The best camera phones you can buy right now

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the best camera phone you can buy right now. Paired with the optional Photography Kit accessory, this is the first phone that can genuinely replace a DSLR for many people – it’s really that good.

Across all four 50Mp rear Leica lenses – variable-aperture main, ultrawide, 3.2x floating telephoto and 5x telephoto – you can expect stunning results. It’s an excellent point and shoot camera, or you can dive into the settings and really fine-tune images to your liking.

The way the camera captures light is a particular highlight, to the extent that many people wouldn’t believe some photos came from a smartphone. The 32Mp selfie camera is also superb, while video is up there with the best on any smartphone.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is expensive, even before you pay extra for the Photography Kit, but it’s worth it for photography enthusiasts.

After testing the Oppo Find X8 Pro, we find ourselves with very few complaints. This phone excels in every metric. It’s powerful, good-looking, has amazing cameras and plenty of software perks too.

Photography enthusiasts, who value camera performance over everything else, you should pick this over the best from Samsung, Apple or Google. No contest.

The competition from brands like Vivo and Xiaomi is fierce, but Vivo’s best camera phones aren’t currently available in the UK. It’s a tough call between this ad the Xiaomi 14 Ultra so personal choice takes over but the Photography Kit from Xiaomi swings it for us.

Compared to most other options though, we’d happily put up with more heft if it means larger sensors, and hopefully there’s an X8 Ultra on the horizon. For now, though, this is more than good enough.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is another excellent flagship phone from Google, holding much of the same appeal as the Pixel 8 Pro. Although the XL might seem like a new model, its the regular Pro that’s the addition to the range, giving you the option for a smaller Pro model with the same cameras (at the cost of battery life).

The design might not be to everyone’s taste but there’s a new larger and brighter display, which is an absolute beauty. The battery life is improved, but still closer to adequate than good, and you’ll also need to make an additional purchase to benefit from the faster (but still not fast) charging speeds.

Google’s camera system is much the same as before, but that’s no bad thing. It means that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is capable of taking excellent shots in all lighting conditions. The new selfie cam is great, and Google is always improving its image processing, but there’s been no major step up overall so certainly consider the Pixel 8 Pro if you see it at a good price and don’t mind a big phone.

Google’s software and AI tricks are, as always, ahead of the chasing pack, while the seven year update promise continues to be one of the best in the business.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a small step down from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro, but it still has an excellent – and very versatile – camera system.

As usual, the 200Mp lens takes 12.5Mp images by default, but this ensures superb quality without taking up loads of storage. In all environments, including low light, it takes superb stills.

While ditching the S23 Ultra‘s 10x telephoto lens for a 5x version might sound like a downgrade, but it actually means you get optical zoom in the 3-5x range, rather than relying on digital, as was the case before. The ultrawide lens also avoids any significant drop-off in quality, something which often affects cheaper camera phones.

Portrait mode is also strong, especially with the rare ability to adjust the level of background blur after the image has been taken. Macro mode isn’t the best, though the same can be said for most phone cameras, while the 12Mp selfie camera and video capture are both impressive.

The S24 Ultra is about so much more than just great cameras, but its photography and videography abilities remain among the very best.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max builds on what Apple does best – elegant design, powerful performance, and excellent cameras. It’s still the gold standard for shooting video.

The introduction of Apple Intelligence and the Camera Control button makes this phone especially appealing to photographers and those interested in AI-enhanced functionality. The 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen is the best Apple has ever produced, while the A18 Pro chip ensures that the phone is future-proof for years to come.

However, the full potential of Apple’s AI features is not yet available, and with many features not launching until later in the year, some users may want to wait.

Ultimately, if you need an iPhone that pushes the boundaries of photography and performance, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is an excellent choice. But it’s also a very expensive one so consider the iPhone 16 Pro if a smaller screen and battery works for you.

The Magic 6 Pro is Honor’s best phone to date, and the best camera phone the company has ever released in Europe. Three of its four cameras are among the very best around.

The 50Mp main lens has a variable aperture, allowing it to move between f/1.4 and f/2.0 depending on the environment. This enables some of the best low-light camera performance on any smartphone, plus excellent portrait photos with superb edge detection. And with optical image stabilisation, video is also much better than you’ll find on most Android phones.

2.5x optical zoom on the 180Mp telephoto might not sound like much, buy you can crop in on these high-resolution shots and still get the equivalent of a 5x zoom. The 50Mp selfie camera is another highlight, with strong results in all environments – including when pitch black. A 3D depth sensor next to it enables good portrait shots, but also a credible, secure Android rival to Face ID on the iPhone.

The one disappointment is the 50Mp ultrawide camera, which is a significant step down in terms of image quality. You might be hoping for better when you’re paying this much, but it’s hard to fault the Honor Magic 6 Pro’s cameras in pretty much all other areas.

The Xiaomi 14’s cameras aren’t quite as good as the 14 Ultra’s. It’s missing the 5x telephoto lens and separate depth sensor on the back, while the main 50Mp lens doesn’t have a variable aperture.

However, this is still a superb camera phone that more than justifies its inclusion here. The main lens still captures superb, detail-filled photos in almost any conditions, while the ultrawide and 3.2x telephoto enable wide and zoom shots without any significant drop-off in image quality.

Portrait shots and low-light photograph are both excellent, while the front-facing selfie camera is one of the best around. Very good video cement it as one of the finest camera phones around.

Aside from price, the main reason to buy the Xiaomi 14 over the 14 Ultra is its design. The regular 14 is relatively compact by modern standards, making it easy to hold and use, yet it still feels like a luxurious device.

The Pixel 7a is no longer Google’s latest mid-range phone – that award goes to the Pixel 8a.

However, there have been no changes to the camera hardware on the newer model, while the 7a can often be found with some big discount. If you want a great camera phone without paying a lot of money, the Pixel 7a is undoubtedly the device to get.

Much of this is centred around the 64Mp main rear lens, which remains one of the very best for point-and-shoot photography. Without changing any settings, you can jump into the camera app and take excellent photos almost every time – regardless of the lighting conditions.

There is a drop-off when switching to the 12Mp ultrawide, but there’s not too much of a drop-off in image quality, making it a useful alternative. The lack of any telephoto camera is the main frustration, with digital zoom a poor alternative.

However, on the front, the 13Mp selfie lens is among the best around in good lighting conditions, with the option for realistic portrait-style shots (just like the main camera). You also get 4K video on all three lenses and useful AI editing features.

Overall, for the price you can often get it for in 2024, the Pixel 7a is a no-brainer when it comes to great phone photos on a budget.

As an all-round phone, the Galaxy S24+ has the slight edge on the regular Galaxy S24. But it’s also significantly more expensive

If camera quality is your top priority, there’s no need to spend more unless you want to step up to the S24 Ultra. Despite being a relatively compact phone, the regular S24 has some superb camera hardware which delivers some great results across both photos and video.

Its 50Mp main lens is very capable in all environments, but particularly low light, where the large sensor allows it to capture plenty of light. The level of detail it can provide is excellent, while colours are more natural than we’ve seen from Samsung phones in the past.

The 10Mp telephoto offers the flexibility of a 3x optical zoom, meaning you can get some excellent zoom shots or portraits, which the S24 handles well. Elsewhere, the 12Mp ultrawide isn’t as much of a downgrade compared to the main lens as it sounds, though it tends to struggle a lot more in low light.

And on the front, you can expect high-quality selfies from the 12Mp lens, making it a very good all-round camera system with few weaknesses. The phones above it in this list are all technically better in one aspect, but the combination of Galaxy AI and a relatively affordable price tag make the Galaxy S24 a great alternative.

In general, the cameras on folding phones are a step down from the absolute best you’ll find on a regular smartphone. But while all the other phones on this list have slightly better cameras, the photography experience on the OnePlus Open is the best we’ve seen on a foldable.

Each of the three rear sensors are flagship level, with the 64Mp ultrawide a particular highlight with its 3x optical zoom. The 64Mp main lens handles both architecture and landscapes well, and can produce some excellent portrait shots.

And unlike many phones the 48Mp ultrawide lens is only a small step down in quality. The cameras here are on par with the flagship OnePlus 11, which is great to see.

However, they’re not perfect. The night mode is largely ineffective at brightening low-light shots, while the cameras above the cover and internal displays aren’t great. At least you can easily use the rear cameras for selfies.