Slow-motion videos are always fun to watch, but they are not as easy to film. Phone cameras have been doing slow-mos for a while, but it’s only now that they have gotten the hang of it. Things are still far from perfect, though. You will need a good deal of light, preferably outdoor settings, to shoot decent footage and most phones only allow only 0.5 to 3 seconds (mostly a fraction of a second) of true slow-motion capture, which makes it really tricky to shoot the moment you actually want to.
But yes, the ability to capture slow-motion footage is high in demand and manufacturers are obliging even their affordable products, even if it’s with software trickery. Before we proceed to the list of phones that shoot great slow-motion videos, here are a few basics you should know.
960fps vs 480fps slow-motion videos on phones
Slow-motion video recording is about capturing more frames every second. Most content plays at 24, 30 or 60 frames per second, and if the camera shoots more frames per second than your media player playback, you will be able to stretch the footage you captured over a longer time – resulting in slow-motion videos.
There are two necessary requirements for effective high fps slow-motion capture:
- Chipset support
- DRAM stacked on the camera sensor.
Two popular frame rates for slow motion on phones are 960fps and 480fps. As stated above, you will need hardware support on the camera sensor to shoot true 960fps. Such camera sensors with DRAM are still very rare. All of the popular 48MP, 50MP and 64MP camera sensors that we saw this year max out at 480fps.
Many affordable phones that claim 960fps slow-motion video recording actually use software interpolation to copy and duplicate frames in between, resulting in choppy and poor-quality slow-mos.
There are a few sensors that have native 960fps support and these include Sony IMX350, Sony IMX500, Samsung ISOCELL Fast 2L3, and Samsung ISOCELL Fast 2L4. Currently, you will find them mostly on Samsung, Motorola, and Xiaomi flagships.
Best Phones That Support Slow Motion Video Recording in 2023
1. Samsung Galaxy S23 series (960fps)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (review) can capture slow-motion videos at 960fps. It can do 4K@60fps, 1080P@240fps and 1080P@ 960fps. While Samsung has made enhancements in overall videography, the biggest jump has been from 720P@960fps to 1080P@960fps from last year.
Apart from Slo-mos, these S23 series phones are also capable of recording 8K videos at 24fps. Here’s a brief summary of camera hardware:
Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+:
- Rear camera specs: Primary 50MP (f/1.8), 10MP (f/2.4) telephoto, 12MP ultra wide-angle (f/2.2)
- Video capture specs: 4320p@24fps, 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, dual-video rec., stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra:
- Rear camera specs: Primary 200MP (f/1.7), 10MP (f/4.9) periscope telephoto, 10MP (f/2.4) telephoto, and 12MP ultra wide-angle (f/2.2)
- Video capture specs: 4320p@24fps, 2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, dual-video rec., stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS
Other Samsung phones with similar slow-motion video recording:
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S20 series
2. Xiaomi 13 Pro (1920fps)
Xiaomi 2023 flagship is also capable of delivering excellent slow-motion video. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered phone can record 1080p videos at 1920fps. It uses an interpolation technique to achieve such a feat.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro can record full HD videos at 30/120/240fps whereas 4K clips can be recorded at 30/60fps with HDR10+ colours. It is also capable of shooting 8K@24fps with (HDR).
Xiaomi 13 Pro camera details:
- Rear camera specs: Primary 50MP (f/1.9), 50MP (f/1.9) telephoto, 50MP (f/2.2) ultra wide-angle
- Video capture specs: 8K@24fps(HDR), 4K@30/60 HDR10+, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps
Other Xiaomi phones with similar slow-motion video recording:
3. OnePlus 10 Pro (480fps)
OnePlus 10 Pro is the best among the OnePlus line-up of phones for capturing slow-motion videos. It’s not a slow-motion champ but it’s a decent all-around option that can record decent 720p slow-motion footage at 480fps and 1080p video at 240fps.
The OnePlus 10 Pro is steered by Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chipset, has an HDR10+ compliant 6.7-inch AMOLED LTPO display, and a 5000mAh battery with 80W Super Flash Charge and 50W Wireless Flash Charge support.
OnePlus 10 Pro Camera Details
- Rear Camera specs: 48MP (f/1.8) primary, 50MP(f/2.2) ultra-wide, 8MP (f/2.4) telephoto
- Video capture specs: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60fps
Other OnePlus phones with similar slow-motion video recording:
4. Redmi Note 12 Pro (960fps)
Redmi Note 12 Pro arrives with 108MP camera system on the back. For slow motion recording, the phone supports 720p videos at 960fps, 240fps, and 120fps.
Redmi Note 12 Pro camera details
- Rear Camera specs: 108 MP f/1.9 (primary), 8 MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide), 5 MP f/2.4 (Super Macro), and 2 MP f/2.4 (Depth Sensor)
- Video capture specs: 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps/30fps, 720p@30fps
Redmi phones with 960fps slow-motion videos include:
5. Asus ROG Phone 7 (480fps)
Asus ROG Phone 7 is introduced in the country as a gaming beast phone. It offers slow-motion video support of 4K@120 fps, 1080p@ 240/120fps, and 720p@480fps.
The ROG Phone 7 has a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor, a 13MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro lens. It has a 12MP front camera for selfies. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset paired with 18GB RAM and 512GB storage. It runs on the latest Android 13.
ROG Phone 7 camera details
- Rear Camera specs: 50MP (f/1.9) primary, 13MP(f/2.2) ultrawide, 5MP (f/2.4) macros
- Video capture specs: 8K@24fps, 4K@ 30/60fps, 1080@ 30/60fps, and 720p@30/60fps with OIS and Phase detection autofocus.
6. Realme GT Neo 3 5G (480fps)
Realme GT Neo 3 (review) is the mid-range device from the brand offering slow motion video recording at 480fps for 720p resolution. The phone is powered by Dimensity 8100 SoC with LPDDR5 RAM And UFS 3.1 internal storage.
Realme GT Neo 3 5G camera details
- Rear Camera specs: 50MP f/1.88 (Main), 8MP f/2.25 (Wide Angle), 2MP f/2.4 (Macro)
- Video capture specs: 4K@60fps, 4K@30fps,1080P@30fps, 720P@30fps
Just like Redmi, Realme offers interpolated decent slo-mo videos on many of its affordable phones in India. These include
7. Apple iPhones 15 Pro Series (240fps)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can shoot 1080p footage at 240fps or 120fps. Interestingly, Apple introduced Cinamatic mode and S-log video recoding mode for video enthusiasts.
iPhones 15 Pro camera details
- Rear Camera specs: 48MP (f/1.8) primary, 12MP(f/2.2) ultrawide-angle, 12MP (f/2.8) Telephoto
- Video capture specs: 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60fps, 720p@30fps
8. Google Pixel 7 Pro (240fps)
Google isn’t much enthusiastic about videos and has naturally not yet shown any inclination towards high-speed video capture on its phones. On the new Pixel 7 Pro and on the Pixel 6 Pro from last year, you can shoot 1080p @240fps.
Pixel 7 Pro camera details
- Rear Camera specs: 50MP (f/1.9) primary, 12MP(f/2.2) ultrawide-angle, 48MP (f/3.5) Telephoto
- Video capture specs: 4K @ 30fps UHD, 1080p @ 30fps FHD
9. iQOO 11 (240fps)
Vivo has always delivered cutting-edge camera specs on its flagships and iQOO 11 is one such mobile phone. iQOO 11 can record slow motion videos at 1080p videos at 240fps. The phone is current flagship device from the brand weilded on Snapdragon 8 Gen2 chipset.
iQOO 11 camera details
- Rear Camera specs: 50MP (f/1.8) primary, 13MP(f/2.3) ultrawide-angle, 8MP (f/2.2) Telephoto
- Video capture specs: 4K @ 30fps UHD, 1080p @ 30fps FHD
10. Motorola Edge 40 Pro (960fps)
Motorola Edge 40 Pro is the first phone with a 200MP camera system. It can record 8k@30fps in HDR10+ and the footage is quite impressive when shot under adequate daylight. You can go on to record 1080p videos at 30fps. The phone records slow-motion videos at 960fps.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen1 octa-core chipset, has a 6.67-inch 144Hz OLED display, a 60MP front camera, and a 4610mAh battery. Other features include Android 12, dual stereo speakers, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 125W fast charging, and 50W wireless and 10W reverse charging support
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra:
- Rear camera specs: Primary 200MP (f/1.9), 50MP (f/2.2) ultra wide-angle (114° FoV), 12MP (f/2.6) Portrait
- Video capture specs: 8K UHD (30fps), 4K UHD (60/30fps), FHD (60/30fps) HDR10+
Other Motorola phones with similar slow-motion video recording:
Is slow-motion capture on phones good enough?
So, the bottom line is that the quality of slow-motion videos on phones isn’t much to write home about and this isn’t a factor that should weigh heavy on your purchase decision. At the same time, phones are getting better at it and there have been times when we had a lot of fun even with these imperfect slow-motion captures.
iPhone 14 can't really do 240fps. Read all the online forums of iPhone 14 users furious because their actual framerates are less, and this has been an issue since the iPhone 12 that Apple refuses to address.