What is the best Android phone for photography right now? Whether you’ve been waiting a while to upgrade your existing Android phone or you’re an iPhone user and you’ve been tempted by some of the latest Android phone releases like the Pixel 10 Pro XL or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, I am here to help you figure out what's right for you.
Why choose an Android phone over the best iPhones? The main reason is variety, Android phones come in a wide range of sizes and form factors, and each offers slightly different takes on what the best camera phone should provide. While some may focus on high camera resolution, others focus on photography features.
Another benefit of the Android platform is that some of them come in at astonishingly competitive prices, which is a direct result of just how many great Android phones are currently available. If you’re looking for a great deal, you should check out our best budget camera phone guide.
There are so many devices worth considering for your next Android phone; however, the devices included here are considered based on their design, the quality of their displays, processing power, battery life, unique features, value, usability – and of course, camera quality! Let's dig in!
Gareth is the Reviews Editor at Digital Camera World – and the person in charge of approving all the latest camera-related tech. As a photography enthusiast, he never stops shooting, taking as many pictures on his Google Pixel phone as on his mirrorless cameras (and constantly surprised by how close the two are getting) he knows how to spot the best Android cameras.
The best Android phones for photography
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Best Android phone overall
The Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL continue Google’s long-standing focus on photographic consistency and everyday use-case excellence, making them a compelling choice for most mobile photographers who want great results without fuss.
What sets the Pixel 10 Pro line apart is its ability to turn point-and-shoot simplicity into reliably strong stills, regardless of conditions. The triple-camera array – with a 50 MP main sensor, 48 MP ultra-wide and 48 MP 5× telephoto – delivers images with excellent colour, dynamic range and detail straight out of the phone. Computational tools such as Camera Coach and powerful AI editing features further elevate images with minimal effort. While the headline “100×” super-resolution zoom isn’t a replacement for true optical performance at extreme range, it does extend versatility and can produce usable handheld shots beyond typical smartphone reach.
The phones’ Super Actua displays also make reviewing and editing photos a pleasure, with bright, sharp panels that stand up well to outdoor use. Design and ergonomics are thoroughly premium too, with a build quality that feels at home alongside Samsung and Apple’s flagship Android rivals.
Video capture is less of a highlight, trailing class leaders with middling quality and an over-reliance on AI upscaling, so if your photography leans heavily into video work, you might find better options elsewhere. Still, for stills, photographers who want dependable, easy-to-use image quality backed by excellent software intelligence, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL represent one of the most consistent Android camera experiences available.
Read our full Google Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL review
Best Android phone for zoom
The Oppo Find X9 Pro is one of the most photography-focused Android flagships of the year, pushing beyond the usual phone camera formula with a class-leading 200 MP telephoto and a genuinely versatile triple-lens system that delivers consistently excellent stills across the board.
Where many phones lean heavily on computational tricks, the X9 Pro pairs substantial hardware with thoughtful tuning: a large 50 MP main sensor handles everyday shots with strong detail and dynamic range, while the 50 MP ultra-wide captures expansive scenes without the usual softness, and the standout 200 MP telephoto gives you real optical reach at 3× and lossless crops out to around 13× in good light.
That telephoto prowess is not just about numbers. At 70 mm equivalent, it’s perfect for portraits and close-ups, and Oppo’s pixel-binning and computational scaling extend usable zoom far beyond what most rivals manage. While extreme digital zoom is predictably more hit-and-miss, the fact that the phone can produce convincing results at lengths where most phones fall apart gives it a unique advantage for travel, wildlife, and event photography.
Beyond stills, the X9 Pro’s photography experience feels complete: its premium display is bright and accurate for reviewing shots, battery life is impressively long for a flagship, and the overall design and software polish make shooting a pleasure. The optional Hasselblad teleconverter accessory broadens creative horizons even further for those willing to invest in extra glass.
For photographers who prize zoom capability and optical versatility above all else, the Oppo Find X9 Pro represents one of the most ambitious and capable Android camera phones of its generation.
Read more: Oppo Find X9 Pro review
Best Android phone on a budget
Nothing’s second‑generation CMF handset proves you don’t need deep pockets to get a phone that feels genuinely exciting. For $279 / £219, the Phone 2 Pro upgrades last year’s formula with a symmetrical 6.77‑inch 10‑bit OLED that’s richer, brighter, and smoother than anything else at this price, and it even supports contactless payments thanks to newly added NFC.
The headline, though, is photography. A true triple‑camera array – a 50 MP main sensor, a 50 MP 2x portrait‑friendly telephoto, and an 8 MP ultrawide shoots colourful, natural images, with RAW capture and optional macro or fisheye adapters for creative play. The lack of OIS and the modest ultrawide hold it back, but the main and tele units comfortably narrow the gap to mid‑range rivals.
MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Pro and 8 GB RAM keep daily use snappy, though demanding games ask for low graphics. A 5,000 mAh cell routinely leaves 40 % in the tank at bedtime, and 33 W wired charging refills to 60 % in half an hour.
Nothing OS remains a joy: monochrome icons, zero bloat and the new Essential Key give the phone a premium vibe, but the fledgling Essential Space – and its rumoured subscription – feels half‑baked. Combined with only IP54 protection and shorter software support than class leaders, the CMF Phone 2 Pro isn’t flawless. Yet its blend of style, modular fun, and outright value makes it our top budget pick for Android buyers who prize photography and personality over raw horsepower.
Read our full CMF Phone 2 Pro review
Best phone for Samsung fans
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has long been the default Android flagship for so many people, blending premium design with cutting-edge performance. This year is no different with a titanium frame, stunning design, and beautiful flat display making it very oh-so premium.
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the S25 Ultra offers lightning-fast performance, perfect for multitasking and demanding apps. Advanced AI features integrated into the software enhance productivity and user experience, while the device’s battery life is notably strong, thanks to the efficiency of the new chipset.
The camera system delivers consistently high-quality photos and videos, with a huge range of 5 cameras you can capture everything from ultrawide to 10x telephoto shots – although Samsung's image processing might not be to everyone's taste. While the S25 Ultra introduces meaningful improvements, it retains many similarities to its predecessor. Finally, the 200MP camera mode, though impressive, may not provide practical benefits for all users as the file sizes are pretty huge and will quickly fill your local or cloud storage.
This is also one of the priciest options on the list, and a lot of other phones have equally strong cameras for less money, but if you love the design and are integrated into Samsung's ecosystem already then this is the camera phone for you.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review
Best foldable Android phone
The Honor Magic V5 takes the foldable crown for photographers who want a large, tablet-style canvas without major camera compromises, making it one of the most interesting Android phones for photography if you value both versatility and imaging quality.
Honor’s slimmest, lightest foldable yet pairs a capable triple-lens array – a 50 MP main sensor, a 50 MP ultra-wide and a 64 MP periscope telephoto with 3× optical zoom and up to 100× digital reach – with bright, detailed OLED screens that make reviewing and editing images a pleasure. Across real-world shooting, all three cameras deliver reliable results with good colour, clarity and dynamic range, while Honor’s AI-assisted zoom and portrait modes extend creative flexibility.
Where the Magic V5 really stands out in a photography buying guide is its foldable form factor: unfolding to a nearly 8-inch display gives you a mini-tablet view for culling shots, fine-tuning edits and working with compositional tools on the go. That extra space, combined with flagship performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, makes casual retouching and AI-assisted tweaks feel genuinely productive without a laptop.
It’s not without compromises for photographers: Honor’s image processing can feel a little heavy-handed at times and switching between lenses may produce perceptible shifts in colour balance, and foldable phones generally trail slab rivals in pure camera performance at equivalent price points. Still, for anyone who prioritises a larger editing workspace and capable-enough photography in one sleek package, the Honor Magic V5 is a compelling Android choice.
Read more: Honor Magic V5 review
Best camera-like experience on a phone
Xiaomi’s latest Ultra flagship takes the already‑impressive formula of last year’s 14 Ultra and pivots hard toward reach. The headline is a 200 MP periscope lens in front of a 100mm lens, giving genuinely detailed 8-10x images that most rivals can’t touch. Backing that up is the familiar 50 MP, 1‑inch Sony LYT‑900 wide camera, a 70 mm “floating” telephoto that doubles as a 15 cm macro, and an ultra‑wide that – while serviceable – no longer matches the rest of the set for sensor size or shadow detail. Leica’s Authentic and Vibrant color profiles still lend images a dramatic, filmic stamp, but they occasionally clip highlights and throw up odd halos in extreme contrast scenes.
Hardware refinements mostly land. The two‑tone chassis feels every inch a premium tool, battery stamina is markedly better, and 90 W wired or 80 W wireless refills are lightning‑fast. Snap on the revised Photography Kit grip and the phone transforms: the extra battery, tactile two‑stage shutter, zoom rocker, and assignable control wheel turn the 15 Ultra into a pocketable bridge camera – though Xiaomi still omits a tripod thread.
Dropping the variable aperture is a step back for depth‑of‑field control, and HyperOS shows the odd bug, yet these grumbles hardly dull the 15 Ultra’s appeal to serious shooters. If zoom versatility tops your checklist and you can stomach the flagship tariff, this is the Android phone that lets you leave the compact camera at home.
Read our full Xiaomi 15 Ultra review
Best Android phone for value
Google’s mid‑ranger is the very definition of a smart compromise: it lifts the flagship Tensor G4 silicon, seven‑year update pledge, and stock Android 15 interface from pricier Pixels, yet lands at $499. The 6.3‑inch 120Hz OLED is bright (claimed 1,800 nits) and genuinely one‑hand friendly, though chunky bezels do shout “budget.” A larger 5,100mAh battery, 23W wired charging, and rare-for-the-class 7.5W wireless top‑ups comfortably see you through a heavy shooting day.
The 48MP main camera still delivers the balanced, natural processing Pixels are famous for, helped by an 8cm macro focus and dependable 2-3x in‑sensor zoom. Google’s Night Sight salvages static low‑light scenes, but moving subjects and video after dark expose the small sensor and underpowered 13MP ultra‑wide. Image processing can also lag, particularly on that secondary lens.
Performance is punchier than you might expect: current 3D titles run happily at medium‑high settings and the interface feels slick, courtesy of that fast display. IP68 sealing, Gorilla Glass 3 and Google’s stellar long‑term support sweeten the deal, though the 128 GB base storage may prove tight for avid shooters. Overall, if you value reliable daylight photos, clean software, and genuine longevity over headline‑grabbing specs, the Pixel 9a is the Android all‑rounder to beat.
Read our full Google Pixel 9a review
Best value Android flagship
The OnePlus 15 delivers a compelling all-round Android experience, pairing flagship-tier performance and battery life with a capable, flexible camera system that’s reliable for everyday photography.
At its heart is a triple-50 MP rear array with main, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses, supported by OnePlus’s new DetailMax image engine – the company’s first iteration after parting ways with Hasselblad. In practice, this produces sharp, colour-accurate stills in good light, with tone and balance that feel natural and consistent across the focal range. While the upgrade in camera performance over last year’s model is more evolutionary than revolutionary, it keeps pace with what most photographers will need day-to-day without introducing glaring weaknesses.
The system’s HDR handling and low-light performance aren’t class-leading, with some scenes feeling a little flat or soft in very dim conditions, but overall, the 50 MP sensors deliver dependable results that can be quickly shared or edited. OnePlus also boosts creative photo control with support for higher-frame-rate video capture in 4K at 120 fps and AI-enhanced editing tools within the Photos app, which help bring out the best in captures straight from the camera.
What the OnePlus 15 lacks in standout imaging brilliance, it makes up for in other areas that matter to photographers on the go: an excellent, bright display for reviewing shots, class-leading battery life that can easily last more than a full day, and a design and performance package that rivals much more expensive rivals. For those wanting a balance of strong camera performance without sacrificing overall flagship value, the OnePlus 15 is one of the most appealing Android phones in its price bracket.
Read more: OnePlus 15 review
Best Android phone for image quality
The Vivo X300 Pro stands out in the Android photography field by building its camera system around serious hardware and smart processing, delivering results that feel more intentional and capable than most flagship phone setups. Unlike many phones that rely on aggressive computational fixes, the X300 Pro’s larger sensors and refined imaging pipeline capture rich detail and controlled tones across its main, ultra-wide and telephoto lenses.
At the core of its imaging prowess is a 50 MP Sony main sensor paired with a 200 MP Zeiss-branded periscope telephoto that offers meaningful optical reach and versatility, plus a 50 MP ultra-wide for expansive scenes. What sets the X300 Pro apart is how it handles that data: Vivo uses a dedicated imaging chip to preprocess RAW information before the standard ISP even begins, preserving highlights and shadows with a natural look and giving photographers room to edit without excessive noise or blown-out skies.
That balance of hardware and processing results in consistent tone, color, and dynamic range, whether you’re shooting landscapes, cityscapes, or detailed close-ups, and the cameras feel confident even under challenging conditions. RAW capture is particularly generous, giving plenty of latitude for post-editing – rare among smartphones.
For photographers who like to push their phone beyond simple point-and-shoot snapshots, Vivo’s optional Photographer Kit expands creative control with physical shutter buttons, a zoom lever, and mountable filters, blurring the line between phone and compact system camera.
While availability may vary by region and software refinement lags slightly behind some rivals, the Vivo X300 Pro is one of the most compelling Android camera phones if you prioritise imaging capability and hands-on control.
Read more: Vivo X300 Pro hands-on
How to choose the best Android phone
The main considerations to look at when buying a new Android phone are the camera, design, and price.
Let's start with the camera, or cameras, as most modern smartphones come with two or more cameras offering different perspectives. To pick the right camera for you, you need to ask yourself what you like taking pictures of, if you take a lot of close-up shots, make sure that the Android phone you pick has a good macro mode, if you like wide dramatic landscapes, then opting for a phone with the best wide-angle camera is essential, and for far away shots, a good telephoto lens is a must.
It is easy to get carried away with cameras and specs though, but you'll find most Android phones offer a great experience. Find the design that resonates with you, with the features you really need, and luckily there is an Android phone to suit practically every budget.
Can I transfer my App Store purchases from my iPhone?
Unfortunately, any apps or content purchased directly from the Apple App Store can only be used on Apple devices, you would need to repurchase any apps or content again from the Google Play store. The only exception is any subscriptions to Apps or services you have signed up for, via Apple's store, which might be valid on any device where that app or service is offered. Just remember to change your billing information and cancel your subscription with Apple if you intend to completely move away from Apple devices.
Why does Android look different on different phones?
Android is the core OS that powers all these phones and manages the way the phones function, but this is separate from how Android looks – and each manufacturer is free to come up with their own take on the OS's style. Google as the developer of Android offers the most "stock" version of how they intend the underlying Android to be interacted with, and also emphasizes Google's comprehensive apps and services. Other phone makers have their own services and features that they want to push – Samsung for example has an extensive ecosystem of apps and devices. So what Android phone you buy might well depend on if you like the look of that phone's take on Android.
How we test Android phones
As a photography website, I pay special attention to the photo and video quality of Android phones. Camera phones are all-around digital assistants too, of course, so I will also check general handling, usability, and practicality – such as battery life. And as I do more and more editing on my phone now – it's essential that my choice has a sharp and color-accurate screen.
To test Android phone cameras I take hundreds (sometimes thousands) of photos with the phone and carefully compare the images side by side to look for any inconsistencies in quality or color between shots. I also compare Android phone cameras to one another – I keep a range of the latest phones on hand, so I can take the same pictures with multiple devices and see which performs best.
For images, I rate resolution, noise, and color rendition in the context of what rival Android phones can do, and what the manufacturer promises. I also test all the special camera features, such as ‘night modes’ or ‘portrait modes’ to see their effectiveness, and how they compare to rivals.
I can then put all the data, as well as a healthy dose of my informed opinion, together in this list to help you decide on which might be the best Android phone for your photography needs.
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