Out of all the features we’ve seen on smartphones, we still think that cameras are the most useful, and the Nokia N8 is the best we’ve seen to date when it comes to image quality. However, even with a high megapixel count, decent quality is not a given, so read on to find out how Nokia ended up with the best camera phone on the market…

We’ve already brought you the sample photographs from the Nokia N8, and now we’ve had a chance to play with the device itself we can report that the camera really is just as good in real life.

When we played with the Nokia N8, we also got the opportunity to quiz Nokia on how it ended up with the 12-Megapixel sensor. One of the big worries we had was that cramming so many megapixels into a relatively small sensor can easily result in lots of digital noise – ruining quality and not letting you get the most out of your snaps.

Even though it may have been easier to get better results with a 10-Megapixel sensor, we were told that with the N8 Nokia wanted the device to be competitive on the market, and if higher megapixel counts are what sell, then that’s the challenge Nokia must meet.

We must say that they’ve done a good job, too – check out the sample photo below. You can see just how sharp things remain when cropped in, and it’s easily a phone that can replace your camera on the odd times you forget it.

The fact that Nokia has fitted the largest sensor out of any smartphone is part of the reason the image quality is so good – and Nokia even claims that it’s bigger than that of some compact cameras. The use of autofocus and Carl Zeiss optics also play a big part, with a wide angle lens that’s perfect for taking snaps of your friends. There’s also a xenon flash for night time shots.

With the Nokia N8, Nokia set out to make a smartphone capable of starting a trend for people sharing their photos on the web. The Product Manager for the Nokia N8 was keen to point out that peoples’ lives and memories are moving into mobile phone pictures. If the goal was to create best camera phone on the market, we say they’ve succeeded.