared to the previous 3.1 specification). UFS 4.0 standard memory modules provide maximum read speed up to 4200 MB/s, write speed up to 2800 MB/s. The high bandwidth makes the memory standard ideal for 5G smartphones.
Liquid cooling
The
water cooling system of the smartphone is designed to increase the efficiency of heat dissipation. Good cooling allows the smartphone to perform properly at peak loads, without freezes or lags. The use of a liquid radiator makes it possible to improve cooling by an average of 4-6 °C compared to passive coolers. Water cooling is used in high-performance smartphones equipped with a performant CPU and GPU and multiple artificial intelligence co-processors.
Water cooling of a smartphone can have various design implementations. The concept of a radiator filled with refrigerant has gained the greatest popularity. In such a cooler, the liquid evaporates as it heats up and condenses in a separate heat exchanger, after which the liquid again enters the cooling radiator. Of course, if you want to increase cooling efficiency, that will increase the dimensions of the smartphone.
Main lens
Specifications of the main lens of the rear camera installed in the phone. In models with several lenses (see “Number of lenses”), the main one is responsible for basic shooting capabilities and does not have a pronounced specialization (wide-angle, telephoto, etc.). Four main parameters can be indicated here: resolution, aperture (
high aperture optics are quite common), focal length, additional sensor data.
Resolution(in megapixels, MP)
Resolution of the sensor used for the main lens. Budget options are equipped with a module
8 MP and
below, many models have
12 MP camera /
13 MP, also recently a trend towards increasing megapixels has been popular. Often in smartphones you can find the main photomodule at
48 MP,
50 MP< /a>, 64 MP and even
108 MP .
The maximum resolution of the resulting image directly depends on the resolution of the sensor; and the high resolution of the "picture", in turn, allows you to better display fine details. On the other hand, an increase in the number of megapixels in itself can lead to a deterioration in the overall image quality - due to the smaller size of each individual pixel, the noise level increases. As a result,
...the direct resolution of the camera has little effect on the quality of the shooting - more depends on the physical size of the matrix, the features of the optics and various design tricks used by the manufacturer.
Aperture
Aperture describes the ability of a lens to transmit light. It is written as a fractional number, for example f/1.9. Moreover, the larger the number in the denominator, the lower the aperture ratio, the less light passes through the optics, all other things being equal. For example, an f/2.6 lens will be “darker” than f/1.9.
High aperture gives the camera a number of advantages. First, it improves the quality of shooting in low light. Secondly, it's possible to shoot at low shutter speeds, minimizing the effect of "stirring" and blurring of moving objects in the frame. Thirdly, with fast optics it is easier to achieve a beautiful background blur ("bokeh") — for example, when shooting portraits.
Focal length(in millimetres)
The focal length is a distance between the sensor and the centre of the lens (focused to infinity), at which the most clear image is obtained on the matrix. However, for smartphones, the specifications indicate not the actual, but the so-called equivalent focal length — a conditional indicator recalculated using special formulas. This indicator can be used to evaluate and compare cameras with different sensor sizes (the actual focal length cannot be used for this, since with a different sensor size the same real focal length will correspond to different viewing angles). (It is also worth saying that the equivalent focal length can be noticeably larger than the thickness of the case — there is nothing unusual in this, since this is a conditional, and not a real indicator).
Anyway, the field of view and the degree of magnification directly depend on the equivalent focal length: a larger focal length gives a smaller field of view and a larger size of individual objects that fall into the frame, and a decrease in this distance, in turn, allows you to cover more space. In most modern smartphones, the focal length of the main camera ranges from 13 to 35 mm; if compared with the optics of traditional cameras, then lenses with equivalent focal length up to 25 mm can be attributed to wide-angle lenses, more than 25 mm — to universal models “with a bias towards wide-angle shooting”. Such values are chosen due the fact that smartphones are often used for shooting in cramped conditions, when a fairly large space needs to fit into the frame at a small distance. Enlargement of the picture, if necessary, is most often carried out digitally — due to the reserve of megapixels on the sensor; but there are also models with optical zoom (see below) — for them, not one value is given, but the entire working range of the equivalent focal length (recall, optical zoom is carried out by changing the focal length).
Field of view(in degrees). It characterizes the size of the area covered by the lens, as well as the size of individual objects "seen" by the camera. The larger this field, the more of the scene gets into the frame, but the smaller the individual objects in the image are. The field of view is directly related to the focal length (see above): increasing this distance narrows the field of view of the lens, and vice versa.
Note that this parameter is generally considered important for professional use of the camera rather than for amateur photography. Therefore, viewing angle data is given mainly for smartphones equipped with advanced cameras — including in order to emphasize the high class of cameras. As for specific values, for the main lens they usually are in the range from 70° to 82° — this corresponds to the general specifics of such optics (universal shooting with an emphasis on general scenes and extensive coverage at short distances).
Additional Sensor Data
Additional information regarding the sensor installed in the main lens. This item can specify both the size (in inches) and the sensor model, and sometimes both parameters at once. Anyway, such data is provided only if the device is equipped with a high-end sensor. With the model, everything is quite simple: knowing the name of the sensor, you can find detailed data on it. The size is worth considering a little more.
The size of the sensor is traditionally indicated in fractional parts of an inch — accordingly, for example, a 1/2.3" sensor will be larger than 1/2.6". Larger sensors are considered more advanced, as they provide better image quality at the same resolution. The logic here is simple - due to the large sensor area, each individual pixel is also larger and gets more light, which improves sensitivity and reduces noise. Of course, the actual image quality will also depend on a number of other parameters, but in general, a larger sensor size usually means a more advanced camera. In advanced photo flagships, you can find matrices with a physical size of 1”, which is comparable to image sensors used in top compact cameras with fixed lenses.Ultra wide lens
Specs of the
ultra wide-angle lens of the main camera installed in the phone.
These details are relevant only for cameras with several lenses (see "Number of lenses") — and not all, but only those where there is a lens with a small focal length (much less than in the main lens) and, accordingly, wider viewing angles. It is called ultra-wide. In the same paragraph, four main parameters can be indicated: resolution, aperture ratio, focal length and additional sensor data.
Resolution(in megapixels, MP)
The resolution of the sensor used for the ultra-wide lens.
The maximum resolution of the resulting image directly depends on the resolution of the sensor; and the high resolution of the "picture" allows you to capture small details better. On the other hand, an increase in the number of megapixels in itself can lead to a deterioration in the overall image quality — due to the smaller size of each individual pixel, the noise level increases. As a result, the direct resolution of the camera has little effect on the quality of photos and videos — a lot also depends on the size of the sensor, the features of the optics and various design tricks used by the manufacturer. At the same time, we note that the more megapixels a camera has, the more likely it is to implement various additional solutions aimed at improving image quality.
As for the specific resolution of ultra-wide optics, it can co
...rrespond to the number of megapixels in the main lens (see "Main lens") or be lower, sometimes quite noticeable (for example, 8 MP with the main optics at 48 MP). This is due to the fact that an ultra-wide-angle lens often plays a secondary role, for which a small resolution is more than enough.
Aperture
Aperture describes the ability of a lens to transmit light. It is written as a fractional number, for example f/1.9. Moreover, the larger the number in the denominator, the lower the aperture ratio, that is, for example, an f/2.6 lens will transmit less light than f/1.9.
High aperture gives the camera a number of advantages: it allows you to shoot at low shutter speeds, minimizing the likelihood of “shake”, and also makes it easier to shoot in low light and shoot with artistic background blur (bokeh). However, for an ultra-wide lens, such features are not as important as for the main camera — such lenses usually have a specific purpose, and their small aperture is often more desirable, which allows you to increase the depth of field. So in general, this parameter is more of a reference than practically significant when choosing.
Focal length
The focal length is a distance between the sensor and the centre of the lens (focused to infinity), at which the most clear image is obtained on the sensor. However, for smartphones, the specifications indicate not the actual, but the so-called equivalent focal length — a conditional indicator recalculated using special formulas. This indicator can be used to evaluate and compare cameras with different sensor sizes (the actual focal length cannot be used for this, since with a different sensor size the same real focal length will correspond to different viewing angles).
Anyway, the viewing angle and the degree of magnification directly depend on the equivalent focal length: a larger focal length gives a smaller viewing angle and a larger size of individual objects that fall into the frame, and a decrease in this distance, in turn, allows you to cover more space. Ultra-wide optics, by definition, must have very short focal lengths — smaller than the corresponding main optics. However, "ultra-wide" focal lengths typically range from 13 mm to 26 mm; such values are not rare among the main lenses. At the same time, there is nothing illogical here — the point is the ratio of focal lengths in each individual smartphone. For example, a camera with a 25mm primary lens can carry a 16mm or 17mm ultra-wide lens; and models with a primary lens less than 24mm usually do not have additional ultra-wide optics at all, since the existing lens perfectly plays this role just fine. Also note that the difference between these types of optics is not as significant as one might imagine; and in some devices, both focal lengths are generally the same, while the difference in specialization is achieved due to the features of image processing in each lens.
Field of view(in degrees) It is the size of the area covered by the lens, as well as the size of individual objects "seen" by the camera. The larger this angle, the more of the scene gets into the frame, but the smaller the individual objects in the image are. The field of view is directly related to the focal length (see above): increasing this distance narrows the field of view of the lens, and vice versa.
Note that this parameter is generally considered important for professional use of the camera rather than for amateur photography. Therefore, the field of view data is given mainly for smartphones equipped with advanced cameras — including in order to emphasize the high class of cameras in this way. As for specific values, ultra-wide-angle optics, by definition, have very wide angles — from 107° and above; in some models, this figure reaches 125°.
Additional Sensor Data
Additional information regarding the sensor installed in the ultra-wide lens. This item can specify both the size (in inches) and the sensor model, and sometimes both parameters at once. Anyway, such data is provided only if the device is equipped with a high-class sensor. With the model, everything is quite simple: knowing the name of the sensor, you can find detailed data on it. The size is worth considering a little more.
The size of the sensor is traditionally indicated in fractional parts of an inch — accordingly, for example, a 1/3.1" sensor will be larger than 1/4". Larger sensors are considered more advanced, as they provide a better image at the same resolution. This is due to the fact that due to the larger sensor area, each individual pixel is also larger and receives more light, which improves sensitivity and reduces noise. Of course, the actual image quality will also depend on a number of other parameters, but in general, a larger sensor size usually means a more advanced camera. However, in ultra-wide lenses, the sensors are generally noticeably smaller than in the main ones — for example, the mentioned 1/3.1" and 1/4" are quite common options. This is primarily due to the secondary role of such cameras.Additional lens
Specs of the additional lens installed in the device.
An additional lens is the one that is not covered by any of the three categories described above (main, tele-, ultra-wide), but is used directly for taking photos and videos (that is, it is not an auxiliary one — see below). In this case, the specific purpose of such a lens may be different. In some models, modules for a specific purpose are installed — for example, "portrait" optics with a longer focal length than the main module (however, less than that of a telephoto lens). In other devices, you can find additional modules of standard specialization — for example, the second telephoto lens, which differs in specs from the main one; data on such modules is also given here.
The meaning of particular specifications is described in detail above, in the paragraphs regarding the main lens, telephoto lens and ultra-wide optics. Here we note some nuances that directly relate to additional modules or are worth re-mentioning:
- Resolution (in megapixels, MP). In itself, high resolution only increases the detail and does not necessarily improve the quality of the picture. However, numerous MPs is often a sign of an advanced camera, where various additional solutions are used to improve quality.
- Aperture. Written as a fraction, such as f/1.9; the larger the number in the designation, the lower the aperture ratio and the worse the light transmission of the lens. These optics are more expensive, but...offer better image quality and more overall performance.
- Focal length. Specified in millimetres. Directly affects the viewing angle and specialization of the lens: short focal lengths are typical for "wide-angle" and lenses for general use, significant — for "portrait" and telephoto lenses.
- Sensor size. Specified in fractions of an inch, such as 1/2.8". A larger sensor is more expensive and takes up more space, but provides better image quality.
- OIS. An abbreviation for "optical image stabilization". See below for more details on such systems, but here we note that they are typical mainly for advanced cameras: optical stabilization is more complicated and expensive than digital, but more effective.