MUMBAI: Motorola has claimed the top spot in DXOMARK’s 2026 smartphone camera rankings, with its motorola signature 27 securing an overall score of 173 and the testing company’s Gold Label Camera recognition. The device has been ranked No. 1 among smartphones introduced in 2026, outperforming other Android and iOS models, according to the company.
The recognition covers the phone’s photography and video capabilities, with DXOMARK highlighting its natural-looking images, versatile zoom and video performance across different shooting conditions.
The result follows an extensive imaging development and testing process involving Motorola’s camera engineers and DXOMARK teams in Paris. Motorola said its teams captured hundreds of thousands of photographs and hundreds of hours of video across varied lighting conditions, zoom ranges and everyday scenarios. The testing helped refine performance in areas including portraits, low-light photography, zoom and video capture.
“At Motorola, we believe that exceptional smartphone photography is about more than just advanced hardware. It is about enabling people to capture and relive their most meaningful moments with greater clarity and creativity. The motorola signature 27 being ranked by DXOMARK as having the world’s best camera system among smartphones introduced in 2026 is a significant milestone in our journey of innovation,” said Motorola India managing director TM Narasimhan.
He added that the recognition reflected the company’s investment in imaging technology and its collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies and DXOMARK.
Motorola director of engineering, camera design Matt Biggerstaff said the company had improved its DXOMARK rating by more than 70 points over five years, claiming this was more than twice the progress made by the industry’s best performers over the same period.
DXOMARK chief executive Frédéric Guichard said the partnership had enabled the two companies to work on testing methodologies, benchmarking and imaging evaluation. He noted that Motorola had made significant progress in camera capabilities and the overall imaging experience.
The motorola signature 27 features a four-camera system comprising a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA L910 main sensor, a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 50-megapixel autofocus front camera.
According to DXOMARK, the phone delivers balanced colours, natural brightness and clear details in everyday photography. Its portrait mode produces natural skin tones and well-defined facial features, while maintaining focus on subjects at different distances. The 3x telephoto camera is designed to deliver detailed images at medium distances, making it suitable for portraits.
The camera system also targets low-light photography, with the company highlighting well-exposed images, pleasing colours and reduced visible noise. In video, the device offers stable exposure, consistent colours and reliable autofocus when moving between different environments.
DXOMARK image quality expert Olympe Corblet said the phone’s portrait performance was a particular strength, with its processing keeping secondary subjects sharp in most situations. She also highlighted its zoom performance between 3x and 6x, and the stability of exposure and autofocus during video recording.
One of the phone’s key features is what Motorola describes as the world’s first dedicated EVS Action Sensor on a smartphone. Designed to detect movement at the hardware level, it works with the phone’s Action Shot setting to capture fast-moving subjects with greater sharpness and detail, including in low-light conditions. A burst-shot option, activated by a long press, allows users to capture a sequence of images.
The 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA L910 main camera incorporates Sony’s LOFIC technology, which Motorola says captures and processes more light at the hardware level. The company claims this delivers up to six times better HDR in video recordings, helping preserve details in bright highlights and darker areas. Multispectral technology also helps the sensor assess lighting conditions and improve colour accuracy.
The 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera supports up to 100x Super Zoom Pro. It also offers a 3x optical zoom option for portraits, while its high-resolution sensor allows users to crop and reframe images in Ultra Resolution mode. The portrait mode includes a 135mm focal-length option for a stronger background blur effect.
The 50-megapixel ultrawide camera offers a 122-degree field of view for landscapes, architecture and group photographs. Its macro capability allows close-up shots from a distance of 2.5cm. The 50-megapixel front camera includes autofocus and supports 4K video recording.
Motorola has combined its Video Enhancement Engine with Dolby Vision recording, LOFIC HDR technology, Qualcomm Electronic Image Stabilisation and 3.5-degree optical image stabilisation hardware. These features are designed to improve dynamic range, detail and footage stability.
The Video Enhancement Engine uses real-time processing to adjust colour, exposure, noise reduction and detail as each frame is captured. It is designed to adapt to changing lighting conditions, including high-contrast settings such as concerts, where bright stage lights and shifting colours can challenge a camera.
The phone supports 4K Dolby Vision recording at up to 60 frames per second across all rear cameras. It also supports 8K recording at up to 60 frames per second on the main and telephoto cameras.
Other software features include Super Zoom Pro, which uses generative AI to improve clarity and colour at zoom levels between 20x and 100x, and Action Shot, which detects subject movement and adjusts shutter speed before capture. Voice Command enables hands-free photography, while Signature Style allows users to personalise colour processing based on their editing preferences.
Group Shot is designed to improve group photographs, while Ultra HDR preserves highlights, shadows and colour detail. The enhanced Portrait Mode offers multiple focal lengths, adjustable background blur and Dynamic Bokeh, which adapts the blur effect according to the distance between the subject and background.
The combination of camera hardware, computational photography and video tools positions the motorola signature 27 as the company’s latest flagship imaging offering. Its DXOMARK ranking gives Motorola a prominent claim in the increasingly competitive premium smartphone camera market.
