In one short decade phones and social media have destroyed the cheap digital camera market, and we now take pictures at every event and post them on the internet, for better or worse. Thankfully phone cameras are exceptionally good these days. If you want to find the best phone camera then you’ve come to the right place. We fully test and review all the latest high-end, mid-range, and budget phones on the market, and camera quality is one of the main factors in deciding their final scores. The very best smartphone cameras are inevitably found on the more expensive devices, but you can also get solid quality for less if you know where to look. We assess megapixel count, dynamic range, ultra-wide lenses, zooms, low-light quality, night modes, and everything else in between to see where phone cameras shine, and where they could do better. Because no phone is the same, the one at the top of this list might not be the best fit for you wants and needs. It could be the phone at number ten. This is because it’s not just about the hardware of the camera lenses themselves that determines what photos and videos from a phone look like – different manufacturers apply different effects with software in their camera apps to improve images and give them a specific look. You might prefer the look of Samsung photos to iPhone photos, or like the colours of Honor over Oppo. Here’s our rundown of the best camera phones you can buy.
Best camera phone 2023
Great 108Mp lens Incredible 10x zoom Excellent low-light
Large phone 100x zoom is a gimmick
Its 108Mp main lens captures a stunning amount of detail with superb low-light photos thanks to a sensor that can take in more light. Improvements over the already excellent S21 Ultra keep shots and video very sharp and the software processing is less aggressive than older Samsung phones, though images are more vibrant and saturated than you’ll find on Apple’s iPhone 13 range. The ultrawide lens does a good job of capturing scenes without a fish-eye effect but the S22 Ultra’s secret weapon is its astonishing two (2!) optical zoom lens. Thanks to optical image stabilisation (OIS) on both, you can capture pin sharp 3x optical zoom images and even 10x optical, with results better than rivals thanks to Samsung’s software smarts keeping everything looking good, and a laser autofocus system rounding off the premium experience and a top of the line 40Mp selfie camera. If you want the most capable camera phone with the best software support – five years from launch – the Galaxy S22 Ultra is it.
Incredible versatile cameras Excellent 5x zoom Clever software tricks RAW option
Huge phone Sometimes photos are not true to life
We still think the Pixel, shot for shot, takes the best looking still images in most lighting conditions. Photos are well balanced with good colour reproduction and detail without oversharpening. The experience in the camera app is great, with great flexibility to shoot with the amazing 50Mp main sensor, the ultrawide, or a very capable 5x optical zoom lens. The core sensors are great, but it’s the software that improves even further. Zooming up to 10x with Google’s Super Res Zoom smarts means hardly any loss in quality, and the clever Magic Eraser tool lets you (sometimes) successfully erase people and objects from photos to create a better scene. Video is very good too, but really the Pixel is all about that 50Mp main lens and just how good images look, consistently. We take more pictures with a Pixel in our pocket, which is the biggest compliment you can give a phone camera.
Stunning 48Mp camera 3x telephoto Superlative video
No real battery life improvement No fast charging Much more expensive in the UK
It’s the first time an iPhone has had more than a 12Mp main sensor, with a huge bump up to 48Mp. You can shoot at this resolution in RAW format, or rely on Apple’s pixel-binning software technique that combines four pixels into one larger pixel to improve low-light performance and detail in a final 12Mp image. Video is still head and shoulders above any Android phone with unparalleled processing and stabilisation that sometimes borders on the scarily good. Even four years ago we couldn’t have dreamt of video this good being shot on a phone. As well as the main sensor there are also ultra-wide and telephoto lenses, the latter with a 3x optical zoom that captures good detail and is great to punch in on scenes that need to be that little bit closer. The 14 Pro is rounded off with a capable selfie camera nestled in the new Dynamic Island. It’s an incredibly good camera set up that will serve you well for years to come.
Phenomenal photos Clever gimbal system Best Android for video
Ugly camera design Messy software
But – if you do take the plunge – you will be rewarded with what is arguably the best phone camera out there. The still shots are something to behold thanks to the main 50Mp sensor’s ability to take in tons of light and outperform most rivals in low light conditions. The way Vivo gets HDR to balance out bright lights in dark scenes is unrivalled, and it’ll push you to take more photos in more challenging conditions. Any phone camera that makes you want to take more photos is a winner in our book. Video is also very good on the X80 Pro thanks to excellent stabilisation on three of the phone’s four rear lenses (main, 2x telephoto, and periscope telephoto). Add to that physical gimbal stabilisation on the 2x telephoto lens that means portrait photos are near flawless, and you have close to the perfect package. If you can hack some somewhat unpolished Android software, you’ll be richly rewarded.
Superb dual cameras Excellent processing Top drawer selfie camera
No telephoto No RAW photo capture
Action Mode in the video settings is also amazing, creating a stabilisation never before seen on smartphones. It’s spookily good (and also included on the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro models). The main camera sensor here is 12Mp, not the updated 48Mp sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro, but unless you are really pixel peeping it’s quite hard to tell the difference. The iPhone 14 still produces excellent day and night shots with good detail and colour, though it’s annoying Apple keeps the ability to shoot in RAW confined to the Pro line. There’s no telephoto lens here either, so if you want to zoom in on things it’s not the best choice. Thankfully the ultrawide lens is solid and lets you capture more of a scene when needed and adds some welcome flexibility to shoot video over two lenses.
Dual 50Mp lenses 13Mp telephoto Image processing chip
Telephoto only 2x
While the ‘microlens’ camera from its predecessor’s setup is no longer in the mix, the Find X5 Pro leads with a dual 50Mp sensor setup across its main and ultrawide snappers, as well as a 13Mp 2x optical zoom lens, and a 32Mp selfie camera. The benefits of that NPU are most prominent with the phone’s low light shooting, which outpaces rivals like the iPhone 13 Pro series, however, dynamic range isn’t quite as broad as the likes of the Pixel 6 line, in the Android camp. The Hasselblad partnership – pulled over from OnePlus – manifests in some UI tweaks and some unique shooting modes, but is more cosmetic than anything else, while the phone as a whole is an elegant blend of power and performance that makes for a nice refinement over last year’s Find X series.
Mid-range price Amazing still images Same ultrawide as Pixel 6 Pro
No telephoto Lacks the Pixel 6 Pro's 50Mp lens
A 12Mp main sensor is paired with the same 12Mp ultrawide found in the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The main in particular takes exceptionally good photos with attractive contrast and the high dynamic range we’ve come to expect – and love – from Google’s Pixel phones.
Much improved cameras over Z Fold 3 Same 50Mp main lens as S22 Impressive dynamic range
Under-display inner camera is bad
The Fold 4 has a mish-mash of cameras, sporting the same 50Mp main and 10Mp telephoto sensors found on the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus as well as the 12Mp from the Fold 3. This means the folding phone/tablet has superb photo and video chops with excellently detailed results from the 50Mp sensor the main draw here. Low-light performance is very good – combining the great rear lenses with the Fold 4’s superior chipset and user experience make this the one to pick over the Galaxy Z Flip 4 if cameras on a foldable are your priority. But the under-display 4Mp camera on the inner large display is really bad, and Samsung should not have sacrificed its quality in trying to hide it. Also if you want hands down the best cameras on any foldable, the one on the Huawei Mate X2 are better than the Fold 4 – but thanks to Huawei’s lack of Google apps and service support, the Fold 4 remains our folding photo pick.
Strong triple rear lenses Has improved with updates Good colour reproduction
Selfie camera not the best
At its launch the phone had some inconsistencies that have now been ironed out with software updates, leaving a mature phone that you can rely on to take good shots all of the time. It was one of the first phones with a 150 degree angle ultrawide lens, which really can capture an awful lot and capture it well, while the optical zoom here beats many more expensive Android phones for reach and quality. Colours are accurately and naturally recreated and only the pickiest mobile photographer will take issue with what this phone can capture.
50Mp main lens excels Great dynamic range Solid 3.5x 64Mp telephoto
Low light not the best Poor portrait photos
The 50Mp ultrawide and 64Mp 3.5x telephoto sensors make up the accomplished trio of lenses, though that circular camera island design might not be to your tastes. That telephoto has a shorter optical range than other phones in this list but we like how Honor has done this to preserve detail at that length rather than stretch the hardware and software too far (10x optical is impressive, but can be overkill). Colour profiles between all three lenses are quite good too, but the main sensor is the start of the show here. If you miss Huawei phones then the Honor Magic 4 Pro feels like a successor to the great P30 Pro, and that can only be a good thing.
