What’s more important, camera hardware or software?

Smartphone cameras have come a long way since the late 2000s, with today’s devices delivering fantastic low-light results, detailed and seamless HDR footage, and high-definition video. This is generally due to the fact that both hardware and software are being greatly improved.

Which one is more important, however? Does hardware play a bigger role in getting great results from your smartphone camera? Or does software play a more important role? That’s what we’re asking you today, so give us your opinion on the survey below.

There are many components that make up the camera hardware, such as lenses, the camera sensor itself, and optical image stabilization (OIS). But we’ve already seen companies with great hardware being hampered by disappointing software like OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Sony’s older devices.

The camera software also plays an important role in determining how an image is captured and processed. This can be the differentiating factor when comparing two devices with almost identical camera hardware specifications.

Google is probably the most famous example of great camera software, but the company has been combining this software with average hardware for a few years now. Former Android authority Reviewer David Imel noted in his Pixel 5 review that the latest Google flagship was suffering when it came to capturing busy scenes or detailed subjects, and said it was because of the smaller, older sensor. We’ve also seen some brands skip hardware features like OIS, which also resulted in decreased image quality.

What is actually more important? Let us know via the poll above and leave a comment if you have more on your mind.