Top 3 Camera Phones of 2006

Camera phones of yesteryear were almost only a gimmick, giving you web cam quality pictures that were probably only good to use as phone wallpapers and caller ID photos, but 2006 saw a huge leap in the quality of cameras built into mobile phones. Samsung has already reached 10 megapixels and Nokia is catching up with the 5 megapixel N95, but those won't be available in India for quite some time. Here's what you can choose from.

Sony Ericsson K790i CyberShot (Rs. 18,000)
What makes the K790i better is not the fact that it uses Sony's expertise in digital cameras to incorporate one of the best 3.15 megapixel sensors, but the fact that it comes with a real xenon flash that is used in real digital cameras. This earns it the CyberShot title, and also a place in our top 3 camera phones list for 2006.

Nokia N73 (Rs. 22,500)
Nokia's contender with a 3.2 megapixel sensor secures a second place in the list. It mainly loses out to the K790i due to the flash, but the overall quality of the N73 is one of the best in the market. We had a choice between the N73 and the N93, but the latter's Rs. 32,000 plus price tag sealed the deal for the N73.

Samsung Ultra Edition 12.9 SGH-D900 (Rs. 20,900)
This is the slimmest camera phone in the market with a thinness of 12.9cm and a good quality 3.15 megapixel sensor. Once again, a basic LED flash, but for the looks and the sleekness of the device, it's a worthy option.

Even as higher megapixel camera phones come out the next year, these will drop in price to become great value 3+ megapixel camera phones, so you can keep this list handy the next time you go cam phone shopping. Go click.