4K Smartphone Buying Guide

In this digital era, having a smartphone which can shoot a 4K video is becoming a must-have. The megapixel war is far from over for tranquil cameras in this case for smartphones. With different smartphones brands upping their game in the development of new phones and features every day coupled with the constant development in the technology used, it is almost difficult to keep up. The 4k display is becoming required feature in almost all displays from digital televisions, cameras, and even smartphones. For starters, 4K is a term that defines a resolution of 4096 by 2160 pixels at an aspect ratio of 16:10.

So why do you need to buy a smartphone that is capable of shooting 4K video?

If you can enjoy HD movies on your television why not enjoy the same on your phone, right? A 4K camera produces video footage with about 4096 pixels in width and 2160 pixels on the longer side. Having such quality on a smart phone is an out of this world experience. These phones also offer plenty of room to display high-end content from the incredible onboard camera. The camera’s optical image stabilization and high quality make it easier to use and view even on unstable moving objects. Mobile-based virtual reality headsets will gain an enormous boost in realism since these headsets use an optical lens to magnify the display, and a higher screen quality can greatly smooth over this effect.

Things to Consider When Buying a 4K Camera Phone

1.Operating system

The main operating systems available are IOS, Windows, and Android. When looking to buy a 4K smartphone getting a phone with good software support is key. Apple’s IOS offers the best support for software but the software is developed for iPhones, unlike Androids which are used by many manufacturers.

2.Screen Quality

Smartphone models are getting bigger and bigger. We all have different preferences in screen sizes and phones in general. Screen sizes do not really determine the video quality, the only downside to having a large screen would come in when using equipment such as a tripod mount when shooting a video. When looking to buy a tripod mount, look for one that has an adaptor so that it can comfortably clamp around your smartphone.

3.Camera

This is the most important feature of any smartphone and in this case a 4K camera phone. There is nothing more important than the camera itself. To get the most out of your camera you need to be able to control the settings. This means adjusting the frame size, white balance, frame rate and even the focus among other things.

You also need to be wary about the camera performance in different lighting and time of the day. A phone with a night mode feature would come in handy, this way you can be guaranteed of good video quality even in dark shots.

How well does the camera’s back or front flash work? Will you require extra lighting when shooting your video? These are also points to think about. For example, Samsung S8 has revamped their front-facing camera, which is now a 8-megapixel with a 120° wide angle lens which lets you capture a larger frame with exceptional clarity. It also has a fast auto-focus, which greatly simplifies taking a sharp picture. You also get Live HDR, which automatically extends exposure time in low lighting and provides a rich tone.

Lastly, let’s not forget that every good video ought to have a great sound. When recording a video you have to see what audio levels you are getting to avoid sounds that are too loud or too quiet. Nowadays smartphones are coming with audio features to help monitor the sound, but should you also feel the need to add your favorite software, they are available in the market for Android, IOS, and even Windows.

4.Processor

No one wants a sluggish phone, having a phone that comes with a good and fast processor translates to speed in running applications, gaming, and even video shooting. Phones are now being developed with the upgraded top of the game processors with Snapdragon 835 processor from Qualcomm CPU leading the list. Apple’s 64-bit A 10 chip also has super-fast speeds and theses two work best with 4k camera phones. Having a fast performing processor would mean that, even when viewing videos, there is an ease when selecting and viewing them just like watching a movie on your T.V.

5.RAM and storage

Let’s face it, video files take up a lot of space on the smartphone. When taking videos we want the highest video quality which means we require a lot of space to store these videos. Phones come with different storage capacities from 16GB to around 132GB. It is easy to quickly fill up this space with videos as well as pictures.

There are two ways you can go about storing your videos, you can either transfer your videos to your laptop every now and then after shooting videos which would prove to be tiresome after some time, or buy a phone with lots of space so you don’t have to interrupt your shooting whenever your phones is full.

Having a 4K camera phone would, therefore, mean that you would have to invest in a phone with lots of storage. The greater storage you want the more money you will have to part with when getting yourself one of these phones.

RAM, on the other hand, is also really important. The bigger the RAM the faster your phone is expected to perform.

6.Battery

Smartphones are generally really heavy at power consumption. A 4K display will definitely drain your battery faster compared to 720p, 1080p, and 2K. This is one of the compromises a user will have to make and consider while buying a 4K camera phone. Battery technology is definitely advancing with phones having bigger battery capacities and fast charge technology. There is also software available that users can use to optimize phone batteries so as to get the most out of it.

Other charging technologies such a wireless charging would come in handy for a 4k charging phone. All you need is a compatible wireless charging mat to place under your phone and you can take it with you wherever you go.

It also wouldn’t hurt if you got yourself a battery backup just in case, you never know when you’ll need it.

7.Security performance

Security features such as fingerprint sensors that started off with Apple are now very common among most phone companies. This feature is crucial when it comes to phone security and even taking photos and videos. All you have to do is set up your fingerprint security so that only you can access your phone and use the same fingerprint to take photos and shoot videos.

Other security features that come with 4k camera phones are facial recognition software that only allows you as the phone owner to unlock and use your phone.

8.Price

The prices of these smartphones are expected to go higher than they are now. Take for instance in the UK where a 4k Android smartphone costs around £600. This is not going down anytime soon as Apple is expected to release its own model of a 4k phone and the price is also expected to be quite high. Still, you will need to buy a quality 4k phone at a very affordable price depending on your pockets and preferences.

In conclusion, it’s time you invested in a 4K camera phone to get the best experience in photos and videos. The existing cameras that come with these phones are surely top quality but expect an even better quality going forward. So, go buy yourself a good 4K camera phone and start jump into the ‘great camera’ wagon.

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