Which Phones Camera Is Best?

Best camera phone choices in 2026

• Phone is the camera you always have in your pocket, but not all phone cameras are equal.
• Some provide optical zoom, others take clear shots in low light, and a few are more accurate at rendering color.
• The best camera phones available right now include entries from Apple, Google, and Samsung, such as the iPhone 17, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and the Pixel 10 Pro.
• In the US, Apple, Google, and Samsung phones typically have the best cameras.
• Higher-end models tend to perform better than low-cost ones, but the gap is closing, especially if you primarily take photos in good light.

Apple iPhone 17

• The iPhone 17 earns its spot by making pro-level photography more accessible than ever, narrowing the gap between the standard and pro models.
• It features a significantly upgraded dual-camera system, with both the main and ultra-wide cameras now using 48MP fusion sensors.
• This is a major improvement over the 12MP ultra-wide on the iPhone 16, resulting in more detailed and flexible shots.
• The system combines data from 48MP and 12MP captures to produce a final 24MP image, which Apple claims optimizes both detail and light capture.
• Apple’s iPhone 17 introduces a new selfie camera capable of capturing both vertical and horizontal photos without requiring the user to rotate the phone.
• For $799, it packs 256GB of storage, a powerful Apple processor, and excellent cameras.

Battery life (as tested)

24 hours, 31 minutes

Camera resolution (rear; front-facing)

48MP, 48MP; 18MP

CPU

Apple A19

Operating system

iOS 26

Screen size

6.3

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

• When it comes to the best iPhone camera, however, and the best phone camera full stop, the iPhone 17 Pro sits at the top.
• We’re not saying the iPhone 17 Pro is the best at everything – its manual controls are limited compared to others and it doesn’t have the farthest zoom at 4x optical, but it continues to be the best point-and-shoot experience you can get.
• Images produced by the iPhone 17 Pro’s rear cameras are superb in all lighting conditions too, with excellent detail, fantastic colour representation and consistency across the three lenses.
• It’s almost impossible to take a bad photo, while the upgraded front camera automatically adapts depending on who is in the frame and allows for landscape and portrait selfies without you having to rotate the phone.
• When it comes to video, meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro is the undisputed champion.

Screen

6.3-inch AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate

Cameras

triple (48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP 8x zoom), 18MP selfie

Processor

Apple A19 Pro

Storage

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Operating system

iOS 26

Google Pixel 10 Pro

• Google’s Pixel phones have long set the bar for mobile photography.
• The Pixel 10 Pro’s three cameras, together with Google’s image processing, produce incredible results.
• Camera Coach teaches you to shoot better, and the phone’s AI photo-editing tools let you clean up or completely reimagine a scene.
• Both front and rear cameras capture video at up to 4K at 60 fps with steady, detailed results.
• If you want more resolution, Google’s Video Boost can produce 8K video at 30 fps.
• The Pixel 10 Pro packs virtually everything its larger sibling has in a small, dense body.
• Google's AI features work exceptionally well on this phone, while its cameras produce some of the best photos you'll see from any smartphone.

Battery life (as tested)

12 hours, 40 minutes

Camera resolution (rear; front-facing)

50MP, 48MP, 48MP; 42MP

CPU

Google Tensor G5

Operating system

Android 16

Screen size

6.3

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL

• Google is already known for having some of the best camera chops on the market, and that dominance only continues with the excellent Pixel 10 Pro XL.
• The Pixel 10 Pro XL retains Google’s excellent computational processing which does so much heavy lifting that it’s almost impossible to take a bad picture with this phone.
• Even if there’s not a lot of natural light around, the 10 Pro XL can still transform an image right in front of you so that it immediately becomes the best possible version of itself before you even enter the editing suite.
• Google’s expertise in this area also extends to portrait shots which, as far as we’re concerned, are almost unparalleled.
• Regardless of skin tone, the 10 Pro XL is able to churn out natural looking shots that’ll probably have you updating your profile pics instantly.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

• The Galaxy S26 Ultra AI camera makes it easy to create feed-ready pictures straight from the lens - the new AI image signal processor can detect whatever is in frame and adjust your settings instantly, meaning every shot is picture perfect with you barely having to lift a finger.
• You’ll find an incredible quad-lens setup on the rear, boasting a head-spinning 200MP ultra high-resolution camera, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto, and a 50MP 2x, 3x, 5x and 10x optical zoom telephoto lens.
• With the addition of a 12MP dual pixel selfie camera on the front, you can rest assured that the Galaxy S26 Ultra has your photography needs covered.
• The 200MP high-resolution camera captures what your eyes see in pin-sharp resolution.
• With the ground breaking quad-telephoto camera, you get 2x, 3x, 5x and 10x optical zoom thanks to the new 50 MP telephoto lens.
• Plus, with the epic AI-powered 100x Space Zoom you can capture clearer, brighter pictures even in the dark with Nightography Zoom.
• When snapping selfies, the 12MP front camera brings out all your best features with true-to-life skin tones and subtle details.

Main camera

200MP f/1.4 with OIS, 1/1.3inch, 23mm

Ultra-wide-angle

50MP f/1.9, 0.6x, 13mm

Telephoto cameras

3x 10MP f/2.4 with OIS, 69mm and 5x 50MP f/2.9 with OIS, 115mm

Selfie camera

12MP f/2.2 PDAF selfie camera

Video

8K 24/30fps video, 4K 120/60/30fps

Battery

5000mAh battery with wireless charging

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7

• 200MP main camera
• Amazing 8-inch screen
• Ultra-wide can be used for macro

Main camera

200MP f/1.7, with OIS, 1/1.3inch, 23mm

Ultra-wide-angle

12MP f/2.2, 0.6x, 13mm, with AF

Telephoto cameras

10MP f/2.4 3x, with OIS, 69mm

Selfie camera

2x 10MP selfie cameras

Video

8K 30fps video, 4K 120/60/30fps

Screen

8.0inch inner screen (folding), 6.5inch outer screen

Battery

4400mAh battery with wireless charging

Xiaomi 17 Ultra

• The other devices on this list are smartphones that happen to be great at taking pictures, but the Xiaomi 17 Ultra feels like something else.
• It’s part phone, part point-and-shoot camera.
• It has one of the largest and sharpest main cameras in the business: a 1-inch 50-megapixel sensor that scoops up more light than most of its rivals.
• This is allied to a similarly impressive 200-megapixel telephoto camera, which can adjust its optical zoom to anywhere between 3.4x and 4.3x with no fancy sensor cropping tricks required.
• It all adds up to a photography enthusiast’s best friend.
• The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is capable of capturing 120x hybrid shots, but it also takes the sharpest zoomed images at lower, more practical zoom levels with its 3.4x to 4.3x variable zoom telephoto.

Main camera

50MP 1-inch type sensor, 23mm f/1.7 equiv. lens, dual pixel PDAF, OIS

Ultra-wide-angle

50MP 1/2.76-inch sensor, 14mm f/2.2 equiv. lens, PDAF

Telephoto cameras

200MP 1/1.4-inch, 75-100mm f/2.4-3.0 equiv. lens, PDAF, OIS

Selfie camera

50MP 21mm f/2.2 equiv. AF

Video

8K/30fps, 4K/120fps

Battery

6000 mAh, 90W wired charging, 50W wireless charging

Honor Magic8 Pro

• Honor might not be a household name, but its flagship phones always have interesting camera features.
• The Honor Magic 8 Pro, for example, can be set up to automatically capture fast-moving subjects when it detects movement.
• Honor’s phone can also use AI to upscale extreme zoom shots (up to 100x), rendering them with far more clarity than would ordinarily be possible.
• The zoom camera, in particular, is right up there with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra in being able to capture sharp zoomed images even in challenging lighting conditions.

Main camera

50MP f/1.6 with AF, OIS, 23mm

Ultra-wide-angle

50MP f/2.0 with AF (and macro), 12mm

Telephoto cameras

200MP f/2.6, 3.7x with AF, OIS, with close-focus, 85mm

Selfie camera

50MP f/2.0 selfie, fixed focus

Video

4K 120fps video

Battery

6270mAh (Europe), 7100mAh (international), 7200mAh (China) silicon carbon li-ion battery

Camera phone features and testing points

• We review smartphones from the perspective of choosing a smartphone for its photography and camera performance, so we test every phone by looking at what it offers in terms of the cameras and what features are included for photography and video, and how it performs in real world use in a variety of different shooting situations.
• We look at video quality for both picture quality, smoothness of zoom, as well as the audio quality on offer.
• We test each camera on the phone, whether that’s the ultra-wide angle, the main camera, telephoto camera(s), and selfie camera, as well as the additional “lenses” (the extra zoom levels) and zoom modes on offer (whether that’s real or digital/AI generated), plus any additional modes these lenses offer, whether that’s macro or telephoto macro.
• We use the phones for photography in a range of lighting conditions, including low-light, where camera phones can struggle, and this will highlight any weaknesses from smaller sensors.
• We shoot in bright conditions, where cameras can struggle with bright and dark areas, and this tested the dynamic range of the cameras as well as how well the phone handles high-dynamic-range (HDR) processing.
• We also look at specialist shooting modes on offer, including the portrait modes on offer, looking at how well it deals with the subjects skin tones, background blur, and areas of detail like around the hair.
• In addition to all of this, we look at how good the overall phone is, in terms of battery life so you can keep shooting throughout the day, the screen quality and brightness (testing this in bright outdoor light and checking visibility), and overall build quality.