Key Points
- The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra offers the most advanced phone camera with its 200MP sensor and advanced Nightography features.
- The iPhone 14 Pro Max brings Apple‘s best dual and selfie cameras yet, powered by the fast A16 Bionic chip.
- The Google Pixel 7 Pro stands out as the best Android camera phone outside of Samsung flagships, with great software optimization.
- Those on a budget should consider the Google Pixel 7a, which retains many of the Pixel 7 Pro‘s best camera capabilities at a lower price.
- When picking a phone camera, prioritize resolution, aperture, stabilization, special modes, video recording abilities, and price.
In today‘s world, our phone cameras have become indispensable creative tools. We rely on them to capture important life moments, create social media content, and even produce professional-level photography. Thankfully, phone cameras keep getting better each year, bringing DSLR-quality image sensors, powerful processing, and clever software tricks once exclusive to standalone cameras.
But all phone cameras are not made equal. Depending on your priorities and budget, one model may suit you far better than another. In this guide, we‘ll break down the best phone cameras money can buy today across platforms and price tiers. Read on for our top recommendations and advice for picking your next perfect phone camera.
The Best Phone Cameras You Can Buy Today
Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
If you‘re looking for the outright best phone camera regardless of ecosystem or price, Samsung‘s current flagship S23 Ultra tops the charts. Its groundbreaking 200MP main sensor captures intricate detail that puts all other phones to shame. And thanks to advanced pixel-binning technology, those extra megapixels don‘t just look good on paper—they translate to significantly improved dynamic range and low light shots.
The S23 Ultra also brings Samsung‘s best Nightography mode yet for crisp, evenly-exposed nighttime and indoor images. Its 10MP periscope telephoto camera enables impressive 10x optical zoom for framing distant subjects. And its 40MP selfie camera retains exceptional sharpness for all your video calls and social posts.
While certainly costly at $1,199 starting, you get what you pay for with the S23 Ultra. If photography is a priority and you can afford it, no other phone camera today beats Samsung‘s current masterpiece.
Key Specs:
- 200MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x telephoto + 10MP 10x periscope rear cameras
- 40MP selfie camera
- f/1.7 aperture
- Up to 8K 30fps video recording
- 100x "Space Zoom" digital zoom
- Advanced Nightography mode
Best iPhone Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Among Apple‘s impressive iPhone 14 series, the 14 Pro Max stands out as their best camera system yet. Its 48MP main sensor captures Apple‘s signature true-to-life colors and textures. It also enables a 2x telephoto option without loss of detail, making it more versatile than the standard 14 Pro.
The A16 Bionic chip‘s advanced processing provides excellent computational photography features. These include Deep Fusion for enhanced textures and Semantic Rendering for recognizing specific scenes to optimize. Night mode, Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, and Apple ProRAW round out an exceptional imaging suite.
Add to that ProRes video recording, Action mode stabilization, and the Dynamic Island‘s convenient front camera access, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max shines as Apple‘s best mobile shooter available today. Just expect to pay a premium for it at $1099 base price. But for iPhone loyalists, it brings mobile image quality to new heights.
Key Specs:
- 48MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 12MP 2-3x telephoto rear cameras
- 12MP TrueDepth front camera
- f/1.78 aperture
- Up to 4K 60fps + ProRes video
- 6x optical "zoom out"
- Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4, Night mode
Best Android Camera: Google Pixel 7 Pro
Over the past few generations, Google‘s Pixel phones have earned strong reputations for their superb camera systems and computational photography. The Pixel 7 Pro continues that trend with its updated 50MP sensor and Tensor G2 processing chip.
While it doesn‘t quite measure up to the S23 Ultra‘s 200MP beast in pure resolution, the Pixel 7 Pro is exceptionally well-optimized on the software end. Features like Photo Unblur use AI to correct blurry shots with stunning accuracy. Magic Eraser effortlessly removes unwanted objects from busy backgrounds. Real Tone ensures natural skin tones across all ethnicities. And the 10.8MP selfie camera retains impressive detail.
Available for $899 unlocked, the Pixel 7 Pro gives you premium photography chops for a bit less than the iPhone or Galaxy. For Android users not on Samsung‘s platform, it‘s undoubtedly the best camera phone around.
Key Specs:
- 50MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 48MP telephoto rear cameras
- 10.8MP selfie camera
- f/1.85 aperture
- Up to 4K 60fps video
- 30x "Super Res Zoom"
- Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, Real Tone
Best Budget Phone Camera: Google Pixel 7a
You don‘t necessarily need to spend $1000+ to get strong phone camera performance these days. Google‘s mid-range Pixel 7a retains the Pixel 7 Pro‘s best computational photography in a more affordable package.
For $449 unlocked, the Pixel 7a sports the same primary and ultrawide lens combo with Titan M2 security and Tensor G2 processing for accurate colors and superior HDR. It even gets Pixel-exclusive tools like Magic Eraser and Real Tone support. Night Sight and Motion modes ensure great low light and action shot performance. And the respectable 8MP selfie camera punches above its pixel count.
The Pixel 7a does miss out on the 7 Pro‘s 4x optical telephoto lens and higher video resolutions. But it shares enough of the same rear camera DNA —and photography prowess—to satisfy most casual shooters. For the price, it succeeds wonderfully as a budget top-tier phone camera.
Key Specs:
- 12.2MP main + 12MP ultrawide rear cameras
- 8MP selfie camera
- f/1.7 aperture
- Up to 4K 30fps video
- 7x "Super Res Zoom"
- Magic Eraser, Real Tone
How to Pick the Best Phone Camera
When shopping for your next camera phone upgrade, keep the following key factors in mind while comparing models:
Resolution
At a baseline level, sensor resolution equates to more detail. Premium phones today shoot at 48 to 108MP for their primary cameras. Higher megapixel counts let you zoom in tight or heavily crop shots with less quality degradation.
Aperture
The aperture measures the lens opening‘s width for light intake. Wider apertures around f/1.5-f/1.8 perform better in low light scenes. They also create more background blur for professional bokeh effects.
Stabilization
Optical stabilization hardware and/or electronic software stabilization help reduce blur from camera movements while shooting. Stabilization leads to crisper images and video, especially important when zooming.
Special Modes
Besides basic Photo and Video modes, camera apps include supplemental modes like Portrait, Night, Panorama, Pro, or Slo-Mo to diversify shooting. More modes lend more shooting versatility.
Video Recording
Evaluate a phone camera‘s whole imaging abilities, not just still shots. At minimum, 4K 30fps video offers sufficient resolution and frame rates for mobile video. Extra video options like HDR, stabilization or 8K support provide additional flexibility.
Price
Factor your phone camera budget into any buying decisions as well. The latest ultra premium models cost $1000 and up. But very competent mid-range models with great camera hardware and software run $500 or less.
Prioritize the above criteria based on your mobile photography style and needs. Are pristine night shots a must? Low light aperture and stabilization matter most. Want tack-sharp wildlife pics? Seek powerful optical zoom ranges. Prefer shooting stabilized video on the go? Focus on extended video tools. Refine camera comparisons around the specifics that you care about.
Consider resolution, aperture, stabilization, special modes, video recording, and budget when choosing a phone camera.
What to Know Before Buying a Camera Phone
Beyond spec sheets, keep several core competencies in mind while evaluating phone cameras:
Image Processing
A camera‘s imaging chip and onboard processors significantly impact photo quality. They digitally develop RAW sensor data into final images via tasks like mapping colors, reducing noise, sharpening detail, and more. Faster high-end chips do this best.
Computational Photography
Many camera optimizations now occur automatically through computational software tricks. Scene recognition, multi-frame exposures, AI corrections, and more let the phones derive better pictures behind the scenes.
Software Optimizations
Closed ecosystems like iOS and Google‘s Android build camera apps tailored to their hardware. Apps masterfully calibrate around sensors, lenses and chips to maximize imaging potential. Cameras work best on their native software.
In short, don‘t evaluate phone cameras in hardware isolation. The sensor and lenses only capture a starting point. Modern phone photography relies just as heavily on processing power and intelligent software to achieve imaging greatness. Keep this bigger picture context around the entire image pipeline in mind while choosing your next phone.
A phone camera‘s image processor plays a huge role in image quality, not just megapixels.
Using a Phone Camera: What It‘s Like
Thanks to remarkable advances in mobile technology, shooting photos and videos with today‘s premium phone cameras provides immense creative freedom. Having ultra high-resolution sensors with dedicated night modes in our pockets revolutionizes photographic opportunities. Scenarios once requiring dedicated cameras — sunsets, portraits, action shots, close-ups, and more — become readily accessible.
Operating phone cameras proves lightweight and effortless as well. Intuitive camera apps simplify snapping professional-style shots on the go. A few taps toggle specialized capture modes; intelligent automation handles much of the complexity behind the scenes. Brushing over a viewfinder preview immediately shows scene adjustments in real-time — a perk mirrorless or DSLR cameras still can‘t replicate.
Post-processing also grows increasingly powered by phone systems and apps. Photos apply automatic corrections shortly after shooting. Adobe Lightroom and Snapseed bring comprehensive editing toolsets natively to Android and iOS. And sharing creations hardly takes more than a couple taps thanks to mobile OSes‘ social and cloud integrations.
In all aspects, rely on premium modern phone cameras to pull off impressive mobile image making once possible only with sophisticated cameras. Their unmatched blend of portable convenience and technical prowess usher in photography‘s next era.
Today‘s great phone cameras enable you to capture stunning images on the go like a pro.
Summary Table
| Rank | Phone Camera |
|---|---|
| Best Overall | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Best iPhone Camera | iPhone 14 Pro Max |
| Best Android Camera | Google Pixel 7 Pro |
| Best on a Budget | Google Pixel 7a |
FAQs About Phone Camera Features
How many megapixels do you really need?
More megapixels capture more detail but don‘t singularly determine quality. Today‘s premium phone cameras shoot at 48 to 200MP. Sensors around 50MP strike an optimal balance; extreme 200MP resolutions remain overkill for most owners.
Why does aperture matter on phone cameras?
Aperture controls light intake through the lens. Wider apertures (lower f-stop numbers) perform better in dark scenes by absorbing more light. They also create blurred artistic backgrounds. Typical phone apertures range from f/1.5 to f/2.4.
What does optical image stabilization do?
OIS uses gyroscopic components to shift a camera‘s sensor and cancel out vibrations. This reduces blur, important for low light or telephoto shots. Stabilization generates superior sharpness while avoiding needs for a tripod.
How do special shooting modes help?
Besides basic shooting, supplemental camera modes adapt exposures for specific situations. Portrait, Night, Panorama modes optimize settings to handle people, darkness, or sweeping vistas respectively. More modes lend more shooting flexibility.
Can phone cameras record high-quality video?
Absolutely. Current flagship phones shoot finely detailed 4K resolution footage up to 60 frames per second. Some premium models support 8K or high-efficiency HDR video. Multiple rear and front-facing cameras provide creative shooting perspectives.
Are phone cameras good enough for professional use?
In many contexts today, yes. Photojournalists, social influencers, and even commercial photographers regularly use iPhone and Galaxy smartphones instead of traditional gear. Contemporary high-end phone cameras provide impressive creative flexibility that rivals many basic mirrorless or DSLR rigs.
