Have Smartphones Replaced Standalone Cameras?

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Remember the days of carrying around your phone and a separate camera? It can seem like a distant memory since now more and more of us use our smartphone as our primary camera.

If your phone has replaced your camera, you’re not alone. Smartphone manufacturers have taken notice and with each new release they make sure the camera inside the phone is as advanced as ever.

Take the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, which hit the market last week. The line boasts Apple’s most advanced camera capabilities to date. And for many, this was the feature they were most excited about.

Capturing Our Camera Habits

To better understand more about how we snap pics these days, we asked a group of smartphone users about the camera in their device. The responses were fascinating. We found that:

  • 86% of smartphone owners say that their smartphone camera is the primary way they take photos and videos
  • 80% of smartphone owners say their smartphone camera has replaced the need to have a separate digital camera
  • 48% of smartphone owners use their smartphone’s camera to take photos or videos at least 1 time per day and 10% take photos and videos more than 8 times per day
  • 73% of smartphone owners say they use their back-facing (“regular”) smartphone camera most often, compared to 27% who use their front-facing (“selfie”) camera most often
  • 3 out of 5 smartphone owners (61%) have less than 1,000 photos on their camera roll
  • Only 10% have 4,000 or more photos on their camera roll

For the vast majority of us, our phone has replaced our camera. And according to the survey, half of respondents take a photo or video every single day. Clearly, the cameras inside our phones are important.

How Durable Are Our Devices?

But we wondered how durable these new phones and their meaningful cameras really are. You can buy a hard case, lens case, heavy-duty bag and more for your standalone camera. But most often than not, we carry our smartphones in our pocket or bag maybe with a thin, plastic case. So, let’s just say they don’t generally have as much protection as a separate camera.

To test for durability, Allstate Protection Plans put the new iPhone 12 range, along with the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Google Pixel 5 series, through its breakability test. Check out the Allstate breakability video to see how tough the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro really are.

Spoiler alert: if you’re one of the many for whom their smartphone is their camera, keep snapping away—just make sure you protect it.