As the cliche saying goes, the best camera is the one you always have on you. That is why smartphones have become essential pieces of kit. They help document our lives and give us a window into whatâs happening at any given time.
For most users, the best smartphone camera has to be ample enough that its photos are shareable on social media or printed out and hung up on the wall with little editing beforehand. Fortunately, this is the status quo, especially if you pick from the vast mid-range to marquee offerings.
Weâre starting with the flagships for our best camera phones list: the best ones launched thus far. Weâll explain what you get from an Apple âcamera phoneâ over an Android one and what differentiates the Samsung camera algorithm from Googleâs.
Coming soon
Those of you shopping in the mid-range subset, hold tight. An update to the Samsung mid-tier Galaxy A-series is expected, as well as the relatively affordableâespecially during a saleâGoogle Pixel 8a, which is still the cheapest way to buy into the Pixel-branded camera algorithms. Weâll be updating this page to include the best middle-of-the-road devices once theyâre updated in spring 2024
Where is OnePlus and the regular iPhone 15? Check back soon, and weâll have a rundown of the best camera phones under $800
Best all-around camera phone
iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
The iPhone 15 Pro is a stellar shooter, though itâs a minor improvement over its predecessor and a minimal bump from the iPhone 14 Pro. Indeed, in my side-by-side testing, the color temperature was consistent between old and new. At the very least, the iPhone 15 Proâs primary camera has a wider aperture than the iPhone 14 Pro. In my review, I wrote, âIt manifests as slightly better low-light performance for the 15 Pro, mainly where still-life photography is involved.â
The iPhone 15 Proâs camera system includes:
A primary 48-MP camera
A secondary 12-MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom
A tertiary 12-MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view
There is one crucial spec to consider when choosing between small and big iPhone 15 Pro models. Only the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max has the 5x optical zoom capability, while the iPhone 15 Pro caps out at 3x optical zoom. Itâs a slight differentiation, but you start seeing the limitations of the digital helper beyond that maximum.
One thing I loved about the iPhone 15 Proâs camera during testing is that it allows you to switch between three oft-used focal lengths: 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm. You can even set one of them as the default, so if you prefer to have a cropped-in photo when youâre snapping a shot, you can set that up beforehand.
Best phone for zooming in
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
You need to touch some grass if youâre wondering why youâd want to zoom in on something far away. There is a vast world of wildlife, and a digital zoom is better than nothing. Also, if youâre a snitch like me, filing reports on polluters will be much easier as you can submit your complaint with photo evidence.
The past few generations of Samsungâs Galaxy Ultra variant have been stellar choices for capturing birds in the air, movement on a tree, or a flaring smoke stack from far away. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the latest offering, and like its predecessors, it has four cameras:
A 200-MP main camera
A 50-MP camera
A 12-MP ultra-wide camera
A 10-MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom
The primary camera tops out at 100x digital zoom, while the secondary 50-MP lens caps at 5x optical zoom, which puts the S24 Ultra on par with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I still prefer the zoom of last yearâs Galaxy S23 Ultra and its lower-resolution 10x optical zoom for sharper imagesâthat phone I once used to capture planes in the sky. The Galaxy S24 Ultraâs 50-MP camera is fine, and itâs more forgiving if Iâm shooting zoomed-in without a tripod, but high-up airplanes arenât as sharp as they were with the S23 Ultra.
Best phone for AI tricks
Google Pixel 8 Pro
Googleâs Pixel 8 Pro has some of the best camera algorithms in the Android sphere, especially for shooting stars. However, even with the 48-MP primary camera and 5x optical zoom, I have continued to prefer the relative sharpness of the Galaxy S24 Ultra since its launch several months ago. Where the Pixel 8 Pro shines is with all of Google Photosâ magical photo editing capabilities.
Your mileage may vary. Features like Magic Eraser, which erases unwanted subjects and shapes in the background, usually work if what youâre nixing is simple enough. Magic Editor lets you do more complicated crops, like selecting and enlarging a person or changing the background of the sky to indicate a different time of day. And although you can mix up the background blur after the fact, there are only a handful of times that theyâve made the picture better.
Youâll also have to pay for some of these features through Google One, Androidâs new all-inclusive subscription plan. This plan unlocks features like Magic Eraser, Portrait Blur, Portair Light, and HDR. You wonât have access to these AI-infused capabilities unless you subscribe.
Want more of Gizmodoâs consumer electronics picks? Check out our guides to the best phones best laptops, best TVs, and best headphones. If you want to learn about the next big thing, see our guide to everything we know about the iPhone 16.
