Ted Kritsonis

The OnePlus Open is not only a new entry into a slowly growing category of smartphones, it’s also taking a shot at other brands in the process, of which the camera plays a central role.

East Germany, or the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was one of the most tightly-controlled police states in recent memory from 1949 to 1990 that would spy on its own citizens throughout using all sorts of fascinating imaging equipment.

Foldable phones are probably going to be a viable part of future mobile devices, but for now, they’re not moving the needle forward in image quality. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is no different, except it makes a better case that the rear camera lenses are much better off when there’s a larger cover screen all around them.

If you’re looking for dramatic shifts in image quality from Samsung, its foldable phones aren’t going to give it to you. Instead, you get a combination of incremental changes and far more flexibility in deployment than you otherwise might with a standard smartphone.

Hobolite found a way to take the design from its first three LED lights and make one small enough to earn the "Micro" moniker. This light is cute in the way most small things tend to be, which is to say that it's diminutive, practical, and fits in the palm of your hand.

One thing Samsung’s new foldables tell us is that the company is reluctant to put its best cameras into any phone that folds or flips open. Should a device that carries such a premium cut a few corners on the camera side?

If there was even a sliver of doubt that Xiaomi wanted the mobile photography crown, the 13 Ultra is the phone to dispel that notion and cement that pursuit. Xiaomi equipped it with the tools to take on the best, no matter who the other brands are.

Vivo saves its best camera features for its flagship X-Series, but some of that trickles down to devices like the V27 Pro. It’s just a question of how much happens to fall into place.

The Google Pixel 7a is a rarity. It's a mid-range phone that performs above that spec in many areas, making it hard to pass especially when the price starts at $499.

Razer wants you to take your webcam seriously enough that you would spend $300 to get the quality the Kiyo Pro Ultra can deliver.

When you set up a webcam, you usually park it in one ideal spot and leave it. The Cyber Acoustics CA Essential Webcam Flex looks to change that by changing all the angles.

Almost everyone wields a camera these days because they already have one by default on their smartphones. But not just any phone will capture the best results, and that’s why some stand out for particular reasons.

The Vivo X90 Pro isn’t the brand’s top device, given there’s a Pro+ version out there, but this phone isn’t one to take lightly. Vivo isn’t shy about the credibility and relevance it wants in the market, even if its phones aren’t all that visible in North America yet.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro may be a successor to the previous 12 Pro, but it’s just as easy to argue that it’s more a continuation of the 12S Ultra that was only released in China. That was the first to use the Type 1 (13.1 x 9.8mm) Sony IMX989 sensor -- the same one from the popular Sony RX100 -- only customized to Xiaomi’s liking. 


It’s easy to overlook a good third-party photography app on a smartphone because they just keep popping up, but Varlens may be one worth keeping close by at all times.

Can a mid-range smartphone that focuses more on gaming also deliver something worth capturing with its cameras? The Poco X5 Pro acts like it’s up for the job, only to then force a lot of compromises.

Samsung stuck with a familiar look in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it’s what is underneath that counts and it pushes the phone’s camera forward as a tougher competitor.

The OnePlus 11 isn’t a debut by any means. OnePlus has been selling phones in various markets for years, but this one marks a shift in approach to being fashionable and credible -- not to mention cheaper -- while also dealing with its branding challenges in a place where Apple, Samsung, and Google reign.