The best camera phones need more than just impressive hardware specs to standout from their rivals. Those phones also need extra superlative features, top of the range photo processing tools, alongside some AI magic to make good photos look amazing and ready for social media. These are the things we look for every time we review a brand new smartphone.
Currently, it’s the iPhone 16 Pro that offers the best blend of hardware and software. Apple has made great changes to the cameras on that new phone, but the company’s photo processing prowess results in some great pictures, based on our hands-on testing. Plus, once Apple Intelligence leaves beta at the end of October, you’ll find a growing number of AI-based editing tools to further enhance your shots.
But if you’re looking for the best camera phone among Android devices, you’re not hurting for choices. We give the Pixel 9 Pro the edge over the Galaxy S24 Ultra after Samsung’s phone was topped in a 200-photo face-off with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. (The Pixel 9 Pro has the same camera setup as the XL, but costs $200 less.) Meanwhile, the Pixel 8a, which costs a little less than $500, is the best choice for people on a tighter budget.
Our best camera phone picks reflect hundreds of hour of testing in different conditions, with the testing conducted by me and the rest of the Tom’s Guide phones team. Between all of us, we’ve got four decades of experience looking at smartphones and their cameras, so we know what separates good camera phones from great ones. Here’s what we recommend, right now.
The quick list
Here’s a summary of the best camera phones you can buy right now based on our head-to-head testing of each phone’s camera capabilities. Keep scrolling to find the in-depth reviews of every camera phone featured here.
Improvements to every rear camera vault the iPhone 16 Pro to the top of the best camera phone list. We’re particularly impressed with the improved zoom lens, while low-light photos keep this phone ahead of the competition. The Camera Control button is a clever addition, too.
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For
- Bigger display
- Improved battery life
- Helpful Camera Control
- 5x zoom and improved ultra wide camera
- Impressive Audio Mix for videos
- Better Siri and promising Apple Intelligence features
Against
- Same slow charging speeds (again)
- Apple Intelligence a work in progress
Don’t expect many hardware changes to the Pixel 9 Pro’s camera setup, though an upgraded ultrawide lens does add an excellent Macro Focus feature. The real story is the top-notch photo processing capabilities as well as the new photo editing tools made possible by the Pixel’s Tensor G4 chipset.
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For
- Super bright display
- Compact design
- Excellent camera performance, especially on zooms
- Above-average battery life
- A year of Gemini Advanced included
- Pixel Screenshots is a standout addition
Against
- Performance trails other flagships
- As pricey as larger Pixel 8 Pro
- Some AI capabilities are works in progress
3. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
If money is no object, turn to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which holds its own against our top two picks in head-to-head comparisons. AI-powered photo editing tools add to the S24 Ultra’s value.
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For
- Practical AI features
- Long-lasting battery endurance
- Incredible processing power
- 7 years of software and security updates
- Sharp main camera
Against
- Less detailed 5x telephoto camera
- $100 price hike over S23 Ultra
Google continues to prove you don’t need to spend big bucks for a great camera phone, as its latest sub-$500 device, the Pixel 8a matches up well with any other entry on this list. The phone also offers AI-powered editing tools similar to what you get on the Pixel 8 flagships.
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For
- Price unchanged from Pixel 7a
- 7 years of software & security updates
- Useful AI features
- Matte finish design
- Brighter screen
Against
- Very minor camera improvements
- Slower charging speed
The iPhone 16 proves you don’t have to pay Pro prices for a great camera phone, especially after Apple increased the size of the ultrawide sensor and added a Macro photo mode for terrific close-ups. Otherwise, the iPhone 16 delivers the same stellar shooting abilities as its predecessor.
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For
- Stylish design with bold colors
- Powerful A18 chip performance
- Improved ultrawide camera for macro photography
- Spatial photo and video support
Against
- 60Hz refresh rate is dated
- Apple Intelligence features not really innovative
Credit OnePlus for working hard over the years to improve camera performance, an effort that culminates in the OnePlus 12. Besides high-quality images from its main lens, the OnePlus 12 offers an improved telephoto camera with a much better 3x optical zoom than previous OnePlus flagships.
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For
- Wireless charging returns
- Sharper 3x periscope camera
- Bright, high-contrast display
- Responsive performance
- Price is basically the same
Against
- No AI features at launch
- Underexposed low light photos
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The Galaxy S24 puts a flagship camera phone in your hands for $500 less than the S24 Ultra. You’ll get bright, colorful photos, along with the Galaxy AI-powered photo editing tools of Samsung’s more expensive S24 models.
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For
- Clever Galaxy AI features
- Excellent battery life in a compact phone
- Brighter display than before
- Outstanding performance for Snapdragon-powered models
- 7 years of updates
Against
- Some AI features are works in progress
- No big camera improvements
- Snapdragon chipset only in North American models
8. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
An improved main camera vaults the Galaxy Z Flip 6 ahead of other foldable phones when it comes to camera performance. The 50MP sensor can also capture zoom shots that replicate a 2x optical zoom. You also get help from Galaxy AI tools when it comes to image editing
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For
- Durable design
- Excellent low light camera performance
- Speedy performance
- New Galaxy AI features
Against
- Costs $100 more
- Battery life could be better
I’m the managing editor for mobile at Tom’s Guide, and I’ve been covering technology since 1999. The launch of the original iPhone in 2007 meant I started covering phones. I joined Tom’s Guide in 2015, and in that time, I’ve developed an expertise with Android phones, as you can see by the stack of Samsung, Google and Motorola device in my house. Go through my photo library, and you’ll find plenty of images shot by a variety of phones in the name of the head-to-head testing we do to pick the best camera phones.
The best camera phones you can buy today
The best camera phone overall
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Point to a camera on the back of the iPhone 16 Pro, and Apple has improved it. The biggest change is to the telephoto lens, which now matches the tetraprism design and 5x optical zoom added to last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max model. But the main camera on the iPhone 16 Pro is now a faster Fusion camera while the ultrawide lens gets an upgraded 48MP sensor.
Having good specs on paper is one thing, but the iPhone 16 Pro delivered great results in our hands-on testing, with brighter and more detailed action shots, colors that looked more natural in images shot by the ultrawide lens and some of the best low-light photos we’ve seen. Zooms look better, too, even if the Galaxy S24 Ultra continues to deliver the best close-ups of any phone we’ve tested.
A Camera Control button on the side of the iPHone 16 Pro makes it easy to launch the camera, snap photos and even control different modes without have to use any on-screen controls. It’s a useful addition, though it will take some getting used to. When it’s time to study your pictures, the iPhone 16 Pro offers a bigger 6.3-inch screen to view them on. The arrival of Apple Intelligence later this year introduces a Photo Clean Up tool that matches a similar feature on the latest Pixel phones, though we find Google’s version to be a little more polished.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max duplicates the standard Pro’s camera setup and its features, including improved video shooting capabilities that let you 4K 120fps slow-motion video. But the iPhone 16 Pro Max also costs $200 more than the iPhone 16 Pro. Given that the photo experiences are so similar, we think camera buffs should go for the Pro and pocket the savings, though it you prefer the bigger screen for viewing your photos, you’d get a similar experience with the Pro Max.
Read our full iPhone 16 Pro review.
The best Android camera phone
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Google continues to make excellent camera phones with the Pixel 9 lineup, and in our opinion, the Pixel 9 Pro is the best of the bunch. You get the same triple camera setup as the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL, but you save $100 on the cost. And considering the Pixel 9 Pro XL topped the Galaxy S24 Ultra with that same camera setup, we think Android users should turn to the Pixel 9 Pro for the best Android camera phone.
It’s the Pixel 9 Pro’s 5x optical zoom and its crystal clear close-ups that really stand out. In our testing, the Pixel 9 Pro’s zoom proved a lot crisper than those shot by the iPhone 15 Pro — not surprising as the latter can only muster a 3x zoom. When you need to push things furter, the Pixel’s Super Res Zoom feature can go up to 30x while minimizing the noise that can creep into a shot.
A larger ultrawide lens on the Pixel 9 Pro helps with those shots and adds a fantastic Macro Focus feature that lets you get up close to a subject for detailed shots. But the real star here is the photo-processing features that produced balanced colorful shots in our testing. You’ll also appreciate AI-powered editing tools like a Reimagine feature that enhances selected areas of a shot, even if the results aren’t always realistic and an Add Me tool that lets you insert yourself into group shots instead of always just taking the pictures.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra have more camera capabilities overall. But this is the camera phone to get for less than $1,000.
Read our full Google Pixel 9 Pro review.
The best premium camera phone
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If you’ve used a Galaxy S Ultra lately, you know exactly the kind of camera performance to expect from the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The camera setup is the same as before by and large, with the exception of larger pixels that are capable of capturing more light. As a result, colors are a bit brighter in images captured by the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The other big change to this year’s phone involves one of the telephoto lenses, as a a 10MP sensor gives way to a 50MP one. That means more detail in zoom shots, but the new setup also scales back the optical zoom from 10x to 5x. The Galaxy S24 Ultra can still support a 10x zoom by shooting images at full 50MP resolution and then cropping in on an area of detail. It works well, though we’ve spotted some softer areas in the S24 Ultra’s images compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. As a result, the S24 Ultra yields one of its traditional edges over the iPhone.
We do like the AI tools Samsung includes for photo-editing, like the ability to resize and move around the subjects of a photo with the help of generative AI. Then again, those features are also available on Samsung’s less expensive S24 models and the One UI 6.1 updated added them to the Galaxy S23 phones as well as Samsung’s latest foldables.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
The best low-cost camera phone
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The Google Pixel 8a isn’t a big leap forward from the Pixel 7a it replaces as Google’s budget-priced phone. The new model uses the same 64MP main camera as its predecessor, and the photo-processing capabilities are at the same high level. While Pixel 7a owners have little reason to upgrade, newcomers looking for a low-cost camera phone will appreciate the high-quality output produced by the Pixel 8a.
The new Tensor G3 chipset powering the Pixel 8a also enables some very impressive photo editing tools already available on the Pixel 8 flagships. You can use Magic Editor to reposition and resize the subjects of your photos, while Best Take can swap in faces to ensure nobody’s blinking when you take a group photo.
Best of all, the Pixel 8a does feature improved battery life, long an area where previous Pixel phones have struggled. By besting the average smartphone by 1.5 hours on our battery test, you won’t have to worry about losing power when you take the Pixel 8a on an extended photo shoot.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review.
The best iPhone value
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Not everyone wants to spend $999 or more on a new phone, even if the camera are the best available. The $799 iPhone 16 provides a compelling alternative to the iPhone 16 Pro by still producing great shots without some of the higher-end hardware you’ll find on Apple’s Pro models.
For example, there’s no telephoto lens on the iPhone 16. Instead, you use the 48MP main camera to crop in on a shot, effectively mimicking a 2x optical zoom. The upgraded ultrawide lens in the iPhone 16 may not feature a 48MP sensor, but the sensor is physically larger to let in more light. And you can now shoot macro shots on the iPhone 16’s ultrawide lens that turned out very well in our testing. What’s more, the iPhone 16 picks up the same Camera Control button Apple added to its Pro models.
As for our photo testing, the iPhone 16 produced shots that not only held their own against iPhone 16 Pro photos but also topped images from other phones in its price range. Sample iPhone 16 photos show a great deal of dynamic range, and the phone also proved to handle low-light shooting situations with ease.
The camera lenses on the back of the iPhone 16 have been rearranged, but not for aesthetic reasons — with the cameras stacked on top of each other, you can now capture spatial video on Apple’s least expensive flagship.
Just as the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max share a camera setup, so does the regular iPhone 16 and the larger iPhone 16 Plus. You can save $100 by opting for the standard model, or you can get the Plus and enjoy a bigger screen and longer-lasting battery — the camera experiences will be the same.
Read our full iPhone 16 review.
Most improved camera phone
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You can’t claim that cameras are a weak area for OnePlus flagships anymore, certainly not after the OnePlus 12 captured images that could stand up well against anything captured by top Samsung and Apple camera phones. Credit goes to the fourth generation Hasselblad camera that OnePlus has included on this year’s phone after once again teaming up with the lens specialist to fine tune its optics.
The biggest change this year is to the telephoto lens, which not only features a 64MP sensor on the OnePlus 12 but also extends its optical zoom capabilities to 3x. The result is sharper, more detailed zoom shots that compare more favorably to other top camera phones.
The OnePlus 12 does occasionally struggle with exposure on low-light images and at launch it lacks some of the AI-powered editing tools you’ll find on the latest Samsung and Google flagships. But along with the Galaxy S24, this is one of the cheaper options when it comes to a flagship phone equipped with a telephoto lens.
Read our full OnePlus 12 review.
The best value Samsung camera phone
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As impressive as the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s cameras are, that’s a pretty costly phone at $1,299. For $500 less, the Galaxy S24 delivers high-quality photos and the same Galaxy AI photo editing features found on the Ultra. You may not get a 200MP sensor for the main camera, but the S24’s 50MP shooter is perfectly capable of capturing detailed, colorful photos. The Galaxy S24 is one of the few phones under $800 that offers a telephoto lens.
Truth be told, Samsung didn’t change much with the camera hardware from the Galaxy S23, but the Galaxy S24 does support all the Galaxy AI found on other new Samsung flagships. That includes edit suggestions where the S24 will suggest possible edits to improve your pictures. A generative editing tool lets you resize and move objects or erase them entirely.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review.
The best foldable camera phone
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After years of flip phones that made do with a 12MP main camera, Samsung updates the Galaxy Z Flip 6 with a 50MP sensor for the main lens. That not only means sharper pictures from this foldable phone, but the main camera can take advantage of pixel binning to approximate a 2x optical zoom. That’s a clever workaround having to fit a dedicated telephoto lens into such a compact folding design, where space is at a premium.
The improved camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 performs well, topping the Motorola Razr Plus (2024) when we compared their camera output. Galaxy Z Flip 6 users will also appreciate the ability to use the exterior cameras to shoot selfies, with the Flip’s 3.4-inch cover display acting as a view finder. Galaxy AI features — including ones that convert your images into illustrations or cartoons round out the camera features.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 costs $100 more than its predecessors, but if you’re looking for the best cameras on a foldable phone, you won’t mind paying the premium price.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.
How to pick the best camera phone
There are many factors to consider if camera quality factors heavily into your smartphone purchasing decision. A good way to start is by asking yourself what kinds of photos you see yourself taking. Not all multi-lens cameras are created equal — some have ultrawide lenses for stunning landscapes, others have telephotos for zoomed-in shallow-depth-of-field portraits, and a lot of premium devices offer both.
The newest flagships from the likes of Samsung and Huawei even have periscope-style lenses that offer varying degrees of optical zoom. The best historically offered 10x magnification, which can rival the power of DSLRs.
Something else to consider: Megapixels don’t matter as much as aperture. Cameras with a wider aperture (lower ƒ-stop numbers translate to wider lenses) let in more light, which greatly helps produce better shots in the dark. The high-megapixel sensors found in the latest devices are nice, but it’s a common misconception that pixel count directly translates to better-looking photos.
Do you need a portrait mode that allows for bokeh backgrounds? That’s where the subject of the photo is in sharp focus, while an artistic blur blankets the rest of the scene. Although it started as a feature exclusive to multi-camera phones, even cheaper phones like the single-lens iPhone SE 2022 can now capture bokeh-effect portraits. Some devices even let you adjust the strength of the blur before and after you take a shot.
You also need to consider what kind of post-capture processing your phones are doing. This has been the norm for many years now, and with the rise of AI it means there are even more ways to improve and enhance your images after the shutter has been activated. However not all camera processing is equal, and it’s not the kind of thing you can really compare without seeing photos side-by-side — which is why we always put phone cameras through their paces.
Front camera specs are important, too. In a world where we’re taking more selfies than ever, you shouldn’t overlook a phone’s front camera. Many front cameras, like the ones on the iPhone 16 and Pixel 9, can actually perform the same portrait mode effects that rear cameras pull off. Some phones feature two front cameras, with the second lens pulling in more background details, though that trend has fallen out of fashion recently.
Finally, don’t forget about video. Your cameras shoot more than just still images. Consider what resolution the camera captures video at, along with the frame rate. A word to the wise, though: Be wary that ratcheting up the resolution will result in clips that take up much more space on your smartphone’s internal storage.
For a good rundown of what to consider when looking for the best camera phone, check out our guide on which camera specs you should pay attention to.
How we test camera phones
When we evaluate the best camera phones, we pick phones of comparable prices and capabilities and put them through a range of head-to-head comparisons. We pick common shooting situations — landscapes, indoor and outdoor shots, portraits and selfies in daylight and at night. We also test out each camera lens, including ultrawide angle and telephoto lenses if the phone features those.
In addition to testing the rear lenses of each phone, we also test the front camera, snapping selfies in both standard and portrait mode. We then compare the results to similar camera phones.
Photos used in our comparisons are taken with the default settings on each camera. Even if a phone offers manual controls, we don’t test those, as we want to replicate the experience the typical smartphone user would have using the camera app on a device.
In each of our smartphone reviews, we also factor in any special features, such as dual lenses and what they enable, Portrait Modes, and other special modes, before we come to a conclusion.
Camera testing is the most relevant evaluation for picking the best camera phones, but our smartphone reviews include other testing, such as performance testing, battery testing and display testing. You can see the full results of those tests — outlined in our explanation of how Tom’s Guide tests and reviews smartphones — when we rate the best phones overall and in our 200 photos head-to-head shoot outs.
