We put a lot of stock in processors, design, storage and other advancements in hardware. But, as we've said before, one of the more important features of a smartphone is its camera. You can forgive a slightly washed out screen, or a design that's imperfect. A camera? Not so much.

For a lot of us, our phones are what we rely on to capture important memories. Earlier this month, my iPhone 6 was the only thing I used at my buddy's wedding; it's the device I regularly use to document my mundane life, whether I'm at Comic-Con or simply taking pictures of my dog.

So when a new device like the OnePlus 2 comes out, of course we want to know if it's fast and how long the battery lasts and what it's like to use over a longer period of time. But, most importantly, I'm more curious about how the camera compares to some of today's biggest flagships. The bar has been raised significantly over the past 12 months, lead by devices like the LG G4, Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Now it's time to see if the OnePlus 2 can hang.

This year's model comes with a 13-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture and optical stabilization, which means it's primed to compete. Whether or not the software and hardware is optimized to get the best results possible remains to be seen.

With that said, we recently updated the software to our OnePlus 2, which promises to improve battery and camera quality. What you're seeing below are the results immediately following the update.

Worth noting that the software update has made a pretty noticeable difference, if not in quality, at least in performance. Focusing is quicker, metering seems more accurate and it just seems like a smoother experience overall. However, it's tough to tell if the actual pictures themselves have improved in any meaningful way. We'll have to bunker down even more over the next few days before we make that call. Check out the samples below to see what we're working with.

We've just beginning to test out the OnePlus 2, so we're not ready to share our final verdict just yet. However, we do have further coverage to bring you in the meantime, which we'll have out later this week.

What do you think of the samples? Are they up to the high standards set by the top devices currently on the market?