Best camera phones: The top picks to get great pics

We think the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the best all-round camera phone. It’s reliable in all conditions, captures the best video out of any other phone on this list, and boasts three distinct cameras for versatility, with each capturing different focal lengths.

However, it’s not actually the best camera phone across every specific area. We much prefer the zoom skills on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, for one thing, as it captures a much clearer overall image when you zoom in to a subject. But that said, when taken as a whole, the iPhone 13 Pro Max comes out top.

In terms of the overall spec of the camera hardware, the iPhone 13 Pro Max might look modest on paper compared to the competition; there are three 12-megapixel cameras on the back, a single 12-megapixel on the front for selfies and a max 4K 60fps resolution for video recording. But where the iPhone 13 Pro Max impressed us is in the results.

When compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Oppo Find X5 Pro, the shots from the iPhone were generally a little more true to life. Skin tones are more natural and the way it captures contrasting environments looks much more appealing.  Apple has also done a great job ensuring the shots from the wide, ultra wide and telephoto cameras all look alike, so you’re not suddenly met with varying colour science when you switch lenses.

There’s a dedicated Night Mode for shooting in darker surroundings, and the effects are great, with plenty of detail retained and dark spots kept mostly free of noise. That said, it would still be nice to be able to turn the Night Mode on and off as you please, since with this phone it just bursts into life automatically when the camera can’t pick up enough light.

The excellent results continue when we look at video capture. While it doesn’t shoot video in the same 8K resolution as the S22 Ultra, the 4K capture we recorded was well stabilised without looking fake, and packed the same great colour reproduction as the photos.

The only camera that’s relatively poor is the front one; selfie shots are a little washed out when compared to the S22 Ultra, and have a tendency to look flat.

On top of the camera itself you’ll also be treated to epic battery life (two days if you don’t hammer it too hard), so you won’t run out of juice on a busy shooting day, and a gorgeous display to view the images back on. If you want a smaller screen, the regular iPhone 13 Pro has exactly the same camera skills. The iPhone 13 is a good choice too, if you’re happy to ditch the telephoto zoom completely.

Reviewer: Max Parker 

Full review: iPhone 13 Pro Max review

We were impressed with all the cameras present on Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra flagship, however it was the phone’s zooming skills that really set it apart most from its rivals. None of the other phones on this list can zoom 10x while keeping as much detail, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Oppo Find X5 Pro churning out much blurrier results in our comparison tests.

The other cameras capture pleasing images too, whether you’re shooting with the 108-megapixel main camera with its f/1.8 lens or the 12-megapixel ultrawide. We found that colours are more vibrant and saturated than the iPhone 13 Pro or the Pixel 6 Pro, giving everything an amped-up look, and it’s particularly noticeable when you’re shooting plants or bright skies. While it might be a bonus for some who like the look, we generally preferred our images to be a little more true-to-life.

The camera app is packed with modes to choose from and low-light performance is a big upgrade over the S21 Ultra we reviewed last year; dark scenes are clearer, and noise has been noticeably reduced. 8K video remains a niche feature we doubt many will really want to use, but it’s there just in case you have an 8K TV and want to show it off.

Reviewer: Max Parker 

Full review: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review

If you’re purely wanting a phone camera for stills photography we think the Pixel 6 Pro is the one to go for. 

While it disappoints a bit with video capture and lacks some of the versatility of the iPhone or the S22 Ultra, the beautiful images it captures are rich in detail and vibrancy and are the most pleasing of all the phones on this list. The way it utilises HDR to level out contrast and exposure is fantastic, ensuring photos taken on sunny days really “pop”. We’ve taken hundreds of snaps on the Pixel 6 Pro and very rarely get a dud.

Google’s Night Mode is strong – though not the quickest to capture – and does a great job at producing bright and detailed images in low light.

The zoom skills of this phone are better than the Oppo Find X5 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro, but can’t compare to the S22 Ultra. Google’s software can only get you so far, and the better zoom hardware on the Samsung just produces clearer images. It’s a similar story too for the ultrawide, which produces adequate images that sit somewhere in the middle in terms of quality.

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson

Full review: Pixel 6 Pro review

Oppo has consistently impressed us with its phones in recent years, with the firm’s ever-improving cameras being one of the biggest reasons why. The Find X5 Pro disappoints with its zoom performance, but it boasts the strongest ultrawide camera we have tested.

While other phones on this list use inferior sensors for their ultrawides, the Find X5 Pro uses the same hardware for both the wide and ultrawide camera, giving you far superior results. Not only are pictures more detailed with better colours, but they lack the distorted edges and strong fish-eye effect we found on the S22 Ultra’s ultrawide camera.

This is the first Oppo phone to use the brand’s own MariSilicon X NPU and it helps the phone have greater control over the image quality. When compared to the outgoing Find X3 Pro – which has very much the same camera hardware – the images here are more detailed, with nicer colour reproduction. Low-light performance has greatly improved too.

Reviewer: Max Parker 

Full review: Oppo Find X5 Pro review

Google’s Pixel line has consistently impressed us with its camera performance since we reviewed the first generation Pixel all the way back in 2016. Despite changes in hardware this has largely been fueled by the line’s advanced processing, which uses Google’s AI and machine learning to create best in class imaging quality year-on-year, based on our testing.

The Pixel 6a continues this legacy, but brings the brand’s camera quality to an atypically low price point. The phone features the same rear camera setup as the regular Pixel 6. It’s also powered by the same Google-made Tensor chip, which lets it offer a few Pixel-specific features you can’t get elsewhere. The most useful we’ve found is Magic Eraser, which lets you use the 6a’s AI smarts to remove unwanted photobombers and elements from your photo in the main camera app.

This plus the 6a’s small hand friendly design and fantastic image processing powers let it deliver unparalleled image quality that blew every other phone we’ve tested out of the water when it came to camera performance when we reviewed it.

Low light photos hold better contrast and remain noise free. Regular photos look realistic, featuring neutral, accurate colours and remain blissfully free of the rookie mistakes we experience on other phones at this price, like oversharpening. This earns it a place in this list as our recommended camera phone for buyers looking for the best value option.

Reviewer: Max Parker 

Full review: Pixel 6a review

Our pick for the best cheap phone is the Realme 9 Pro Plus, which costs less than £350 yet delivers excellent photographic results.

This model is a significant upgrade over the Realme 8 Pro as it includes the same excellent 50-megapixel main sensor that you’ll find on the Oppo Find X5 Pro. Shots are remarkably clear and crisp in daylight, and while night shots can seem over-brightened they do still retain an impressive level of clarity that separates it from all other handsets at this price point.

Admittedly the remaining sensors on the handset, namely an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro sensor, are just bog standard and not anything special. But just getting your hands on a flagship-level sensor at this price is the bargain that makes this phone worth your consideration.

We reckon that you simply won’t get a better main camera performance for this price.

Reviewer: Jon Mundy

Full review: Realme 9 Pro Plus