Prior to our Maui trip last February, I had been carrying around my HTC Mogul smartphone for around 2 years. The phone had just about everything you’d want, web, email, video, and photos. Okay, the photo quality seemed just about okay 2 years ago, with a whole 2.0 megapixel camera. That was all find and dandy, until the iPhone came out and really raised the stakes.

It seemed like the popularity of the iPhone just exploded the popularity of taking photos and uploading on the go. Take a look for yourself with the Camera Explorer on Flickr. The iPhone actually had over 3,700 users upload photos taken with it yesterday, posting over 24,000 pictures. Wow. My former HTC Mogul (aka Titan) is obviously tailing off because of it’s age. The photos, however, never seemed to be that great.

I started wishing my next phone was going to be so much better, and even considered switching to AT&T just to get an iPhone. A little drastic, I realize. Then, my phone met its watery grave on an otherwise amazing day in paradise. That meant getting a new phone when we got back, and from a mobile photo standpoint, it was a blessing in disguise.

My new phone? The HTC Touch Pro, with a larger 3.2 megapixel camera, was a great improvement. While not nearly as popular on Flickr as the iPhone, the improvement in picture quality over my HTC Mogul was such a pleasant surprise. See for yourself.

When I stop and think about it, my very first digital only had 2.0 megapixels and a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. Sure, that was 6 years ago, but still, having a smartphone with a better camera in it still is unbelievable.

Now, the toughest choice I have to make when I see a scene I want to capture on the spur of a moment is whether to whip out my phone or my latest everyday camera (currently the Canon Powershot SX110 IS). Can you imagine how amazing these cameraphones will be 2 years from now when I’m looking for my next phone upgrade?

Wanna see more? Check out my Mobile Photos set on Flickr for photos from both cameraphones, or just the ones from my Touch Pro.