Introduction

Rangefinder-inspired compact and mirrorless cameras are having their heyday, thanks in part to a social media frenzy stirred up by Fuji’s phenomenally popular X100 series. Rivals are now hoping to muscle in by going even smaller, fitting larger sensors, or adding interchangeable glass into the mix. The Panasonic Lumix S9 asks: why not all three?

Essentially a Lumix S5 II in a much, much smaller body, the Lumix S9 makes the diminutive Sony a7C II look huge in comparison – and is somehow even smaller than the fixed-lens Fujifilm X100VI (although that quickly changes once you bolt anything other than a pancake lens to the front). Yet inside there’s a stabilised 24MP full-frame sensor that can also film in 6K. Panasonic has also put realtime LUTs front-and-centre, giving easy access to colour effects through a dedicated button.

Launching at £1499/€1699 body-only, or £1799/€1999 with a 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, it undercuts the Sony and is a third of the price of the fixed-lens Leica Q3. Can such compact dimensions make it a go-to for creators that are regularly on the move?

Design & build: open range

Instead of its usual ‘SLR on a smaller scale’ approach, Panasonic has given the Lumix S9 a rangefinder-style body – a first for the S series. I got real Leica Q3 vibes from my black review unit, which is quite the compliment given one of those will set you back north of £5000. The alloy construction lacks the Leica’s milled metal wow factor – but it helps keep weight down to a mere 486g before you fit a lens. This is a fantastically portable camera.

That you can also pick one up in Crimson Red, Dark Olive and Classical Blue colours hints that Panasonic isn’t exactly aiming the Lumix S9 at traditionalists. The other giveaway is the absence of a viewfinder. I spent my first few hours raising the camera to my eye expecting one to be there; given the S9’s closest rivals all have some sort of viewfinder, it feels like a major omission here.

Instead, composition is done entirely via the 3in touchscreen, which also rotates out for vlogging. I like that it can be flipped over to keep the screen safe from scratches while the camera is in your bag, though – neither the pricier Leica nor the Fujifilm X100VI can do that. It was bright enough to see clearly during a particularly sunny weekend, but can’t rival an EVF for reflection-busting isolation.

Panasonic has kept things nice and simple on the top plate, with a shooting mode dial, command dial around the shutter button, power switch, and buttons for exposure control and video recording. There’s an accessory mount here too, but it’s a cold shoe; with no electrical contacts you can’t power external flashes and the like.

Everything else is found at the rear, including the button dedicated to real-time LUTs. Every button can be reached with either your thumb or index finger, and I found the scroll wheel/directional pad combo very intuitive for navigating Panasonic’s comprehensive menu system. The thumb grip above means you can wield this camera one-handed if you like – but I’d still fit a neck or wrist strap to avoid accidental drops.

Features & battery: that’s your LUT

Panasonic has sensibly stuck the micro HDMI and USB-C ports on the right side of the camera, well away from the articulating touchscreen; cables could easily block the screen on the otherwise very video-friendly Lumix S5 II, which had its ports on the opposite side. The 3.5mm mic input is high enough up that wires didn’t get in the way when I fitted a shotgun microphone.

You’re limited to 10 minute clip lengths at 6K resolution, but the Lumix S9 is otherwise a very capable film camera. That’s because it can do open-gate recording, capturing the sensor’s entire output and picking an aspect ratio later, and has a new MP4 Lite file type that’s 41% smaller than regular old MP4, making transfers to a PC or smartphone that much quicker. Panasonic’s real-time LUTs are a great way to apply colour treatments in-camera, too.

In some ways they’re better than Fuji’s crowd-pleasing Film Simulations: you can create your own LUTs, download ones created by other photographers, and store up to 39 on the camera itself. Having a dedicated button makes it a breeze to apply them quickly without hunting through menus, too.

Panasonic’s Lumix Lab smartphone app doesn’t entirely streamline the process, though. It’s much quicker to Bluetooth pair devices than the firm’s previous efforts, sure – but you can’t copy new LUTs and have automatic image transfer active at the same time. The app has to be open to send images, with no notification prompt on your phone that the camera is waiting to transfer. Establishing a Wi-Fi connection every time takes a while, too.

There’s just room for a single SD card inside the battery bay, which supports UHS-II speeds. Dual SD slots would’ve been a challenge given the S9’s size, but a microSD slot for redundancy, a la the Nikon Zf, would’ve been nice. The battery itself is the same capacity as the Lumix S5 II, and is good for a similar 470 shots – which is decent rather than impressive. USB-C charging meant I could top up on the move from a portable power bank.

Performance: stable AF

The Lumix S5 II had impressive in-body stabilisation, and Panasonic has managed to squeeze the same system inside the S9. It’s a welcome inclusion in a rangefinder-style compact, which isn’t always as easy to grip steadily like an SLR-style mirrorless camera, and allowed for very stable panning and tilting video footage at my review unit’s maximum 60mm zoom.

It also did a great job once I enabled Hybrid Zoom, one of two new zoom options specific to the S9. It combines sensor cropping and optical magnification, more than tripling the magnification of the 20-60mm kit lens. Details were wonderfully preserved at 187mm. The Crop Zoom does exactly that, cropping in on lenses that would otherwise restrict you to a single focal length in-camera.

The autofocus system is also a match for the Lumix S5 II, with both contrast and phase detection as well as human, animal and vehicle subject recognition. It’s just as speedy here, locking on and maintaining focus, even if you’ve got to remember to swap between the different modes when changing subjects. Sony still has the lead here, I feel, but it’s on par with anything from the Nikon and Fuji camps at this size and price.

It’s a great pairing with the burst shooting mode, which can manage up to 9fps normally, and 30fps in high speed mode. My cat, which normally refuses to sit still for pictures, was no match for it.

Image quality: in the frame

It might be outdone on pixel count by APS-C rivals, but the 24MP Lumix S9 isn’t short on detail – and doesn’t overdo it on sharpness in an attempt to squeeze out more perceived resolution either. The full-frame sensor captures natural-looking images with very good dynamic range. I did experience a few blown-out skies, but RAW processing is able to pull back a lot of the highlights.

Officially this isn’t the same sensor as the one found in the Lumix S5 II, though it has the same resolution. As with that camera, the Lumix S9 isn’t the cleanest at high ISOs, making ISO6400 about as high as I was happy to shoot at.

If you’re shooting JPEGs there’s a handful of baked-in colour modes to pick from, on top of the real-time LUT function. Vivid amps up the vibrancy a tad, if you’re a fan of the modern smartphone look; I preferred the more film-like L.ClassicNeo and L.Monochrome.

LUTs are the big draw, of course; after pairing to my phone and installing the Lumix Lab app, I could scroll through a large selection of Panasonic- and content creator-made options, with a neat before/after slider to see the difference before you hit the download button. Once sent to the camera, I could quickly activate them with a few taps.

They’re not as carefully curated as Fuji’s film simulations, but the handful of LUTs I tried made for dramatic, impactful shots. That you can then tweak them further to your own tastes via the phone app is a big win, too.

The Lumix S9 isn’t short on options when it comes to glass, with over 80 Panasonic, Sigma and Leica lenses available via the L Mount alliance. It will launch alongside a 26mm pancake lens, which lets Panasonic say its full-frame interchangeable compact is smaller than Fuji’s APS-C fixed-lens option – but I don’t think that holds up in reality.

That’s because it’s a manual focus lens, which makes it less practical for point-and-shoot photography. Even with focus peaking, I found it tricky to get tack-sharp shots on account of the touchscreen not being as high-res as an EVF would be. The 20-60mm kit lens is a larger, but much easier to use, option.

Panasonic Lumix S9 verdict

Before the Lumix S9 landed, anyone wanting interchangeable lenses and a full-frame sensor in a rangefinder body had to shop Sony; that’s no longer the case. Panasonic has delivered a brilliantly compact camera that takes gorgeous stills and high quality video. While real-time LUTs aren’t entirely new, the S9 capitalises on them to tempt photographers previously swayed by Fuji’s Film Simulations – although the companion app that transfers them to the camera could stand to be a bit slicker.

This is also a keenly priced camera, relatively speaking. A Sony A7C II with 28-60mm kit lens will set you back £2249; here a 20-60mm kit starts at £1799. That’s not a whole lot more than the fixed-lens Fuji X100VI, which also has a smaller APS-C sensor.

I think the lack of a viewfinder, either optical or electronic, is a real downer in a camera that otherwise excels at street photography. But not everyone will feel that way. If going touchscreen-only isn’t a dealbreaker, this could be a fantastic travel companion.

Panasonic Lumix S9 technical specifications

Honor CEO George Zhao spilled the beans during his keynote speech at France’s Vivatech start-up showcase, confirming the Honor 200 Series would launch globally on June 12.

Photography partnerships are nothing new in the phone world: Vivo works closely with Zeiss, Xiaomi with Leica, and Oppo/OnePlus with Hasselblad. But this is the first time I’ve heard AI being thrown into the mix to replicate one photography studio’s signature style. Honor trained its model with a huge dataset of Studio Harcourt portraits, teaching it to replicate their iconic lighting and shadow effects.

Apparently it breaks the portrait process into nine separate steps to replicate the Studio Harcourt method, for “flawless and studio-quality portraits”. I’ve yet to see it in action, but it sounds like a great way for point-and-shoot snappers to get a dramatically different effect with minimal effort.

Little else is known about the Honor 200 Series, other than that it’ll launch with MagicOS 8.0. The latest version of Honor’s Android UI is already available on the Honor Magic 6 Pro, which used AI for its Motion Sensing Capture action shot mode. It will be rolled out to the Magic V2 foldable and Honor 90 series later this month.

The Honor 200 is already up for pre-order on Honor’s Chinese web store It’s expected to arrive there on May 27, though specs are still a mystery. Rumours are pointing to a 50MP main camera, telephoto lens with 50x digital zoom, and a curved-edge OLED display. The higher-end Honor 200 Pro is likely to get a 5200mAh battery and 100W wired charging.

Currently the line-up consists of the Honor 200 Lite, a £280 value champ with 108MP rear snapper and 50MP selfie cam. There’s MediaTek Dimensity 6080 power underneath the sizeable 6.7in OLED screen, along with a 4500mAh battery. It’s packing 8GB of RAM and a generous 256GB of storage.

Honor also used Vivatech to lay out its future plans for AI in general. The firm is taking a four-layer approach that’ll work across devices and operating systems, with Magic Portal being the key component in MagicOS 8.0. It can supply contextual info, prompting you to open Google Maps when you’re sent an address in a text message, or recognise onscreen objects. It’s a bit like Google’s Circle to Search.

Google Cloud is being tapped up for generative AI, rather than Honor going it alone with its own models – though neither company has announced what form this will take.

• Related: What’s the best camera phone? smartphone cameras for perfect shots tested

Less than 15mm thick and weighing just 1.42kg, the Vivobook S 15 sounds impressively portable for a 15.6in laptop. It should be rather potent, too, with a Snapdragon X Elite system-on-chip running the show. It’s made up of a multi-core Oryon CPU, Adreno graphics, and Hegagon neural processor good for 45 TOPS (Tera Operations per Second), which Qualcomm reckons could give a MacBook Air M3 a run for its money. Early benchmarks certainly show that to be the case, too.

AI workloads include Asus’ bespoke StoryCube app, which uses artificial intelligence to sort your digital camera’s RAW files. Expect Live Caption real-time subtitles for video calls, and a presence-detecting webcam that can dim the screen when you look away, or lock the laptop automatically when you walk away for a minute – then unlock it again once you’re back.

Asus has several models planned, with up to 1TB of SSD storage and as much as 32GB of RAM. Battery life is pegged at 18 hours, or more than enough to get through a working day without bringing the power adaptor along with you.

There’s been no skimping on connectivity, with two USB4 ports, two USB 3.2 Type-As, a full-size HDMI 2.1 out, 3.5mm combo port and a microSD card slot. Naturally there’s Wi-Fi 7 on-board, too.

The screen will surely be the star, with a 3K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Asus’ OLED panels are some of the best around in the laptop world, so I’m expecting wonderfully vibrant colours and ample brightness to boot. Audio comes courtesy of a Dolby Atmos-approved, Harmon Kardon-tuned speaker setup.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 is set to go on sale from June 18th onwards. There’s no official word on pricing just yet.

• Read more: Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptops pack AI to try and dethrone the MacBook

Introduction

980g. It’s the sort of measurement you see written in recipe books, not on laptop spec sheets. And yet that’s precisely what the new Huawei MateBook X Pro tips the scales at. It undercuts everything on Stuff’s best laptops list, and is a substantial 30% less than the outgoing model – which was hardly a porker to begin with. Yet Huawei hasn’t skimped on hardware in order to reach featherweight status.

This is the first MateBook to get an Intel Ultra 9 CPU, and is rocking a retina-soothing OLED display. An LG Gram 14 might also sneak under 1kg, but it has yet to be updated to Intel’s new CPU generation – and also makes do with an IPS screen. As far as portable potency is concerned, it would seem little can match it in the Windows world.

It even stacks up well against the mighty MacBook Air M3 – which by the time you’ve ticked a few options boxes, will set you back more than the Huawei’s £2099 asking price. But with Copilot+ PCs now a thing, and Huawei’s access to Intel CPUs seemingly hanging in the balance, should you rush out to get one while you can?

Design & build: weight watcher

Sure, it looks familiar – but compared to the previous generation, this new MateBook X Pro has been on a weight loss programme worthy of a Hollywood movie star. This laptop tapers down to just 4mm, and only measures a mere 13.5mm at its portliest point. At 980g, it weighs less than pretty much any laptop I’ve reviewed, short of those ridiculously diddy netbooks from the late 2000s.

Mass has been shaved off everywhere possible, from the keyboard to the cooling system. The motherboard is now split into three parts, shrinking total surface area by 8% and freeing up space for things like larger cooling fans and a bigger battery. There aren’t many laptops you can hold one-handed without your wrists complaining.

Styling-wise Huawei has kept the same rounded corners, subtly curved sides and plain yet prominent company logo on the lid as before. The blue colour scheme is a lot lighter this time around, almost looking grey from certain angles. I’m a big fan; it’s not trying to replicate any of Apple’s shades, and treads a fine line between businesslike demeanour and style icon. I asked but it sounds like there are no plans to bring other colourways to the UK. The texture feels premium, too – much nicer than any plastic or polycarbonate rival.

It’s great Huawei has managed to keep the upward-firing speakers that flank the keyboard tray, but it has compromised a little on connectivity. There are now just three USB-C ports – two on the left and one on the right, down from four on the outgoing model. There’s no 3.5mm headphone port either, meaning it’ll be Bluetooth or a USB dongle for any private listening. The firm does at least include one USB-C to USB-A dongle in the box.

Screen & sound: eye candy

Huawei has switched from LCD to OLED for the 2024 MateBook X Pro. Having spent a few weeks with one as my go-to travel laptop, the screen might be the most compelling reason to buy one. The flexible panel used here is 51% lighter and 57% thinner than the old model’s screen, with satisfyingly skinny bezels on all four sides.

The 14.2in size and 3:2 aspect ratio are unchanged from last year. The wonderfully sharp 3120×2080 resolution is a match for the outgoing laptop, too. But the 120Hz refresh rate is a welcome step up, making cursor movement and Windows UI elements feel even more fluid in motion than they did on the old unit’s 90Hz panel. Brightness now maxes out at 1000 nits peak for HDR content, too – double that of last year’s effort. It copes well outdoors in bright sunshine, and looks wonderfully bright and vibrant indoors.

Huawei has calibrated the screen for the Adobe RGB colour space, on top of sRGB and DCI-P3, which will be great news for creative types that need accurate colours. It’s quick to switch modes, and all are impressively accurate. Flicker-free dimming and a low blue light output meant it was comfortable to use in darker environments, and the multi-layer reflective coating did a decent enough job of diffusing light – though this is still a glossy panel at the end of the day. You’ll have to head to Huawei’s tablet line-up for a reflection-beating PaperMatte panel.

The topmost glass layer has a 9H hardness level to withstand scratches. I certainly didn’t leave any scars when testing the 10-point touchscreen, which was responsive and recognised multi-touch gestures.

Speaker driver chambers that are 22% larger than the previous MateBook X Pro lets this Huawei laptop output impressively clear and loud audio. The side-firing speakers don’t have much in the way of bass, so can’t match the best MacBooks (which are still some of the best-sounding laptops ever), but I didn’t feel the need to grab my headphones every time I wanted some background music or watch a YouTube video.

Keyboard & touchpad: under pressure

Huawei hasn’t gone for radically different key switches in its pursuit of thinner and lighter laptops (after all, that worked out so well for Apple), meaning the keyboard is pretty much unchanged from the previous generation. Half-height function and arrow keys aside, everything is full-size, with a good amount of bounce from each key and quite a bit of travel. It surprised me how comfortable typing was, given the machine’s skinny nature.

The entire keyboard is LED backlit, with minimal light leakage around each key, and the white lettering on coloured key arrangement will be perfectly legible at all times of day or night. It’s not the quietest keyboard I’ve tapped away at, but it won’t irk those around you.

I’m happy to see the fingerprint reading power button make a return; it was so convenient on the old model, powering on and skipping the Windows lock screen in a single press. It’s also far enough removed from the keyboard tray you won’t hit it by accident when reaching for the delete key.

Huawei has carried over the pressure-sensing touchpad from last year, complete with haptic vibrations and multi-touch gestures. Considering the firm has saved weight everywhere else that sounds a little complex, but I can’t deny it works very well, vibrating convincingly with each press. scrolling up and down the far sides of the pad to adjust screen brightness and volume is convenient, too. The “tactile glass” felt smooth under my finger, with just the right amount of friction for quick yet accurate cursor movement.

Performance & battery life: no compromise

I was surprised when Huawei’s reps revealed the MateBook X Pro would land with an Ultra 9 processor – and not just because it meant the firm had squeaked in a shipment of Intel’s latest silicon before the terms of its Trump-era US trade license expired. The Ultra 9 185H is a mighty chip, with 16 cores and 22 threads that can hit a peak 5.1GHz when thermal limits allow. To fit one in a machine so svelte speaks wonders about its cooling ability.

A pair of larger, redesigned ‘shark fin’ fans are enough for the chip to draw 40W under load. That’s a significant 10W increase over the previous-gen model, which wasn’t exactly hurting for performance. Here it’s paired with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, making it a monster among ultraportables. There’ll be versions on sale in certain territories with Ultra 7 CPUs, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, but they won’t be coming to the UK.

Naturally this hardware combo delivers fairly epic performance for a laptop of this size. In some synthetic tests it drew level with an M3-powered MacBook Air, and was either on par or faster than other Windows-powered 13in and 14in ultraportables that use Intel Ultra 7 CPUs. A 14in MacBook Pro still takes the performance-and-portability crown, but the MateBook puts in a fantastic showing here. The fans do spin up under load, but not to an obnoxious volume, and thermal throttling wasn’t a concern during everyday use.

It’s only 3D-accelerated tasks that reveal any weakness, but only if you’re comparing to larger rivals with dedicated graphics chips. Intel’s integrated Arc GPU can handle a bit of light gaming, though, and edits photos easily enough. You’ll only want to look elsewhere if you do a lot of on-the-go 4K video edits or rendering work.

Huawei says the 70Wh battery is good for about six and a half hours of daily use, or eleven hours of video playback. I found that something in the middle was more representative of real-world use, and only after making sure Huawei’s system-wide Super Turbo function wasn’t kicking in for things like video playback. It’s a bit obscure as to which apps are benefiting from it, so I turned it off whenever I planned a full day away from a mains socket. Five hours was typical with a bunch of browser tabs, Spotify streaming and some occasional image editing.

This still falls short of the latest MacBook Air’s epic longevity, and now has to contend with equally long-lasting Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite silicon – but I still found it had enough juice to last a regular working day, which is great considering it weighs less than any rival.

Chinese variants of the laptop are good for 140W fast charging over USB-C, from a brick barely larger than what you top your phone up with; UK-bound models stick with the same 90W adaptor seen on previous versions.

Huawei MateBook X Pro (2024) verdict

I thought the outgoing MateBook X Pro was as thin and light as it got in Huawei land, but the 2024 edition shows just how much room there was for improvement. This is now an incredibly light machine, but one that doesn’t compromise a jot on performance. The impactful OLED display is the icing on the cake.

It gets close enough to the MacBook Air on battery life, and the revised cooling system’s ability to cope with a Core Ultra 9 running at full whack is rather impressive. UK pricing puts it dangerously close to a 14in MacBook Pro, though, which is a phenomenally capable laptop. Newly-announced Copilot+ PCs running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite system-on-chip should last even longer, and cost less to boot – though that’s only on paper until I review one.

That said, Windows users who are always on the move will struggle to find anything else that can lighten their load as effectively as this.

Huawei MateBook X Pro (2024) technical specifications

Announced at Google I/O, Ask Photos is based on Google’s Gemini AI model. It massively expands Google Photos’ search abilities, using contextual info like how many times you’ve taken pictures of a particular person or object, and where you took them too.

One example shown off during the I/O keynote was asking for your car’s license plate – instead of just showing a bunch of random cars, it knows which car appears most often in your library, and which one is most often seen parked at your home. It also gives you a text summary as well as the images.

Other examples include asking for a timeline of your child’s birthday party themes over the years, with a descriptive list along with the images themselves, and when your child had their first swimming lesson.

Google photos has been around for nine years now, and today sees six billion photo and video uploads every twenty-four hours. That’s a whole lot of data to train Gemini’s face and object detection algorithms. In terms of search accuracy, Google reckons Gemini will nail even the most complex of search queries.

Ask Photos is set to roll out later in 2024. It will work for videos as well as photos, with text and voice input options. It should be integrated into Google Photos, rather than its own separate app.

Right now it’s unclear if you’ll need a Google One subscription; features like Magic Eraser and Magic Editor were initially limited to subscribers only, before Google made them free to all users.

• Related: Best AI phones – which smartphone has the best AI features?

Introduction

Huawei’s Watch Fit wearables always felt a little too close to its more basic fitness bands. Once the firm started going super-high end with its circular smartwatches, that gulf only got bigger. That all changed in 2024. The Huawei Watch Fit 3 swaps a rectangular screen for a square one, in a move that’ll have Apple Watch SE owners doing a double-take.

A bigger battery and more advanced fitness tracking then look to raise its profile from humble fitness tracker to fully-fledged smartwatch, for those who like the modern look over a more traditional timepiece. Yet pricing has barely changed, starting at £140/€159 in the UK and Europe.

Does that take the Watch Fit from a Fitbit rival to a true Apple Watch alternative?

Design & build: flat packed

The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is thinner and lighter than either a Fitbit Versa 4 or an Apple Watch SE 2, at just 26g for the watch body and only 9.9mm at its thickest point. It looked especially svelte on my wrist, but not to the point it looked ridiculous. I maintain Google should’ve sold the Pixel Watch 2 in multiple sizes in order to appease those with wrists like mine, but the single 43x36mm case option seen here looks spot on.

The Watch Fit 3 gets a matte aluminium body, with straight sides and softly curved corners. It gives me real iPhone vibes, at a time Apple is still all-in on bulbous proportions for its non-Ultra watches. It feels like a higher-end watch than the price suggests.

The whole thing is 5ATM waterproof, so can be worn in the swimming pool as well as the shower; rain never caused me any concerns throughout my testing.

There are a bunch of case colour and watch strap combinations to choose from. My review unit was green, with a green fluoroelastomer plastic strap; it’ll set you back £140/€159, as will the Black, Pink and Moon White models, and the Grey version that comes with a nylon strap. There’s also a Pearl White model with a leather strap, which costs £160/€179. If you like your tech to make a statement, I’d suggest the Pearl White version, which gets a gold finish. The Moon White and Grey versions are a bit more subtle, with a splash of red on the digital crown giving them more wrist presence than the rest of the line-up.

The rotating crown is as satisfying to twist as all smartwatch crowns are, with a continuous motion rather than distinct ratcheted notches. It works brilliantly for scrolling through app screens. The other side button proved handy for quickly activating fitness tracking.

Huawei has gone for proprietary strap connectors here, with release mechanisms built into the body of the watch. There’ll be an accessory to use standard watch straps if you prefer those, but at the time of writing I couldn’t find it for sale on the Huawei website. The mechanism just takes a push to unlock each strap – no tools required – and holds the bands in place firmly. My review unit’s fluoroelastomer strap held up well after several weeks of testing, showing no permanent marks or damage, though personally I’d prefer the nylon strap for 24/7 wear.

Screen: sharp looking

The move to a square screen was, I think, a smart one. The outgoing Watch Fit 2’s rectangular display could look a little out of proportion on smaller wrists, but the 1.82in AMOLED used here will suit all sizes. It’s shorter yet wider, and with skinnier screen bezels that embarrass the Google Pixel Watch 2.

The 2.5D glass is beyond subtle, curving into the metal frame but otherwise feeling like a flat panel. The frame hopefully puts enough distance between it and anything you might bash the watch into to prevent (or at least minimise) any damage. The few accidental knocks I managed throughout my testing left it no worse for wear.

The 60Hz AMOLED panel looks sharp, bright and colourful enough for a smartwatch. Huawei claims of a peak 1500nits brightness; I couldn’t confirm that exact figure, but had no trouble seeing the watch face clearly when outside on particularly sunny days.

There’s an always-on display mode, which the watch warns you could slice battery life in half if you enable it. It wasn’t quite that impactful in my testing, but definitely meant I spent more time tethered to mains power than when I stuck with the usual ‘raise to wake’ and ‘tap to wake’ gestures. That said, I like that the plentiful selection of watch faces almost all had always-on modes.

Software experience: in perfect harmony

Huawei has overhauled the Watch Fit interface into a square-ified version of the HarmonyOS software found on its other watches. It’s simpler, with more colour and a card-based layout that’ll feel familiar to WearOS and Apple Watch owners. You swipe sideways for different cards, up for unread notifications, and down for the quick settings screen.

It’ll pair with iOS and Android devices, though the latter is limited by Huawei’s banishment from the Play store. You’ll have to sideload it, either directly from the firm’s website or its AppGallery. The Health App is coming to Samsung’s Galaxy Store, at least, which will make it easier for Galaxy owners to get on board – though at the time of writing it hadn’t shown up yet. Once you do, you won’t find much in the way of third-party app support.

The UI felt instantly familiar, with the same icons I’ve seen on other Huawei watches. The feature list is similar, too, with Bluetooth calling via your phone, SMS and third-party chat app replies from your wrist using canned responses, and even a flashlight app that can cycle between different colours. Apparently it’s one to bring out at nightclubs and music festivals.

Naturally it’s fitness where things are most comprehensive, with over 100 different sports and activities available for tracking using Huawei’s TruSeen 5.5 sensor. This can track SpO2 and heart rate, as well as sleep tracking and womens’ cycle tracking. I like that only a bunch of sports are shown by default, so you don’t have to scroll through a bunch of obscure ones to find Swimming or Tennis. Guided fitness animations also now show you how to perform warm up stretches across seven different workouts, and the watch can broadcast your heart rate to supported fitness equipment – though I didn’t make it to a gym during testing to confirm which brands.

New additions include contextual suggestions, such as “it’s hot, maybe exercise inside today” or “you’re falling behind, maybe lower your intensity”, and an AI running plan. This has an in-run pace setter, predicts times for various disciplines based on your prior performance, and even has a precision track lane mode for accurate splits when on a purpose-built surface. I’m not much of a runner, usually sticking to a couch-to-5K podcast when I do put my trainers on, so can’t say whether this will make a big difference to anyone who regularly chases personal bests at park runs – but the way the UI changes colour to represent heart rate zones is definitely appreciated.

Getting a GPS connection wasn’t the quickest, but once locked the routes I recorded were on par with a much more expensive Polar running watch. Heart rate and sleep tracking were also a very close match too, which to me says you’re getting excellent health and exercise records with one of these on your wrist.

Performance & battery life: week-long warrior

Huawei doesn’t make a big song and dance about the chipset, memory and storage of its wearables. I can sort-of understand the first two; as long as the UI feels responsive and you’re not left waiting for apps to open, it shouldn’t matter whether there’s own-brand silicon or an off-the-shelf CPU inside. The firm’s knack for battery life that’s five times longer than the average WearOS watch is a big clue it’s doing things its own way, rather than tapping up Qualcomm for anything from the Snapdragon Wear line-up.

Keeping storage a secret makes less sense when one of this watch’s selling points is local music playback through a pair of Bluetooth earphones. There’s no clue to be found in the Settings screen, or the companion app. It was only when I tried to add a big batch of MP3s I got a warning saying the watch only had 1520MB of available capacity.

At least the interface was responsive, opening apps at a decent lick, and reacting quickly to swipes and taps. Which is pretty much all you can ask from a fitness watch on the performance front.

Battery life is what separates the Watch Fit 2 from other smartwatches. The 400mAh cell inside is good for a comfortable 10 days of ‘typical’ use, which for me meant a few exercise sessions a week, a decent amount of incoming notifications from my paired smartphone, and 24/7 fitness monitoring. If you think nothing of a daily 10k, with location and heart-rate tracking, you’ll need to plug in sooner than a once-a-week gym visitor. Still, that’s a league ahead of either the latest Apple Watch SE or almost any WearOS watch.

The charging cable uses a proprietary connector with magnetic pins, but name me a wearable not made by Apple or Samsung that isn’t these days. Huawei says a 10 minute refuel is enough for a full day of use, and that largely bore out in my testing.

Huawei Watch Fit 3 verdict

Previous Huawei Watch Fits were unmistakably value-focused fitness trackers. They could track plenty of sports, lasted a long stretch between charges, and had sharp screens – but the sizes didn’t suit all wrists, and the materials quality was a step behind the firm’s more traditionally styled smartwatches. The Watch Fit 3 addresses that.

It looks and feels like a more expensive model, even though pricing hasn’t actually gone up compared to the previous generation. Any square-faced smartwatch risks inevitable comparisons to the Apple Watch, but Huawei has sidestepped that neatly with flat glass and an angular body.

I still have reservations about the companion app, which remains a faff to get running on Android phones, and the proprietary strap mechanism is an extra step for anyone who likes to regularly change their bands. But there’s otherwise enough sporting pedigree that square-faced smartwatch fans should definitely give it a sniff.

Huawei Watch Fit 3 technical specifications

The trouble is, there are thousands of handsets out there from budget to super-premium, and every entry on our best smartphones list promises to provide a great camera experience. The reality, of course, is that not all smartphones are made equal, especially when it comes to camera performance. In fact, with so many similar handsets out there, a smartphone’s camera is one of the main differentiating factors between them.

With all that said, we’ve rounded up some of the best top-tier smartphone cameras for photography currently available, based on years of expertise. If you’re after the best cameraphone, look no further than this lot…

What are the best camera phones?

Before we crack on with the full list, here’s a look at our four top choices:

The best camera phones you can buy today:

1. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

With a 50MP main snapper, 10MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide, the Galaxy S24’s cameras are effectively now three years old. The lead camera keeps its f/1.8 aperture lens, dual pixel autofocus tech and optical image stabilisation; the 3x optical zoom telephoto tops out at f/2.4, with PDAF and OIS; and the ultrawide sticks with f/2.2 glass. The exact same setup first appeared on the Galaxy S22.

Samsung claims the S24 Ultra’s shooting experience is unique thanks to an imaging NPU (neural processing unit) — and our review confirms it. This is the best Samsung smartphone camera experience to date, and one of the best money can currently buy.

It’s almost a given that shots in both bright and dark conditions are excellent, with the combination of Samsung’s software and hardware managing to turn day into night with apparent ease. Where the S24 Ultra really stands out though, is its sheer flexibility, thanks to that incredibly generous 10x optical zoom, made possible by its periscope camera setup. It’s so good, in fact, that we even managed to capture a detailed shot of the moon at 85x zoom, which is a feat no other smartphone on this list can come close to matching.

Its superb all-around performance, coupled with extra tricks like an amazing zoom, places the S24 Ultra among the best smartphones for photography in any situation.

• Read more: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review

2. Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google hasn’t quite given up all pretences of the Pro-grade Pixel being an ‘affordable’ flagship, but the Pixel 8 Pro’s price hike certainly pushes it further into premium territory than ever before. It brings suitably high-end styling, an exceptionally bright OLED display and a Tensor G3 processor that promises on-device generational AI wallpapers (among other machine-learning skills).

It’s the rear camera trio that continues to set the Pixel 8 Pro apart, though. The 50MP main sensor takes astonishingly clean and detailed snaps in almost all lighting conditions, the ultrawide lens has improved macro focusing abilities for extreme close-ups, and the 48MP telephoto uses a periscope lens to deliver genuinely impressive 5x optical zoom. Add in the AI-assisted Best Take and Magic Editor tools, which let you swap faces and move subjects around the frame after you’ve tapped the shutter button, and there’s little else like it on the market right now.

• Read more: Google Pixel 8 Pro review

3. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Apple’s iPhone cameras have been top-notch for years, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is no exception, bringing with it a couple of key improvements that make it one of the best smartphone cameras in the world right now. A triple-camera affair made up of wide, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses, it has the show-stealing 48MP seen on last year’s top-tier model. The result is even clearer images with accurate colours and lighting, with an improvement in low-light photography to boot.

The biggest improvement for the Pro Max is a new periscope telephoto lens, which provides 5x optical zoom abilities up there with the very best smartphones. Elsewhere, you’ll find Apple’s Photonic Engine which has been upgraded to work even better software magic to improve shots in mid and low-light settings.

Ultimately, this is easily the best cameraphone Apple has ever made. If you want to sacrifice a little battery life and screen size then you can also snap up the cheaper iPhone 15 Pro, which shares most of the same camera features as its Max brother – you just have to make do with a 3x zoom lens instead.

• Read more: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review

4. Xiaomi 14 Ultra

Xiaomi isn’t the only smartphone maker to have squeezed in a 1in camera sensor into its latest top-tier model – but it is the only one that’ll officially sell you a photography kit to make the most of it. The official case/camera grip combo are a must-buy, adding a physical shutter button, zoom lever and exposure controls as well as a handy portable power bank.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s three other rear cameras are stunners too, with dedicated lenses for 3.2x portraits and 5x telephoto shots, and an ultrawide expanding your horizons. Leica-backed image processing makes every shot distinctive, in any lighting condition. Little else comes close for detail at a distance, or convincing depth blur.

It’s a fantastic phone everywhere else, with a vegan leather finish, high refresh rate OLED display, whip-crack quick Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU and a reasonably beefy battery – though rivals do manage to make their cells last a little longer between top-ups. It’s a premium device, and carries a premium price, but phone photographers should see it as a price worth paying.

• Read more: Xiaomi 14 Ultra review

5. Google Pixel 7a

Google has taken the Pixel 7a a bit more upmarket than previous A-series models, with features borrowed wholesale from the pricier Pixel 7. Its 64MP main camera sensor is bespoke, but the pixel-binning smarts used to improve low-light shots are very much in keeping. Combined with the firm’s typically excellent software, it’s one of the best bang-for-buck photography experiences around.

Powerful algorithms squeeze the most out of dual snappers. Shots from both cameras are stuffed with detail, wonderfully exposed, with no hint of unsightly noise, and they perform well in dim conditions too. Autofocus is quick, and auto HDR does a brilliant job of exposing bright skies without losing detail in shadows. Skin tones are impressive as well, with Google using a dedicated Real Tone algorithm for more accurate results.

There’s no dedicated telephoto (aka, zoom) camera, which is to be expected at this price, but considering you still get the same software tricks found in the more expensive Pixel 7 Pro (like Magic Eraser), it’s hard to complain. Easily one of the best cameraphones around for the money you’re paying.

• Read more: Google Pixel 7a review

6. Sony Xperia 1 VI

Sony’s mobile division usually does things its own way, but 2024 saw it finally let 21:9 aspect ratios and 4K resolution panels go in favour of a more mainstream display. A 19.5:9 OLED with a Full HD+ pixel count is still worth getting excited about, thanks to a 1-120Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate and a much higher peak brightness. It does wonders for battery life, making this is true two day phone for most users.

The Xperia 1 VI keeps its predecessor’s 52MP lead camera sensor and twin 12MP shooters – one ultrawide and one variable zoom telephoto. This time around zoom tops out at 7.1x (up from 5.2x), letting you get much closer to your subject before digital trickery comes into play. Fast focusing and high burst speeds continue to set it apart from rivals, too.

As expected from Sony handsets, you’ll get the very best out of its cameras when using the Pro mode, tweaking settings until you reach some seriously impressive results. This year’s auto mode is a lot more accomplished, though, so point-and-shoot photographers are also well served.

• Read more: Sony Xperia 1 VI review

What to look for when choosing the best camera phone

If you’re choosing a smartphone based solely on its picture-taking abilities, there are several different things you’ll have to consider compared to choosing a regular smartphone.

One of the primary specifications to look at is the resolution of its cameras. Higher-megapixel cameras generally result in clearer and more detailed images. However, it’s essential to remember that the megapixel count isn’t the sole determinant of image quality. Other factors, such as sensor size and image processing capabilities, also significantly impact the final image.

Larger sensors can capture more light and detail, resulting in better image quality, especially in challenging lighting conditions. Therefore, when comparing camera phones, opting for devices with larger image sensors can lead to improved overall performance and image quality.

And advanced computational photography features (such as those found on the Google Pixel phones) can significantly enhance photos by optimizing exposure, colour accuracy, and dynamic range.

So, if you want to make sure you’re buying a good camera phone, look at the same images we take in our reviews, rather than just basing your decision off of specs.

You’ll also want to consider the lens system on the phone you’re considering. Most phones have a wide-angle camera for general snaps, but many an joined by an additional lens and sensor. Some have an ultra-wide angle lens, which is great for landscape photography, while others opt for a telephoto (zoom) lens which is useful for getting up close to the action, some premium phones even have all three!

Getting technical now, the aperture size affects how much light the lens can gather. Typically measured in f-stop numbers, a lower f-stop indicates a wider aperture, allowing more light to enter the lens. A wider aperture is advantageous for low-light photography and achieving shallow depth-of-field effects, where the subject is sharp while the background is blurred. Now, although the aperture size is important when choosing a ‘proper’ camera lens, it’s not as important when choosing a smartphone camera where the impact on the image isn’t as pronounced as it is in traditional photography.

Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), however, is an important feature to look for in a camera phone. OIS helps reduce blurriness caused by hand movements while taking photos or recording videos. This feature is particularly valuable in low-light situations or when shooting videos without a tripod.

Modern camera phones offer a variety of features and shooting modes to enhance the photography experience. In my opinion, the three key ones to look out for are High Dynamic Range (HDR) for better exposure in high-contrast scenes, portrait mode for professional-looking portraits with blurred backgrounds and night mode for improved low-light performance.

For those who frequently shoot videos with their phones, it’s essential to consider the video recording capabilities as well. Factors such as resolution (you’ll want to record 4K footage for the best detail), frame rate, and the availability of stabilization features should be taken into account.

Finally, don’t overlook the front-facing camera, as getting a good selfie is important as well. Look for the same specifications previously mentioned, as well as any selfie-specific modes or enhancements offered by the phone. A good front camera should ensure clear and flattering self-portraits and video calls.

From likely launches and rumoured reveals to confirmed releases, all the models listed below will keep your smartphone knowledge well ahead of the curve. We’ve also summarised the major smartphone announcements from recent months, with links to our reviews of the big hitters. Our regularly updated list has all the best upcoming phones we expect to see.

Here’s our guide to the best upcoming phones set to land soon.

• Related: Our guide to the best smartphones available right now

All the best upcoming phones we’re expecting soon

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 / Flip 6

With the Galaxy S24 series arriving in January 2024, a month earlier than Samsung typically like to launch its mainstream models, there was every chance the next-gen Fold and Flip folding phones would land a little sooner than anticipated too. The latest rumour has an Unpacked event being held in Paris on July 10 – two weeks earlier in the year than the previous generation.

Both devices are most certainly in the works, with leaks suggesting a tweaked design for the former that will more closely match the angular Galaxy S24 Ultra. An Ultra variant is also expected, splitting the Fold line into ‘expensive’ and ‘very expensive’. The Flip will stay standalone, if the leaks are accurate.

Camera fans may be disappointed to hear rumours are pointing to an unchanged set of sensors, while performance will surely come courtesy of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU. The Fold will hopefully be shorter and wider than its predecessor, which was still on the skinny side compared to other book-style phones. The Flip will surely see fewer styling changes, as Samsung only debuted that oversized cover screen with last year’s Z Flip 5.

• Read more: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 preview: everything we know so far

Apple iPhone 16 series

The one every Apple fan will be waiting for. The iPhone 16 line-up will almost certainly be revealed in early September 2024. The two Pro models are looking set to receive larger 6.3in and 6.9in screens and a dedicated “capture” button for content creators. The action button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro, will also filter down to the standard iPhones.

A new generation of Apple silicon seems likely, as does a new version of iOS. Apple is apparently also going to go big on AI this year – just like the rest of the phone world. We’re also hoping the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x telephoto lens makes its way down to the more palm-friendly iPhone 16 Pro.

September feels like a long way off right now, though. The iPhone 15 line-up is as good as it gets in Apple land today:

• Read more: Apple iPhone 16: what upgraded features will appear in 2024?

Google Pixel 9 series

It’s inevitable Google will introduce a new Pixel generation in 2024 – but the rumours suggest there’ll be three Pixel 9 handsets rather than two. The Pixel 9 Pro will shrink down a little, to make room for a larger Pixel 9 Pro XL – reviving a naming scheme Google hasn’t used for several years now. The Pixel 9 will be a more mainstream offering, as is tradition.

New designs with reshaped camera bars are mooted, as is a new Tensor G4 chipset. We have our fingers crossed that Qi2 charging will also make the cut. Camera hardware seems unlikely to get a big overhaul this generation – Google usually goes two years between sensor swaps – but expect the usual range of software tweaks and algorithm upgrades to keep it competitive.

Until the Pixel 9 series arrives, most likely in September, the Pixel 8 Pro remains one of our favourite smartphones. It takes stunning photos, has plenty of clever AI enhancements, and has the slickest design of any Pixel to date.

• Related: Google Pixel 9 preview – specs, release date and all we know

Apple iPhone SE 4

The most affordable iPhone has been stuck in the past for multiple generations now, but that could be set to change for the fourth SE iteration. Leaks have it picking up styling similar to the iPhone 14 series, with flat sides and a 6.1in OLED screen up front. Apparently it’ll stick with a single camera at the rear, but bump the sensor’s pixel count up to 48MP – matching the iPhone 15.

Expect a notch instead of a Dynamic Island pill, and a traditional alert slider rather than an Action button. We’re almost certainly going to see USB-C connectivity instead of Lightning, too, on account of European rulings that would otherwise prevent Apple from selling it here. Whether the firm will raise the price to account for all that new hardware remains to be seen.

Apple usually introduces iPhone SE models in March. That didn’t happen in 2024, so either the next SE will wait until 2025, or launch alongside the iPhone 16 generation – which is widely expected to land in September. In the meantime, the current SE remains the cheapest way into iOS without shopping second-hand:

• Related: Apple iPhone SE (4th gen) specs and rumors latest – will it appear in 2024?

Google Pixel Fold 2

As much as the Pixel Fold was an exciting introduction to foldable phones from Google, it also felt very much like a first effort device. The bezels were chunky, performance was merely OK, and stamina wasn’t very impressive. But it did deliver some fantastic rear cameras, and had a very well optimised version of Android for dual-screen setups. Google is widely expected to change the form factor for Pixel Fold 2, going taller and narrower than before to more closely match folding rivals.

Another big design change should be the rear camera module, which will swap from a device-spanning bar to a pill shape contained to one corner. A bigger capacity battery and newer generation Tensor CPU is also on the cards, but it’s unknown whether the cameras will see any serious upgrades.

An annual upgrade would see the Fold 2 make its debut at Google’s I/O event in May, but the latest rumours suggest it’ll now wait for the Pixel 9 series later in the year – and be in for a name change, too. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold sounds like a mouthful to us, but Google has done stranger things in the past…

If you can’t wait that long, the original Pixel Fold is still doing the rounds – and for less than retail price.

• Related: Google Pixel Fold 2 preview – everything we know so far

• Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Plus: Makes the switch to USB-C and brings Dynamic Island smarts from last year’s Pro models.
• Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max: Titanium construction and fantastic camera zoom abilities make this the best iPhone yet.
• Asus Zenfone 10: Still flying the flag for small phones, with very capable cameras and powerful internals
• Google Pixel 7a: Hard to beat for photographic ability, given the price. A great affordable all-rounder everywhere else.
• Google Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8: the benchmark for Android phone photography, now with AI assistance and premium build quality.
• Google Pixel Fold: Google’s first attempt at a foldable gets a lot right, but leaves room for improvement.
• Honor Magic V2: Takes the title of slimmest book-style foldable phone, and doesn’t disappoint elsewhere either in terms of hardware. Rivals do multitasking better, though.
• Huawei P60 Pro: Seriously clever camera hardware suited to all lighting conditions, but the usual Huawei software stumbles
• Motorola Edge 40 Pro: The definition of a ‘mainstream flagship’ phone gets plenty right, including the price.
• Motorola Razr 40 Ultra / Razr+: Moto continues to iterate its foldables, now with options to suit different budgets.
• Nothing Phone 2: It’s only Nothing’s second handset, but Phone 2 bests many longer-running rivals for streamlined software.
• Oppo Find X7 Ultra: Hands down one of the best cameraphones around right now – but it sadly only got a Chinese release
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: A much more usable cover screen makes this our favourite clamshell phone to date.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: A brilliant book-style foldable that improves on a familiar formula
• Sony Xperia 1 V: The best of Sony in a smartphone, with a strong focus on creative content. Takes a fab photo.
• Sony Xperia 5 V: A more mainstream Xperia with perfectly potent hardware and all of Sony’s familiar features.

If you could grow gadgets, the MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Stand is what I imagine would sprout from a Qi charging pad. Two spindly, sapling-like arms emerge from satisfyingly minimalist base; the larger of the two can refuel your Qi2 or MagSafe-compatible iPhone at a full 15W, while the other is dedicated to your Apple Watch. It has MFW certification, meaning an Apple Watch Series 9 can reach a 48% top-up in just half an hour.

The base can then charge your AirPods or other earbuds with wireless charging support. The rubber coating ensures your gadgets stay on the charging sweet spot instead of slipping around.

Anker sticks a 40W USB-C PD power adapter in the box, which is enough to simultaneously top up all three gadgets at maximum speed. The firm’s ActiveShield tech then monitors temperatures more than 3m times a day to prevent overheating.

The 3-in-1 Stand is available in black or white, for £90 directly from Anker or via Amazon. Suffice to say I’m gutted I can’t use it with my Android phone (at least not without sticking it inside an ugly case first), and that my non-Apple smartwatch won’t play nicely with it either.

It went on sale alongside the MagGo Wireless Charging Station 3-in-1 Pad, a more portable alternative that can be taken on the move as well as taking up permanent residence on your bedside table.

Adjustable modules let you angle your phone from 90° to 180°, in case you want to use Apple’s StandBy mode to turn your phone into a smart alarm clock, or have your Apple Watch’s screen in view from the bed.

It promises the same speedy charging for multiple gadgets at once, with Qi2 support for 15W phone refuelling, and includes a 40W USB-C PD power adapter. The same non-Apple caveats apply here too, although it is at least easier to lay your phone down on the charging pad when it’s folded flat.

Expect to pay £100 for the 3-in-1 Pad, either directly from Anker or from Amazon. Given they can only use two of the three charging points I’m not convinced Android owners should be queueing around the block for one – but Apple converts should definitely get in line.

This isn’t the first time Anker’s chargers have left me wishing Android’s Qi2 future would hurry up and arrive already: back in February I called the MagGo Qi2 power bank a “must-have even for non-iPhone owners”. Qi2 was made official in 2023, and while compatible chargers are now coming thick and fast, it’s still only Apple with the magnetic wireless charging tech inside its phones.

• Related: This is the future of wireless charging, and it turns any surface into a charger

Introduction

CSC converts have plenty of reasons to flock to Fuji mirrorless cameras – but the firm has also managed to lure smartphone snappers with its extensive collection of Film Simulations. The Fujifilm X-T50 is the first system camera to put them front-and-centre, with their own dedicated dial.

It’s smaller and lighter than the flagship Fujifilm X-T5, yet has the same 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor and X-Processor 5 image processor. In-body image stabilisation is new for the X-Txx series, but battery life matches that of the outgoing X-T30 II. Autofocus has also taken a big step up from that model.

So, however, has the price. The X-T50 is going on sale from June 17 for $1399 / £1299 / €1499 body-only, or $1799/£1649/€1899 with Fuji’s new 16-50mm kit lens. That’s a big jump from the X-T30 II, which launched at $899/£749 body-only – and remains on sale as the unofficial ‘entry-level’ X-series. I spent a few days testing the X-T50 out in a range of lighting conditions, to see how it stacks up – and whether those film simulations are worth the outlay.

Design & build: smaller, similar

The Fujifilm X-T50 has the firm’s familiar layout, with a modest hand grip and distinctive top plate filled with control dials. You get three, plus two customisable command dials within easy reach of your right thumb and index finger. The dials are single-stacked here, instead of the double-stacks seen on the firm’s pricier models. The new film simulation dial takes pride of place on the left side.

At the rear, X-T30 veterans will find most of the buttons are that little bit larger now. They stick out a bit further too, which makes them easier to find and press while wearing gloves. The touchscreen LCD tilts in two directions for high- and low-angle shooting, but it doesn’t flip out for vlogging – or rotate inwards to protect the LCD while the camera is in a bag.

You won’t find a dedicated video recording button anywhere on the camera either, highlighting Fuji’s thinking that it will mostly appeal to stills snappers. A 3.5mm microphone input and micro HDMI out means it can get the job done, of course, but 3.5mm headphone monitoring has to be done via a USB-C adapter.

You can pick up an X-T50 in black, silver, or charcoal silver colours; I thought the latter struck a great balance between the subdued black and more retro-tastic silver. It’s smaller than the X-T5 in every dimension, and at just 438g without a lens, this is a wonderfully compact system camera. I had no trouble slinging it over my shoulder for a day of shooting, even with a sizeable zoom lens bolted on. Pancake lenses won’t give you much to grip onto, though, so a strap – either the freebie included in the box or a third-party one – would be a wise investment.

This isn’t a weather-sealed camera; for rain protection you’ll need to step up to the X-T5, although that’s only a concern if you’re willing to get wet to get your shot.

Features & battery life: life’s a simulation

The new film simulation dial replaces the X-T30 II’s Drive dial, with drive modes being relegated to a button on the rear of the camera. Personally I think this is a great move; it’s the same setup I have on my personal camera (a Fujifilm X-S20), albeit without the useful icons to represent the various simulation options.

Here you can quickly scroll through seven different colour treatments (eight if you also count the standard Provia recipe), configure a further three FS presets, and assign a single Custom mode. There’s currently no way to assign your own custom-recipes to the three FS stops, though. Fuji’s newest simulation, Reala Ace, is of course present and correct, with twenty total to choose from.

I also like the Auto lever built into the shutter speed dial; Fuji knows many X-T50 customers aren’t always going to want to set up their shots manually, just pick a film simulation and press the shutter button – flicking this lever is a fast way to do that. It was the same on the X-T30 II, of course, but I think is even more relevant now.

There’s just a single SD card slot at the bottom of the camera, inside the battery compartment. For on-the-fly backups, you’ll need to use Fuji’s X-App smartphone companion app, via the X-T50’s built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections.

You’ll also want a speedy UHS-II type card for shooting RAW+JPEG bursts, or high resolution video. It can do 4K/60p in-camera, and with an external recorder connected it can manage oversampled 6K/30p footage in 10-bit, 4:2:2 RAW. Just keep in mind clip length is also thermally limited; with no external cooling fan accessory, it will do 60 minutes at 25 degrees, or just ten minutes in 40 degree heat.

Fuji says the X-T50 can last around 390 shots between charges – which is on par with the X-T30 II, despite the new camera gaining in-body stabilisation. That largely bore out in my initial testing, with performance mode and keeping the LCD on information draining a cell in four hours of continuous use.

Performance: X marks the spot

The X-T5 might maintain its position as Fuji’s flagship X-series CSC, but the X-T50 is a very close second place. Its X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor and X-Processor 5 combo up for an impressive base ISO of 125, allow for 180,000sec shutter speeds, and can also manage 8fps burst shooting with a mechanical shutter. Sports photographers will probably demand more, but I found it was plenty fast enough during a safari park walk-around, freezing animals that refused to sit still in brilliant sharpness.

That was partly down to the excellent autofocus system (there are 50% more phase-detection autofocus points here than you got on the X-T30 II) and partly Fuji’s eerily accurate animal subject detection. Even through chainlink fences, it could pick out moving monkeys, bears and deer, and would work in conjunction with the eye autofocus mode.

It helped that the 2.36million dot OLED electronic viewfinder was up to Fuji’s usual high standard, with a quick 100Hz refresh rate ensuring I didn’t miss any key moments. It’s not as high resolution as the X-T5’s, but there’s still plenty of detail on display.

The in-body image stabilisation made the biggest difference when shooting from a moving 4×4; even at extreme zoom ranges, the seven stops of stabilisation meant I got more usable snaps than I did duds. This alone is reason enough to consider the X-T50 over the cheaper X-T30 II, as far as I’m concerned. That it doesn’t harm battery life compared to the previous generation is a slam-dunk.

Image quality: animal magic

On paper, the X-T50 should deliver identical image quality to the fantastic X-T5; both have the same sensor and image processor, after all. That absolutely bore out in my testing, which was done with a mix of glass including the new XF16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 lens, which will be going on sale separately at the same time as the camera for $699/£699. And while I appreciate the huge 150-300mm f/5.6 is unlikely to be an X-T50 owner’s first lens purchase (it’ll set you back £1900), it let the sensor shine for wildlife photography.

The above samples have been resized from their original resolution, but show Fuji’s colour science is as retina-pleasing as ever. Noise is well maintained as ISO levels creep up and light levels drop, and sharpness is on point across the frame. As APS-C sensors go, it copes brilliantly in darker environments. JPEGs show plenty of dynamic range with ample shadow detail, while RAWs leave lots of picture information for further off-camera processing.

With film simulations being so easy to switch between, I used them more than I might’ve done with an X-T5 in my hands. Reala Ace, Nostalgic Negative and Eterna were already some of my go-to’s, and they worked to brilliant effect here as the sun began to set. Photographers that scoff at the thought of ‘digital filters’ need to get with the times; there’s a lot more nuance here than anything you’ll find on Instagram.

Fujifilm X-T50 initial verdict

After only a few days, I’m not yet ready to give a final review score – but first impressions are the Fujifilm X-T50 might be the new X-series sweet spot for a lot of photographers. Ones that think a fixed-lens camera like the X100 VI will be a little limiting, and who think the flagship X-T5 too far out of their price range – even if recent price drops mean there’s not as much clear air between the two as you might expect.

Yes, it’s costlier than its predecessor – but the X-T50 is so much more accomplished, courtesy of a higher resolution sensor, faster processor and in-body image stabilisation. The film simulation dial is also a welcome addition, putting one of the firm’s most popular features in easier reach. For quickly giving your photos dramatically different colour treatments, in-camera, nothing else comes close.

Fujifilm X-T50 technical specifications