Looking for one of the best camera phones in the world? You're in the right place. Phone cameras are improving rapidly, especially in the age of AI, and everybody seems to be searching for a capable DSLR-quality camera phone, whether it's made by Apple or not (see our guide to the best iPhones camera if you're an Apple devotee).
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✅ Every new flagship smartphone tested and rated
For some camera phones on this list, you'll find a camera phone shootout section where I've pitted models against each other to assess image quality, and try different camera modes in real-life scenarios. Not all options on this list will be suitable for every budget, so we also have a guide to the best budget camera phones (under $1,000) for some more affordable alternatives.
Beth has a Master's Degree in photography, and amost a decade of experience testing camera phones. "I've tested at least 50 smartphones over the last few years, and a lot of them fail to overpower my Sony mirrorless camera. However, I think in 2025 - this is as close as we've ever gotten to smartphones being able to replace digital cameras."
Quick List
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra replaces the S24 Ultra model (which is my current camera phone), and in my opinion, it's the best on the market right now for all kinds of content creators. It boasts genuinely useful Galaxy AI features for everyday assistance, as well as advanced AI imaging tools and super-resolution technology for the best possible quality.
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Pros
- Excellent camera with new 50MP ultra-wide lens and ProVisual Engine
- Galaxy AI is genuinely useful and not invasive
- Better video editing tools
Cons
- Battery life still needs some work
- Only incremental upgrades from the S24 series
The Google Pixel 8a is a great choice for creatives on a tighter budget (priced at $499 / £499), and even though it's far from a flagship, there's no need for any FOMO - since it's packed with AI camera tools like Magic Erasure and Best Take for the ultimate Instagram-worthy shot.
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The Magic 7 Pro from Honor is the company's latest flagship AI phone that's not only a portrait powerhouse but comes equipped with an impressive 200MP periscope lens and intelligent AI Super Zoom tools for the ultimate shot.
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See the next products
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is Apple's latest and top-end product in the iPhone family, which by default makes it the best iPhone option for smartphone photographers. It boasts a new 48MP camera, plus a dedicated Camera Control Button for quick access to your iPhone camera.
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One of the most impressive camera phones we have ever tested, the Xiaomi 15 deserves to rip chunks out of the flagship dominance of Apple and Samsung. Its Leica-made cameras deliver sumptuous image quality, while its CPU and GPU dominated our benchmark tests.
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Pros
- Unbelievable power
- Big W for the Leica camera array
- Undercuts Samsung and iPhone on price
Cons
- Battery life still not the best
Honor's new 400 Pro smartphone is a mighty mid-range that has some exceptional camera modes for getting up close to your subject. Not to mention the AI super zoom feature, Harcourt studio portrait filters, and industry-leading AI image-to-video tools.
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Laden with imaging tech from Sony's Alpha mirrorless cameras, this is a phone tilted towards serious photographers and videographers alike. It's an expensive proposition, but having an honest-to-god 399-point autofocus system to work with is a real plus.
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With an arguable plethora of next-gen AI fetaures, the Google Pixel 9 Pro at times offers more than its own processor can handle. But its image quality is superb and the editing features it offers are genuinely unique. A glimpse of the future that's just a little rough around the edges.
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We can admit it – folding phones are cool. The Honor Magic V3 is our pick as the best folding camera phone that you can buy, with its flexible design enabling creative photo opportunities. It's pretty expensive, but you get flagship-level camera performance.
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The best camera phones on the market right now
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The best camera phone overall
✅ You want the best Android phone on the market: This is the best phone for photography and content creation (in my opinion).
✅ You want AI features: Samsung Galaxy AI is on board, of course, adding sophisticated next-gen editing features.
❌ Cost is an issue: As a recent flagship, this is not a cheap phone.
❌ You're an AI sceptic: The features are everywhere.
🔎 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the best camera phone you can get right now – and I can say that because I've tested it. ★★★★½
I've recently tested this camera phone against last-gen's Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra model, and there are certainly some worthy camera upgrades here.
I recently spent some time with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I think it's by far the best all-around camera phone on the market right now, with a 200MP main camera, AI tools, and top-notch performance to support photographers and content creators. As a proud owner of last year's S24 Ultra model, I was sceptical of there being much difference between these two handsets or any major reason to upgrade to the S25 Ultra, but after testing the latest camera phone, I'm pleasantly surprised.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has an improved 50MP ultra-wide camera, which is an impressive boost against the previous 12MP quality, though the bar was already set pretty high with the S24 Ultra, so did Samsung really need to top it? During my review of the S25 Ultra, I noted that there might be only minimal differences on paper between this latest flagship and last year's S24 series, but in actuality, the image quality was much better than I ever expected, with a clear quality boost.
I found that the S25 Ultra delivered superb low-light quality images, even in the darkest conditions, like at concerts and live shows, and the quad-camera array gives you real shooting flexibility in every situation. Galaxy AI Photo Assist and Generative Edit features with the S25 series offer a host of photography tools to help you create your best work and take it to new levels, while it has an AI watermark embedded into the metadata for ultimate transparency.
The S25 Ultra is also the only model in the S25 family with S Pen compatibility, which opens up a host of benefits from note-taking and photo editing, to Google's Circle to search feature and using Galaxy AI tools like Sketch-to-image as well.
See our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review for more details.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Camera | First-class, top-notch. | ★★★★★ |
Performance | AI sometimes slows it down. | ★★★★½ |
Battery | Easily does two days. | ★★★★★ |
Price | Inevitably expensive. | ★★★½ |
Samsung's S25 Ultra is my #1 camera phone of choice, and as a photographer, I highly recommend it. I use my phone camera far more than my Sony mirrorless these days, as the quality is capable enough for everyday shooting and I have an arsenal of AI photo editing tools already at my disposal (If only cameras had apps).
The best budget camera phone
✅ You're on a shoestring budget: This is one of the best-value smartphones on the market.
✅ You're environmentally cautious: The back casing of the Google Pixel 8a is made from 76% recycled plastic.
❌ You want lots of computing power: This phone does not pack flagship power, and may struggle with complex apps like photo editors.
🔎 Google Pixel 8a is a charming, well-priced wonder that'll suit anyone looking for a capable camera phone on a budget. ★★★★½
Try using the Google Pixel 8a's Portrait Mode (on the left side of the default photo mode) even when not shooting a portrait, and turn down the blur effect in settings after having shot a photo to play around with a fake depth of field.
The Google Pixel 8a is a great camera phone choice for smartphone shooters on a budget. Prices for the phone start at $499 / £499 but actually we've been seeing this handset drop to as low as £359 in recent sales, which is an absolute steal.
You're not missing out on any AI features, and it comes packed with top tools like the popular Magic Editor and Magic Eraser, plus astrophotography and unblurring features, though it doesn’t seem to have the 'Add Me' feature introduced with the Pixel 9 series that allows you to add yourself into a group photo.
This is the sort of feature that may trickle down in an upcoming software update, but the Google Pixel 8a is still a great editing assistant for tweaking your photos. There is also the Best Take feature, which uses AI to select what it thinks is your best shot from a burst of photos. Google Pixel phones are known for having excellent cameras, and with the Pixel 8a you get a 64MP main camera, plus 4K video capabilities at 60fps.
It's far from a flagship phone, and you'll notice the difference in quality and construction too (although the phone is made from recycled plastic materials which is always a bonus for sustainability). You also get a guaranteed seven years of software updates with this handset, which means its built to last too, and hopefully won't end up in landfill anytime soon.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Camera | Top-class AI features like Magic Erase and Best Take | ★★★★½ |
Performance | Struggles with more intense workloads. | ★★★★ |
Battery | Excellent | ★★★★★ |
Price | $499 / £499 – a steal! | ★★★★★ |
"A well-priced mid-range phone like this is a good choice for everyone, but with its quality cameras and gateway into Google’s AI tools, the Pixel 8a makes an excellent visual notebook for creatives out looking for inspiration. "
The best mid-range camera phone for portraits
✅ You want to shoot portraits: The Studio Harcourt filters and portrait mode is next-level.
✅ You want day-long battery life: The Magic 7 Pro's built-in battery held up well in testing.
❌ You're on a budget: While it's cheaper than the big flagships, the Magic 7 Pro is a premium phone, and priced as such.
🔎 Honor Magic 7 Pro is a stunning flagship phone, with top-spec cameras that are excellent for landscapes and portraiture. ★★★★½
I've recently tested this camera phone against the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and while this phone came second place, it was really splitting hairs.
I've just finished writing up my full review of the Honor Magic 7 Pro, but I already had full confidence in this smartphone and its abilities, given that I spent a few weeks testing it when I was invited by Honor on a luxury trip to Slovenia. It's safe to say I got the full experience of what this camera phone can offer. After quad biking around Lake Bled (the most beautiful and picturesque lake I have ever seen in my life), the Honor Magic 7 Pro's camera unit really shone, and I captured a stunning landscape shot of the lake just as the sun was setting, with an array of beautiful purple hues.
The camera unit on this phone truly is next-level, and I'm saying that unbiasedly. It can capture excellent portraits thanks to Studio Harcourt filters, and it gave my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra a real run for its money. While I feel like the AI Superzoom isn't quite there yet and looks a little cartoonish at times, you have to commend Honor for thinking of new innovative features and giving it a go. Take a look at my recent camera phone shootout in Slovenia to see the results against Samsung's S24 Ultra.
Not only does the Honor Magic 7 Pro capture amazingly sharp shots with a roster of advanced AI imaging tools to help with the editing process, but the design is also pretty indestructible too. This phone survived extremely cold temperatures in Slovenia while shooting on a mountain, and you can even use it as a cutting board or stick it in a washing machine without fear. There's even a Porsche version of the phone if you're feeling fancy.
Read our full Honor Magic 7 Pro Review for all the details.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Cameras | A meaty triple 50MP array. | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Flawless with AI tools | ★★★★½ |
Battery | Lasted two days and then some | ★★★★★ |
Price | Cheaper than some, but still pricey. | ★★★★ |
Honor's Magic 7 Pro is an excellent smartphone for photographers and content creators and I can't recommend it enough. I got hands-on with this camera phone while on a trip to the stunning town of Bled in Slovenia, and managed to capture some of the most amazing shots. It also works seamlessly with my Honor tablet, too, thanks to the Magic Ring ecosystem.
The best iPhone camera
✅ You can't bear to part with Apple: iPhones are popular for a reason, after all.
✅ You want a physical shutter button: Now that's an addition to make photographers pay attention.
❌ You're on a budget: The phones are expensive in themselves, and Apple does love to nickel-and-dime for extras.
🔎 iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are the latest iPhones – we don't need to explain iPhones to you. They work well and take great photos. ★★★★½
I've recently tested the iPhone 16 Pro Max against the latest Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and to my surprise, the Apple cell phone took the crown.
This entry is probably not surprising to most, but Apple's iPhone 16 Pro/Max is one of the best camera phones on the market right now despite lacking any kind of AI power behind the lens (yet). If you're strictly Team Apple, then this latest flagship iPhone is one of the best camera phones out there and probably your only choice if you're not willing to jump ship over to Android camera phones.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have the exact same camera units for the very first time this year, meaning Apple fans don't need to opt for a larger handset with a display that feels too big, just for the sake of a better camera. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max both bring a new 48MP (f/1.8 24mm) camera to the table, that has a new "fusion" feature allowing users to customise the default lens. However, the biggest camera upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro Max to the 16 Pro models is the new Ultra Wide 48MP camera (f/2.2 13mm), offering improved detail for macro shots
Let's talk about the Camera Control Button. Did Apple intentionally add this just to make photographers swoon? Probably. But in terms of functionality, it sits on the right-hand side of the phone, and allows users to shortcut their way straight to the iPhone 16 camera app and scroll through common camera settings like the aperture, by sliding a finger across it. I think it's cool that it has haptic feedback too and a mechanical click to feel like a true shutter button.
I tested out the new Camera Control Button on a recent camera phone shootout against the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I have to say, I felt the iPhone 16 Pro Max had the better camera for most users - down to the ease of use from the camera control button, and aperture control when shooting macro shots.
See our iPhone 16 Pro review for more details.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Cameras | Very good in both versions. | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Apple-smooth, as ever. | ★★★★★ |
Battery | Lags behind Android rivals. | ★★★½ |
Price | Not cheap. | ★★★½ |
"The new 48MP camera is improved from last year in an attempt to keep up with the best in the field. However, charging is still tortuously slow."
The most powerful camera phone
✅ You want some of the best phone cameras ever made: The mad lads at Leica have done it again.
✅ You want lots of horsepower: The Xiaomi 15 absolutely demolished our CPU and GPU benchmark tests.
✅ You like shiny things: The Liquid Silver version is a very shiny thing.
❌ You want a mid-price phone: While more affordable than many rivals, this is still a high-priced option.
🔎 Xiaomi 15 could be the phone to seriously threaten to topple the Apple/Samsung. With class-leading camera quality and huge gobs of power, it's a downright fabulous phone. ★★★★★
Try using the Xiaomi 15's AI Image engine to upscale your HD videos to super-resolution, you can also use AI to up the HDR for your photos too.
Our Tech Reviews Editor, Erlingur Einarsson, reviews a lot of phones. It's a large part of his whole deal. When it comes to phones, it takes a lot to impress him, so when he starts throwing around phrases like "immensely powerful" and "impeccably designed" and "I never want to see a Samsung or iPhone ever again", it's worth paying attention.
And so, we come to the Xiaomi 15, the latest flagship handset from the upstart Chinese firm looking to take a bite out of the premium smartphone market. Pairing top-end computing horsepower with high-quality cameras built around Leica-made tech, Xiaomi phones have been getting more and more attention with every release. The 15 is the one that deserves to go stratospheric.
its camera quality is simply phenomenal, with the phone handling every shooting situation we threw at it, even tricky backlit scenes. The image stabilisation make it much easier to capture sharp shots handheld, while new AI-powered modes can adjust your settings for you – though if you prefer, there are also extensive manual control options. The Super Macro mode is particularly good.
The Xiaomi 15 also has the juice to back all this up, with a powerful CPU and CPU combination that absolutely melted its way through our benchmark tests – leaving Apple and Samsung rivals in the dust. It's also worth noting that while previous Xiaomi handsets lacked support for Band 71, hampering their connectivity in the US, this issue seems to have been resolved.
Read our full Xiaomi 15 review.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Cameras | Top of the class | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Ridiculously fast | ★★★★★ |
Battery | Much improved | ★★★★½ |
Price | Not cheap, but great value | ★★★★½ |
"If you want truly pro-level results from your camera, be it for your professional vlogs or smartphone portraiture, you honestly can't get anything better than this right now."
The best macro camera phone
✅ You want top-of-the-line camera specs: The camera array on this mid-range phone puts pricier rivals to shame.
✅ You have a tighter budget: This phone is priced very competitively for the hardware you get, at only £699.99 (currently £549.99 on offer).
❌ You don't like AI: This Honor handset is packed with AI power, including an industry-first AI image-to-video feature
🔎 Honor 400 Pro has one of the most impressive camera systems we've ever seen on a mid-range phone, or really on any phone. ★★★★½
I've recently tested the new Honor 400 Pro against Honor's flagship Magic 7 Pro in a macro camera phone shootout, and the results were stunning.
Chinese tech manufacturer, Honor, has recently launched its latest 400 Pro camera phone – which is a successor to last year's Honor 200 Pro smartphone (which we've also tested), that was endorsed by world-famous photographer, Rankin.
This latest Honor 400 Pro model is not only competitively priced at only £699.99, but has some of the most innovative AI tools and features that I've seen on a smartphone at this price. Plenty of people aren't familiar with Honor tech, but its quickly becoming my favourite brand.
The new Honor 400 Pro model has some exxciting new features, but also improves massively upon its predecessor with an upgraded 200MP (f/1.9) wide camera, previously 50MP on the 200 series, and next-level AI imaging tools that content creators will drool over.
For example, the Honor 400 Pro has taken the AI super zoom feature first introduced with the Honor Magic 7 Pro handset (number 3 on this list) and improved it, with an added industry-first AI image-to-video feature that I'm really excited to experiment with (and seriously hoping its not too creepy).
My full review of the Honor 400 Pro should be with you shortly, but for now, you can check out my very first impressions of the Honor 400 Pro from a few hours after unboxing this new handset. You can see some fun sample images that I managed to shoot when using the Honor 400 Pro for the very first time, and form your own opinion on this latest mid-range.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Cameras | Top-tier for a mid-range phone. | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Almost flagship with great AI features | ★★★★½ |
Battery | 5000mAh | ★★★★ |
Price | Only £549.99 for early bird buyers | ★★★★½ |
"I'm still testing the Honor 400 Pro, but I'm hugely impressed by its performance so far. The macro and aperture image modes combined with AI image to video will really help it stand out in the AI smartphone market"
The best premium camera phone
✅ You want premium photographic tech: This is a seriously impressive camera phone full of Alpha mirrorless know-how.
✅ You already own and use Sony cameras: It slots well into the ecosystem.
❌ You're on a budget: Even with discounts, you're likely looking at a four-figure price tag.
🔎 Sony Xperia 1 VI is the latest smartphone to benefit from the tech giant's imaging know-how, and it's pretty impressive. ★★★★½
Try using the Sony Xperia 1 VI's manual camera as much as you can. This phone camera really shines when you have full control over the image.
Sony is well known for making some of the best and most popular digital cameras money can buy – however, that expertise has never quite translated to its smartphone range, which remains a rare sight in the wild (do you know anyone who owns one?). Despite this, the Xperia smartphones are getting better and better with every iteration, and the Sony Xperia 1 VI is our pick as the best premium camera phone. It's not quite as smooth to use as a Samsung Galaxy or an iPhone – but lord are those cameras something special.
The triple camera array spots three smart lenses – a 16mm equivalent, 24mm, and a 85-170mm optical zoom. The real revelation though comes when you depress the shutter button and get an honest-to-goodness autofocus system, the kind with 399 AF points, the kind you'd see in an Alpha mirrorless camera. For any serious photographer, that is pretty exciting.
Elsewhere, Pro mode enables handy features like a 30fps burst rate and focus peaking. You're taken care of for video too, with 4K capture at 120fps and the S-Cinetone profile for producing cinematic-quality footage straight out of camera. This is a truly excellent camera phone, and could start to mark Sony out as more of a key player in the space.
Read our full Sony Xperia 1 VI review for more.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Cameras | Very, very good indeed. | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Competent across the board. | ★★★★ |
Battery | Hugely impressive from 5,000mAh. | ★★★★★ |
Price | Not a cheap option. | ★★★½ |
"Vloggers, streamers and other content creators should take a hard look at this phone, as should anyone who likes the idea of having a powerful camera system in their pocket."
The Best AI-powered camera phone
✅ You want full AI integration: Google's Gemini is fully loaded here, as you would expect.
✅ You don't want XL size: The Pixel 9 Pro has the same camera array as its bigger brother, the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
❌ You want something cheap: It is not.
❌ You want super-long lasting battery: 15-hour battery life isn't bad, but we've seen better.
🔎 Google Pixel 9 Pro is the latest AI-stuffed flagship from the AI-obsessed tech giant, and its camera features are pretty good. ★★★★½
The latest range of smartphones from Google, equipped with Gemini AI, the Google Pixel 9 Pro very much goes all-in on its generative features. If you don't like the sound of an AI assistant asking you every two seconds if it can help you with your tasks, this may not be the phone for you, but for those who are excited by AI, it feels like the phone of the future.
Of course, photography features haven't been neglected. Whether you want to remove objects from images with Magic Eraser or not, you'll still appreciate the quality of the triple-camera setup, with a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide and 48MP telephoto. Having 8K 30p video is also a major upgrade from the Pixel 8 Pro.
There's an argument to be made that Google bit off a little more than it could chew here. While impressive, the AI features put a big strain on the Pixel 9 Pro's Tensor G4 chipset, leading to performance lag and overheating issues, as we found in our review. There's also the perhaps more philosophical question of how many people actually want to use the Reimagine feature to add and remove elements from a photo – essentially make it not a photo anymore. But that's perhaps one to tackle elsewhere – if you're as all-in on AI as Google is, you'll love this capable smartphone.
Read our full Google Pixel 9 Pro review.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Cameras | Excellent. | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Not as blistering as expected. | ★★★★ |
Battery | Good, if unexceptional. | ★★★★ |
Price | Yes. | ★★★½ |
"It’s probably got the best camera cluster for a phone of its size, and produces good results. The 5x periscope zoom, in particular, is excellent."
The best foldable camera phone
✅ You want a chic folding design: The clever form factor of the phone allows for creative photo opportunities.
✅ You love cutting-edge tech: This is an undeniably impressive technological achievement.
❌ You're on a budget: Don't even think about it.
❌ You're prone to breaking things: The folding design is inherently fragile.
🔎 Honor Magic V3 is a super-cool design that feels like the phone of the future – but is expensive in the present. ★★★★½
A folding phone may not initially seem like the most auspicious choice for photography and video – but in fact, it opens up all manner of creative opportunities. A folding design like that of the Honor Magic V3 – our pick as the best folding camera phone – lets you place the rear camera and screen side by side, meaning you can use the more powerful rear camera array for group selfies and the like without a tripod.
The array in question is a direct rival to the Samsung Galaxy Fold 6, and consists of a 50MP f/1.6 optically stabilised wide-angle camera along with a 40MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and a 50MP f/3.0 90mm optically stabilised periscope telephoto. All good stuff, producing punchy photos and particularly good video. The Honor Magic V3 offers a high-level video spec, with the option to shoot in HDR10+, or to use specific LUTs to achieve a particular look.
Folding phones are something of a curio. Manufacturers haven't really figured out a way past some of the inherent drawbacks to the design – the expense of making them that leads to a high asking price, and the fragility of the foldable screen. You really do have to be willing to spend $1,500 or more on a phone that could easily break – which, naturally, not everyone will be.
Read our full Honor Magic V3 review for more.
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Cameras | Excellent, especially for video. | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Did well in our tests. | ★★★★½ |
Battery | 5000mAh – solid. | ★★★★ |
Price | Oof. | ★★★ |
"If you’re looking for a gateway between a smartphone and a tablet, this is it. The Honor Magic V3 is the perfect blend of aesthetic and powerful tech that will make you feel like you’re experimenting at the frontier of what foldable smartphones can do."
Also tested
How to choose
There's no singular camera phone that's perfect for everyone, but though in my mind, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes pretty close.
I'd suggest that you start by looking at your budget, and assess how much you wish to spend on a camera phone first. Then consider the desirable features you'd want in a camera phone. Remember, it's not always about megapixels. If you shoot a lot of video or TikTok content, then you'll want a camera phone with at least 4K capability.
Think about the overall strengths of each camera phone, what does the device focus on? Some camera phones have long-ranging zoom cameras, either optical, digital, periscope or a combination. Others might focus on having a larger sensor or quad-pixel size, or a dedicated macro lens, whereas the newer models on the market seem to be all about AI and internal software upgrades.
Of course, you'll need to consider other elements of the phone too. You're choosing a camera phone to use every day, not just a camera, so consider the processing power, screen quality, app compatibility, battery life, and the size of the device you want.
How we test
At Creative Bloq, we enjoy putting camera phones through their paces when it comes to testing, with benchmarks in place to measure battery life, response rate, general use – and the camera, of course. Although manufacturers carry out their own testing on phones, we think it's important to have an unbiased reviewer (preferably a photographer) on the case to detect any flaws or find genuine reasons why we think a camera phone might not be the best fit for creatives or up to scratch when compared with competition.
We do this by using social media and checking the upload speeds, running photo editing software, streaming video content, and testing the camera in different real-world scenarios. You can look at a spec sheet all you want (and believe me, we do), but really, nothing beats getting a camera phone in your hands and having a play around with the different lenses and features. Doing this for long enough will allow you to get a good feel for the handset and the general photography experience it offers.
That's what we've done with the majority of the camera phones above. And where we haven't had a chance to review the model ourselves, we've consulted others in the business, including our sister sites such as Digital Camera World and TechRadar to pick their brains. Our writers are professional photographers and keen enthusiasts, with a good understanding of what consumers are looking for in a modern camera phone. For more information, see our guide to how we test and review at Creative Bloq.
FAQs
How much do the best camera phones cost?
Prices on camera phones vary dramatically as you can see from our list – the cheapest phone is around $320, while the most expensive hits $1,400! As you might imagine, the more you spend, the more you get, but in general you can expect to pay around $500 for a capable budget phone, and around $1,000 for a high-end flagship with all the latest features.
Are camera phones as good as digital cameras?
This is a slightly more complex question. In certain ways, camera phones have physical limitations that make them inferior in many ways to the best cameras. The big one is sensor size – smartphones must use physically smaller sensors than cameras. Larger sensors can use larger individual pixels, which creates a cleaner image with less noise and makes for better low-light performance.
However, clever computational tricks mean that camera phones are catching up. For instance, the 200MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S23 isn't really for capturing 200MP images (though it can), it's designed to use a technique called pixel binning that combines several pixels into one, creating a digital simulation of the larger pixels on a camera's sensor. This improves image clarity, and makes shooting modes like Night Photography much more potent.
Of course, some people will always prefer the form factor of a real digital camera, and we haven't even touched upon the advantage (and expense) of being able to swap lenses. Remember, cameras and camera phones each have their place, and neither one is empirically 'better' these days.
Should I buy a professional camera or a really good camera phone?
It depends on a lot of things: your budget, your skill level, your desire to learn, whether you plan to make a profit from your images, whether or not you plan to enlarge the images, if you travel a lot with your camera, and how often you plan on taking photos.
All of these things matter because a "professional" mirrorless or DSLR-quality camera will not come cheap. Professional cameras are a big investment, as are the lenses, and despite common belief, it's really not as easy as just pressing a button. If you're not clued up on the ins and outs of photography, you'll also need to learn how to use your camera in manual mode, and how the exposure triangle works (at the very basic level), among other things that could take months if not years to grasp.
The beauty of camera phones is that make things very easy. They're more portable for carrying around every day, and the image quality is good enough for most uses, like sharing on social media, or printing for a family photo album. You only need a pro camera if you really want to get serious with photography or enter a specific genre (like macro or food photography), as the best camera phones available right now do an excellent job of basic point and shooting, but struggle with depths of field.
Do Apple or Samsung have better camera phones?
I think this argument will be ongoing for another century. The answer is they both make excellent camera phones, and one isn't necessarily the better manufacturer than the other - they're just different. Creatives have different tastes, and that's totally fine.
How many megapixels is best in a camera phone?
To an extent, the more the better – though it's a little more complex than it is with regular cameras. When camera phone manufacturers talk about their handsets boasting 200MP cameras, they aren't talking about capturing 200MP photos (while some can, there's limited practical reason to do so).
Rather, the phones use a process called 'pixel-binning' to combine the data from multiple pixels into one, putting out an image that's brighter and less affected by noise, particularly in low light. Essentially, they're simulating the larger pixels (or photosites) that dedicated cameras are able to use by virtue of having physically larger sensors.
This process lowers the resolution of the finished image – for instance, a 48MP sensor using 4-in-1 pixel-binning will produce a 12MP image. For most purposes, this is more than adequate — it's only if you're planning to print images, or crop in significantly, that you might find this resolution limiting.
