As camera phone technology progresses, you might find it tricky to keep up to date on the latest handsets available. To help you find the best camera phone for you, we've rounded up a selection of the latest models with a range of budgets in mind.
1. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
With a built-in stylus this is the best Android camera phone
Specifications
Release date: February 2022
Rear cameras: 108MP f/1.8, 10MP f/2.4, 10MP f/4.9, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide
Front camera: 40MP
OIS: Yes
Weight: 228 g
Dimensions: 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm
Storage: 128 GB/256 GB/1 TB
Reasons to buy
+ Superior rear cameras
+ Sophisticated digital zoom
+ 40MP selfie camera
+ Stylus control
reasons to avoid
- A little pricey
- No micro SD card slot
The first of these boasts a 108MP sensor, with an f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel AF, and an 85-degree field of view. The 12MP ultrawide camera features an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. There's also one 10MP telephoto with an equivalent three times zoom (f/2.4) and another 10MP telephoto with a 10 times zoom (f/4.9). And that's not to mention the selfie camera, with its 40MP resolution, f/2.2 aperture and 8K video capture at 24fps.
More broadly, this is a large, stylish and powerful smartphone. Its 6.8-inch AMOLED screen is to die for, with smooth motion, vivid colors, impressive brightness, and 500 pixels per inch resolution.
2. Google Pixel 6 Pro
The Pixel 6 Pro is easily Google's best camera phone ever
Specifications
Release date: October 2021
Rear cameras: 50MP f/1.9, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 48MP f/3.5 telephoto
Front camera: 11.1MP
OIS: Yes
Weight: 210g
Dimensions: 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm
Storage: 128 GB/256 GB/512 GB
Reasons to buy
+ Natural, reliable photo processing
+ Striking design
+ Big, bold, punchy screen
+ Uncluttered Android experience
reasons to avoid
- Can get warm with heavy use
- Battery weak at first, then improves
- Ultra-wide lens is fixed-focus
Google’s first flagship in years has a lot to prove. The Pixel 5 was great, but definitely wasn’t a top-end smartphone, and the Pixel 4 missed the mark for us, with rehashed camera hardware and overheating internals. With the Pixel 6 Pro, Google hits the target.
Its triple rear-facing camera system has had a full hardware refresh: the main (26 mm wide-angle) camera features a 50MP 1/1.31 sensor with 1.2-micron pixels, omnidirectional phase-detection autofocus, laser autofocus, and OIS. For a wider perspective, there's also a 12MP 17 mm ultrawide camera module.
But arguably the most impressive camera in the Pixel 6 Pro is its new periscope zoom camera. Utilizing a 48MP sensor with an f/3.5 aperture, 104 mm lens, the telephoto module gives you roughly 4x zoom. The sensor itself is tiny at 1/2 an inch, but thanks to Google’s software know-how matched with OIS, it’s still a cracking addition to the handset, and really makes the 6 Pro worth choosing over the regular Pixel 6.
3. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
The second-best Samsung camera phone
Specifications
Release date: January 2021
Rear cameras: 108MP f/1.8, 10MP f/2.4, 10MP f/4.9, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide
Front camera: 40MP
OIS: Yes
Weight: 227 g
Dimensions: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
Storage: 128/256/512 GB
Reasons to buy
+ Fantastic cameras
+ Beautiful display
+ 8K video
reasons to avoid
- S22 Ultra has better specs overall
Until the launch of the latest Samsung Galaxy S22 ultra, the S21 Ultra was the flagship model, and it remains a stunningly sophisticated device with a lot to offer. This camera phone features four rear cameras, including a 108MP f/1.8 main camera, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera and two 10MP telephoto cameras – one with an f/2.4 aperture and 3x optical zoom and one with an f/4.9 aperture and a huge 10x optical zoom. You also get a fantastic 6.8-inch screen. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display features a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and gaming experiences, HDR10+ support, 1500-nit peak brightness and a 1440 x 3200 resolution.
4. Google Pixel 5
A capable point-and-shoot camera phone with great battery life
Specifications
Release date: October 2019
Rear cameras: 12.2MP (27 mm-equiv. Wide angle lens, f/1.7, PDAF, OIS), 16MP (ultrawide angle, f/2.2)
Front camera: 8 MP, f/2, 24 mm (wide), TOF 3D Camera
Weight: 151 g
Dimensions: 144.7 x 70.4 x 8.0 mm
Storage: 128 GB
+ Great camera
+ Good battery life
+ Wireless charging
reasons to avoid
- No expandable storage
- No telephoto power
If you're looking for a fuss-free and capable point-and-shoot camera phone, then the Google Pixel 5 might be the handset for you. While the Google Pixel 5 might not have the most up-to-date tech, what it lacks in innovation it makes up for with reliability and usability. The rear dual camera unit on the Google Pixel 5 features a 12.2MP 27 mm f/1.7 camera and a 16MP ultrawide f/2.2 camera, but it's the software that really elevates this camera to excellence. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 765G chipset works well with the Android 11 OS for a lag-free camera phone experience. The Google Pixel 5 also has some exciting flagship features to offer, such as a 90Hz refresh rate display, water resistance and wireless charging.
5. Sony Xperia 1 III
A videographer’s dream
Specifications
Release date: August 2021
Rear camera: 12MP (24 mm f/1.7) + 12MP (70 mm f/2.3, 105 mm f/2.8) + 12MP (16 mm f/2.2)
Front camera: 8MP (f/2)
Rear camera aperture: f/1.7 + f/2.3 + f/2.8 + f/2.2
Dimensions: 165 x 71 x 8.2 mm
Storage: 128 GB/256 GB
Today's Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+ Excellent pro video features
+ Stunning screen
+ Plenty of power and storage
reasons to avoid
- Screen could be brighter
- Expensive
- Weaker zoom than competition
The Sony Xperia 1 III is the only choice for video pros and cinema buffs who want to get manual with their smartphone videography. It’s able to shoot footage at up to 21:9 for cinema style capture, offers full manual control and features a beautifully flat color profile, perfect for post-processing in Premiere Pro. Thankfully, almost everything else about this phone is excellent too, with a striking 21:9, 4K HDR screen, a clean UI and a snappy chipset ensuring plenty of power under the hood. Sony photography fans will also appreciate all the Alpha elements that have made their way into the Xperia camera UI. If you want the ultimate cinema experience, both from a content creation and consumption point of view, the Xperia 1 III is it.
Enjoyed this article? Stay informed by joining our newsletter!
You must be logged in to post a comment.