The best camera phones offer a tantalizing combination of the pinnacle of imaging technology with pin-sharp displays and lightning-fast internet connectivity. In fact, some handsets can deliver better photographs than the ‘proper’ camera you might otherwise be tempted to pick up. As camera phone technology progresses, you might find it tricky to keep up to date on the latest handsets available. With so many options on the market, picking the best camera phone is a very hard task, as different photography-centric mobiles take very different approaches to capturing fantastic images.
No matter whether you’re looking for a high end camera phone that will help you capture fantastic social media content, or you’re simply looking for an everyday handset that will capture beautiful family snaps, we’ve rounded up the best camera phones currently available below…
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
If you’re looking for a handset with an excellent camera, then the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra could be exactly what you’re looking for. This camera phone features four rear cameras, including a 108MP f/1.8 main camera, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera and two 10MP telephoto cameras – one with an f/2.4 aperture and 3x optical zoom and one with an f/4.9 aperture and a huge 10x optical zoom. It’s worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is pretty big, offering a 6.8″ screen size that users with smaller hands might struggle to maneuver. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display features a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and gaming experiences, HDR10+ support, 1500-nit peak brightness and a 1440 x 3200 resolution.
iPhone 13 Pro / iPhone 13 Pro Max
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are stunning camera phones, each packing a 12MP f/1.5 main sensor with big 1.9µm pixels, a 12MP f/1.8 ultra-wide, and a 12MP f/2.8 telephoto, with 3x optical zoom.
While they don’t have the lens numbers or optical zoom length of some phones on this list, their performance is sublime, and while they lack a dedicated macro lens, they’re still arguably better for macro photography than any rival.
Low light performance particularly impressed us in our tests, but whatever type of shot you’re aiming for, the iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max should be able to do it justice.
The new Photographic Styles feature and Cinematic mode both impress too, though we suspect they might not be massively used by most buyers. But with an improved Portrait mode, the return of ProRAW, and a great point-and-shoot experience, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are photography beasts.
Huawei P50 Pro
The Huawei P50 Pro is the Chinese manufacturer’s latest P-series high-end smartphone. The camera setup combines a large-sensor primary camera with a 13 mm ultra-wide, a 90 mm tele, a monochrome sensor, and a multispectral color temperature sensor for optimizing white balance and color rendering.
It also revives the concept of using a monochrome sensor alongside the primary sensor, something last seen in the P20 Pro from 2018. The monochrome sensor improves fine detail rendering and reduces noise, especially in low light. It also helps with depth estimation for the simulated bokeh effect.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
The Mi 11 Ultra is our latest Editors’ choice for cameraphone. It packs a unique combination of top-class hardware and puts it to good use, producing great results across virtually all scenarios.
If we’re to point out a single flaw of the Mi 11 Ultra’s photos, that would be the main camera’s underexposed output. Other than that we have nothing but praise for the Mi 11 Ultra’s primary camera stills both in daylight and after dark. The ultrawide has autofocus and an extreme field of view and takes some of the best UW images, no matter the light. The 5x tele is spectacular at its native zoom level but can also rival 10x units like the one on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, so you’re not really sacrificing reach either.
An unlikely gamechanger, the tiny 1.1 rear-facing OLED display lets you frame rear camera selfies, relegating the front camera to video calls. And the Mi’s rear-camera selfies are, again, second to none, plus you get to use the AF-ing ultrawide for some weird perspective shots.
Video recording is another strong suit of the Mi 11 Ultra. Actually usable 8K footage, properly excellent 4K and nearly tripod-level stabilization mean the Mi is as great for video as it is for stills. We’re only hoping Xiaomi unlocks the rear display for video use, it wasn’t available at review time.
The Mi 11 Ultra makes few compromises in the other departments as well. You get a wonderful display, top-quality stereo speakers, speedy charging and actually not bad battery life within the flagship scene. The best camera phone is a mighty good phone overall.
Google Pixel 6 Pro
The Pixel 6 Pro is finally here and has a lot of new features we liked instantly. The new design is cool, the 120Hz OLED screen is great, and the phone has one of the fastest chips on the market.
The Pixels are known for their cameras and the Pixel 6 Pro delivers handsomely – it has a triple rear camera a 50MP primary, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 48MP snapper with long-range 4X zoom. The photo and video quality has been improved significantly and there are even some new tricks thanks to the Tensor chip. Finally, since it’s a Pixel, you can expect on-time Android updates
The new Pixel 6 Pro also brings a brand-new selfie camera – a long overdue upgrade over the previous models. It’s a 11.1MP sensor with 4K video capturing.
It’s not all great. though. Its battery life is uninspiring, the HDR+ won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. There are also the color inconsistencies between the primary and the ultrawide cameras.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
If the Huawei Mate 40 Pro wasn’t limited by its unfortunate lack of access to the Google Play Store, then you would definitely see it rank much higher up our best camera phones guide. The Huawei Mate 40 Pro’s camera system features a 50MP main camera, a 12MP 125mm telephoto periscope camera and a 20MP ultra wide camera. With PDAF, OIS and a 5x optical zoom, users can expect a fantastic experience when capturing both photos and video. If you fancy experimenting with manual controls, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro features manual ISO of up to 6400, a manual shutter of up to 30secs and shooting modes including Slow-mo, Panorama, Monochrome, Light Painting and more.
