The best camera phone in 2026: what's the best smartphone for photography?

Having a great camera phone is essential for taking amazing photos wherever you are, whenever you’d like. After all, not everyone can carry around a big DSLR at all times. I love a good camera phone because it’s simply convenient. As technology continues to progress, the best camera phones have powerful image sensors, incredible features, and the ability to process and edit images with the touch of a button.

With all that technology out there, though, it can be hard to make a decision on what phone is best for you. That’s where I come in. At DCW, we’ve tested all of these camera phones firsthand so you can be sure that I know which ones truly take the best photos. And since I am also a photographer, I really do know how to distinguish a good photo from a bad one.

If you want to get right into it, my favorite overall pick for both photo and video is the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max with stunning quality and ease of use. If you’re just a photo enthusiast, then the Google Pixel 10 Pro / 10 Pro XL is the way to go, as I love their cameras for photography and AI editing smarts.

Finally, this guide is a mix of phones from all manufacturers, but if you are specifically team Apple or team Android, then you might want to check out my specific best iPhone or best Android phone for photography guides.

Gareth Bevan

Gareth is the Reviews Editor at Digital Camera World – and the person in charge of approving all the latest camera-related tech. As an experienced photographer, he is always on the lookout for top camera phone quality to rival his mirrorless cameras, and always jumping between Android and iOS, he knows each system's strengths and weaknesses when it comes to photo and video.

The Quick List

The best camera phones

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

The best phone for photography

Image 1 of 10

Again, Google has released its flagship in two sizes, but has equipped both sizes of phone with identical camera setups and other specs. With no trade-offs to make between the two – you just need to decide if a 6.3-inch Pixel 10 Pro or 6.8-inch Pixel 10 Pro XL screen suits your hands and pockets more comfortably.

The Pixel 10 Pros have seen a very modest update in cameras from last year's models, with the same trio of sensors in the rear. But that really doesn't matter, as just as the Pixel 9 Pro sat atop our list of best camera phones, with the Pixel 10 Pros, Google is keeping the good times rolling.

The quality and consistency of its cameras are sublime, with the phones particularly excelling in night-time photography. But where Google is improving is with its ever-increasing stable of AI-enhanced modes like blur reduction, which uses machine learning to unblur images, and 'Best Take', which lets you swap the expressions of photo participants so everyone looks their best. Google has also introduced a new AI-assisted Pro Res Zoom that provides brilliantly sharp results beyond the phone's usual optical limits.

For anyone who wants to get a bit more serious with their photography, the Pixel 10 Pros also have a RAW capture, letting you take full advantage of the megapixel-packed sensor, as well as a new pro controls mode giving you manual control over the look of your images, just like you might get with a mirrorless camera.

Although when it comes to video, it still can't quite compete with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Google has added a neat new Video Boost, though, which uses AI in the cloud to clean up dark video to improve clarity, which works nicely but is not a make-or-break feature, although this doesn't work on the ultra-wide camera.

With a sleek new design that flattens out the sides and the screen, this is also the best-looking Pixel yet. The screen is beautiful to use and gives Apple a run for its money in clarity and color. Google is also now future-proofing its phones by way of continued software support for up to 7 years. You do get a lot for your money here, as well as some peace of mind, as yet again the Pixel range has gone up in price.

Read more: Google Pixel 10 Pro & 10 Pro XL review

The best phone for video

Image 1 of 10

The iPhone 17 Pro series represents Apple’s most capable camera phone push to date. At 6.9″ for the Pro Max, the screen still delivers 120Hz ProMotion and now peaks at around 3,000 nits with an anti-reflective coating, making it easier to use outdoors. Inside, the A19 Pro chip is paired with a vapour-chamber cooling system to sustain high performance and long battery life, even under heavy use.

The camera system is the headline upgrade: all three rear lenses (wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto) are now 48 MP sensors, and the telephoto now supports 4x optical zoom (and up to 8x hybrid). This gives the phone a broader focal-length reach – approaching 70-200 mm equivalent – something we’ve rarely seen in an iPhone before. The front camera also gets a significant overhaul: an 18 MP “Center Stage” unit uses a larger sensor and smarter framing to make selfies and group shots easier to capture.

In terms of design, Apple switches back to an aluminium unibody instead of titanium, allowing for bold new finishes (including Cosmic Orange) and a full-width camera “plateau”. The phone is slightly larger/heavier than last year’s model, but that seems part of the trade-off for the bigger camera and battery upgrades.

For users who prioritise photography – especially zoom and content creation – this is arguably the most complete iPhone yet. The improvements across screen brightness, camera versatility, battery life, and performance feel like a proper “pro” step up.

Read more: Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review

The best phone for Galaxy fans

Image 1 of 4

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra still delivers the most premium Samsung phone experience, pairing a huge, gorgeous display with top-tier flagship performance and Samsung’s familiar quad-camera setup. This year’s biggest camera changes are more subtle than revolutionary, but the upgraded 200MP main camera now gets a faster f/1.4 lens, while the ultra-wide and 5x telephoto continue to make this one of the most versatile camera systems on any mainstream flagship.

In use, the S26 Ultra is a very capable all-round camera phone. The 200MP main sensor remains the star, producing reliably sharp 12MP shots with plenty of detail and flexibility for cropping, while the ultra-wide performs well in lower light and the 5x zoom still holds up nicely against the iPhone and Pixel. Night photography is also improved, with darker skies and less overblown processing than previous Galaxy Ultras.

That said, Samsung’s familiar weaknesses are still here. Color can be too warm and saturated, processing is still a little heavy-handed, and the 3x camera remains the weak link of the setup. So while the S26 Ultra is another formidable Galaxy camera phone, it still feels more like a refinement than a true leap forward.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on review

The best value camera phone

Image 1 of 5

Google has taken almost everything we like about the flagship Pixel 9 – Tensor G4 silicon, seven years of updates, Circle-to-Search, and Gemini AI smarts – and slipped it into a lighter plastic shell that sells for nearly half the money. The headline 48 MP sensor is smaller than the Pixel 8a’s, yet clever optics now lock focus as close as 8 cm, letting you fill the frame with food, flowers, or watch gears while keeping backgrounds dreamily soft. In daylight, the 9a’s computational chops deliver the familiar “Pixel look”: punchy contrast, believable colours and well-controlled highlights, with 2–3× sensor-crop zoom that stays remarkably clean.

Low-light photos still benefit from Night Sight, but moving subjects blur, and each frame needs a couple of seconds to finish processing—patience is essential. Video exposes the hardware limits more clearly: 4K is crisp in good light, yet the ultrawide turns grainy after dusk, and there’s no tele lens to lean on.

Away from the cameras, the 9a over-delivers. The 120 Hz OLED peaks at 1,800 nit outdoors, stereo speakers are lively, and the 5,100mAh battery comfortably lasts a day and a half. Wireless charging, an IP68 rating, and Google’s unmatched software roadmap are still rare below $500, making the Pixel 9a a phone you can keep long after many mid-range rivals stop receiving patches. Yes, the bezels are chunky and the matte plastic back won’t win style awards, but if you want reliable point-and-shoot results, usable macro, and guaranteed longevity on a tight budget, nothing else offers the same photographic bang per buck.

Read more: Google Pixel 9a review

The best camera phone for zoom

Image 1 of 10

The OPPO Find X9 Pro pushes camera-phone boundaries with its triple-lens system, delivering exceptional consistency and natural colour across the board. At the heart of the setup is a stunning 200MP telephoto camera (co-engineered with Hasselblad) that offers 3x optical zoom and up to 13.2x lossless zoom. Supporting that are a 50MP main sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide lens, plus a dedicated “True Colour” sensor for excellent colour accuracy.

What really elevates the Find X9 Pro is the optional Hasselblad Teleconverter accessory. This lens attaches via a bespoke phone case and augments the 70mm equivalent telephoto by 3.28x, turning it into a 230mm equivalent optical lens, and via high-resolution cropping supporting up to 920mm equivalent reach.

While the results aren’t perfect for all conditions (the effective aperture narrows and longer exposures may be required), the quality and capability are among the best I’ve yet seen in a smartphone-zoom setup. This makes the Find X9 Pro not just a camera-phone, but a serious long-reach imaging tool – one that is even argued to challenge bridge cameras.

Outside of photography, it packs a huge battery (7,500 mAh) which can comfortably deliver two-day usage, thanks to OPPO’s silicon-carbon battery tech and efficient hardware, and the display and build bring flagship polish.

If your priority is photography versatility – especially ultra-long zoom and top-tier sensors – the Find X9 Pro stands out as one of the strongest camera-phone contenders this year.

Read more: Oppo Find X9 Pro review

The best camera phone for pros

Image 1 of 10

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a standout contender in the premium camera phone category, thanks to its Leica co-engineering, huge 1-inch main sensor, and unusually ambitious approach to zoom. It pairs a 50MP 23mm main camera with a 50MP ultra-wide and a new 200MP telephoto that uses a mechanical optical zoom covering roughly 75-100mm, giving it a distinctive mix of classic focal lengths in one device.

Leica’s involvement again gives the phone a strong photographic identity, and that is a big part of the appeal here. In testing, the main camera proved excellent, with particularly strong low-light performance, while Xiaomi’s Leica color profiles help images look more deliberate and camera-like than many rival flagships. The phone also supports optical-quality in-sensor zoom up to 400mm, adding even more reach for photographers who like to experiment.

Image quality is excellent overall, and the 1-inch sensor remains one of the biggest reasons to consider this phone over more mainstream rivals. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is also fast enough to feel like a true flagship in everyday use, with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 power and a large 6,000mAh battery backing up its camera ambitions.

There are a few drawbacks, though. Lens-to-lens color consistency is not perfect, the mechanically clever zoom is more impressive technically than transformational in practice, and macro performance is a little weaker than before because of the longer minimum focusing distance.

Overall, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is an exceptional choice for serious mobile photographers who want one of the boldest, most camera-like phones on the market right now

Read more: Xiaomi 17 Ultra review

The best value iPhone

Image 1 of 3

The iPhone 17 introduces a number of meaningful upgrades while maintaining a familiar overall design. The 6.3" Super Retina display now benefits from 120 Hz ProMotion and an Always On mode, delivering smoother visuals and enhanced usability compared with the previous model.

Under the hood, the A19 chip powers a new generation of image-processing features thanks to its expanded Neural Accelerator core, bringing improved photographic styles and smarter algorithms.

On the camera front, the main sensor is now 48 MP with a quad-pixel architecture, at once enabling high-resolution detail and solid low-light capture. The ultra-wide lens gets a bump too, allowing up to 48 MP captures, which means greater freedom for expansive scenes and creative framing. The front camera undergoes its biggest leap: an 18 MP square sensor paired with the new Centre Stage framing system. This lets the phone intelligently reorient between portrait and landscape selfies, making the process of capturing group shots or switching orientations seamless.

However, if you were hoping for major gains in optical zoom reach, this model sticks with a 2x optical zoom (based on the central portion of the sensor), meaning it doesn’t deliver the extended reach of higher-end models.

In practical use, the iPhone 17 performs reliably for everyday photography and video creation: low-light stills are improved with sharper outcomes and more background detail than its predecessor, and handheld video modes benefit from enhanced stabilisation.

Read more: Apple iPhone 17 review

The best foldable camera phone

Image 1 of 7

The Honor Magic V5 arrives as a sleek and ambitious foldable, delivering one of the most refined “book-style” folds available. It is impressively thin and light for its class, making it feel closer to a standard smartphone than many bulkier rivals.

Internally, it’s powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset paired with a large 5,820 mAh “silicon-carbon” battery, offering strong performance and stamina for a foldable form. The screen experience is excellent: both the outer cover display and the inner fold-out panel deliver smooth 120 Hz refresh rates and minimal visible crease, and almost tablet-like when open.

Camera-wise, the Magic V5 houses a capable triple-lens array: a 50 MP main shooter, a 50 MP ultra-wide, and a 64 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and solid performance in low light and tricky lighting conditions.

For those seeking a premium foldable that feels refined, performs well, and offers serious flexibility, the Magic V5 is a strong contender – but if flawless photography is your top priority, there are still much better non-folding options.

Read more: Honor Magic V5 review

The best value flagship

Image 1 of 10

The OnePlus 15 delivers top-tier performance, a sleek new design, and outstanding battery life, making it one of the more compelling flagship Android phones this year. Powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip combined with LPDDR5X Ultra+ RAM, it handles demanding apps and gaming with ease.

Its 6.78-inch flat AMOLED display supports up to a 165 Hz refresh rate, offering smooth scrolling and responsiveness whether you’re navigating the interface or playing fast-paced games. Design-wise, OnePlus has evolved from the “fun” textures of the previous generation to a more refined aesthetic – you’ll find matte finishes like Sand Storm, Infinite Black, and Ultra Violet, combined with a frosted glass or fiberglass rear and a slim square camera island that improves grip and keeps fingerprints away from the lenses.

On the camera front, the triple-50 MP setup (wide, ultrawide, and telephoto) is solid and reliable with crisp detail and accurate colour rendition in good light. However, despite launching the new “DetailMax” engine – marking OnePlus’ departure from its previous partnership with Hasselblad – the improvements are more incremental than revolutionary.

Battery life is a standout: the 7,300 mAh cell comfortably lasts a full day of heavy use and can stretch into a second day on lighter use, and the SuperVOOC charging technology (120 W wired / 50 W wireless) keeps downtime minimal.

Read more: OnePlus 15 review

How to choose the best camera phone

First things first, you need to pick if you prefer an Android or an Apple phone.

This will depend on how much you currently rely on Apple services like iMessage, iCloud, or even Apple's Notes app. If you can't give them up, then you are best sticking with the iPhone, and which one you get depends on whether you want a big or a medium-sized phone, how advanced you need the cameras to be, and how much you are willing to spend. We rate all of Apple's cameras very highly, going from the iPhone 17 Pro Max at the top end to the more affordable iPhone 16e model.

If you aren't locked into Apple services (or can live without them), then you might want to take a look at an Android phone. Your choices are far broader here and include new devices like the best flip and folding phones.

The best Android phones for photography at the moment include entries from household names like the Google Pixel 10 Pro / 10 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Google includes more of its own services as standard, like Google Photos and the amazing Google Pixel camera. Samsung also has its own set of Samsung apps that fulfill the same purposes in their own style. There are also lesser-known brands in the West that still pack powerful camera systems like the Oppo Find X9 Pro, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, or the Honor Magic 8 Pro. There are also more budget-friendly options that don't skimp on cameras, like the Google Pixel 9a.

How we test camera phones

As a Reviews Editor for a photography website, I pay special attention to the photo and video quality of camera phones. I rate resolution, noise, and color rendition in the context of what rival phone cameras can do, and where there are any special features, such as ‘night modes’ or ‘portrait modes’, we check that these perform as the makers describe. We also take a look at what features the phone might include for viewing and editing photos and videos.

Camera phones are all-around digital assistants, too, of course, so we also check out how smart the operating system is at handling general day-to-day usage. Finally, we look at phone usability and practicality – such as design, screen, ports, and battery life.