A few years ago, smartphone cameras were valued for their convenience rather than the quality of the images they produced.

Now, smartphone manufacturers are putting much more attention into beefing up the cameras on their mobile devices.

For example, Nokia has managed to squeeze 41 megapixels into the camera on its Lumia 1020.

Both Apple and HTC have focused on increasing the size of the microns on the camera sensors of their respective iPhone 5S and One smartphones

In plain English, this means that these cameras are capable of absorbing more light than some of their rivals, which results in high-resolution photographs loaded with detail.

We've come a long way from the 8-megapixel cameras of 2012's flagships, and today's smartphones are giving you more reasons to discard your aging point-and-shoot and ditch the idea of investing in a pricey dSLR.

.Kim Hanskamp/iPhone Photography Awards