How to shoot photographs in RAW mode on smartphones

Five years ago we relied on SLR cameras for taking photos and even today people prefer it. Our mobiles have evolved from small screen 'only for calling' devices to high performance 'multipurpose' smartphones. You can use it for browsing the internet, watch movies, play high end games, and take photos too. Android devices are great for photography. Every moment of our life is captured and stored with our smartphone camera. 

The camera quality has improved over time but professional photographers prefer DSLR cameras. Can you explain why?

Its because of its ability to shoot RAW images. Most smartphones record images in jpeg format but DSLR cameras record images in dng format which needs to be edited by using some software. But now, android has introduced raw photography in their lollipop version and above (only some high end and flagship phones support it). Its not a big news if you just want to take photos. But, if you are the person who wants to add a professional touch to his images then you are welcome.

What's the difference between JPEG and DNG format?

Normally, when you take a photo, the software collects the data captured by the image sensor processes it and saves the image in a finished form i.e. in jpeg format.
But, when you take a picture using raw mode(DNG format) the image sensor captures the data and stores it as it is without making any further processing(just like the way a  DSLR camera saves it) The phone's photo viewer will not be able to show you the image. You will need special 3rd party apps to edit and process the image to make it view able.
In short, images in jpeg format are finished images and images in dng format are just unprocessed data from the camera sensor.

Which phones support it?

To use the RAW mode, your phone needs to support an optional part of android called camera2 API.
Most mid to high range phones and some flagship phones running on android lollipop version supports it. Not only should your phone support it, you also need some app to make it work. Many phones coming out now have this option like the galaxy S7/S7 edge, LG G5.

Why shoot Raw?

The main advantage is that RAW images are uncompressed images. It retains all the details captured by the image sensor. While, jpeg images are compressed images so many details are discarded by the processor to make it attractive.
A typical jpeg image is about 5 mb in size while a dng image is about 15-20 mb in size. Moreover, raw images are more flexible when editing allowing you to uncover even fine details, thus enhancing the image quality. But, editing these images is a tedious work.
This might seem uncomfortable for some, so there is also an option for shooting both in raw and jpeg. In this mode, two images - one in . dng and the other in .jpeg format will be saved.
So, if you want to boast about your photography skills in front of others you could use this feature.