According to a survey conducted by the German IT industry association Bitkom, a good front-facing camera is increasingly important to smartphone users. In fact, over two-thirds of respondents, 69 percent, cited the selfie camera as the most significant camera feature when making decisions about a device. This figure surpasses other key aspects of the camera, such as achieving natural colors and contrast (65 percent), taking good photos in low light (61 percent), or having a high number of megapixels (61 percent).
Beyond the capabilities for selfies, many users are primarily looking for a smartphone that performs well when capturing distant scenes. Sixty percent of respondents are concerned with a strong zoom function, closely followed by 59 percent who prioritize high video resolution. Furthermore, more than half the surveyed group (56 percent) consider features like automatic photo enhancements to be relevant. Wide-angle capabilities are also important to 55 percent of respondents.
Conversely, attention to the sheer number of camera lenses seems to be less crucial, noted by 48 percent. A smaller percentage indicated that they do not pay special attention to camera features: ten percent stated that the camera plays no role in their smartphone purchase, while just three percent report that they simply want to take good pictures and are unfamiliar with the specific functions.
The findings were gathered by Bitkom Research through telephone surveys with 1,006 individuals in Germany aged 16 and older, including 861 people who use smartphones privately. The data was collected during the first through fifth calendar weeks of 2026.
