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With mobile photography on the rise, camera phones are becoming super popular. Professional photography is no longer completely limited to those with expensive cameras and lenses, and is now accessible — in some cases even affordable — for everyone. Newer phones are capable of capturing stunning pictures and videos, with some devices even being used to shoot parts of full-fledged Hollywood movies.
Modern flagship phones and even budget smartphones are packed with excellent sensors, often featuring two-to-three lenses for different modes. This guide will look into the best camera phones and would be a helpful reference if you're on the lookout for a smartphone for mobile photography or vlogging.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinions and may be subjective.
The best camera phones for mobile photography
1) Google Pixel 9 Pro
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Price: $899 (discounted)
The Google Pixel 9 Pro offers one of the best camera experiences for the price. It features a triple camera setup, featuring a 50MP main camera, a 48MP periscope telephoto, and a 48MP ultrawide. Its selfie camera features a whopping 42MP sensor resolution.
Looking at samples, it excels better than most phones in low-light conditions as it brings out the picture's vibrance. Landscape photography looks sharp with a high dynamic range, while portraits have a great depth of field. Pixel cameras come with a ton of AI and editing features, allowing you to get the perfect shot and edit it to your liking afterwards.
Videos on the Pixel 9 Pro look excellent, with the device being capable of shooting up to 8K video at 30 FPS. The camera supports 10-bit HDR at 60fps, which helps you capture a wider range of colors and brightness. All in all, the high-end specs make it the best camera phone for all kinds of photography. It's for everyone who loves photography, regardless of whether it's street photography, landscapes, or even just portraiture.
Most phones pre-process images right after you capture them. This makes them look slightly edited, with some even looking unnatural. One of the best features of Pixel cameras is that the software performs minimal post-processing edits, making the picture look just like real life.
Here's the buying link for the phone.
2) Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Price: $999
Apple has always been known to produce some of the best camera phones, right from the start. The iPhone 16 Pro is no exception either. It features a 48MP main camera, a 12MP periscope telephoto, and a 48MP ultrawide, along with a 12MP selfie camera. The Fusion camera combines the capabilities of two lenses into one, allowing for high-quality 48MP photos and also 2x telephoto.
Pictures on the 16 Pro look superb, especially for outdoor photography. Camera Control is a cool addon, offering a physical shutter which you can also use to slide through camera features. The HDR quality on iPhones has always been great; thus, scenes with a lot of color look great, regardless of the light conditions.
While it does not support 8K, the iPhone 16 Pro captures 4K better than the others, being capable of shooting at up to 120 FPS with Dolby Vision. This offers a superior visual experience with a richer color tone, deeper blacks, and better highlights. Cinematic camera also lets you capture film-like videos, making it one of the best options for videography, and especially for high-res vlogging.
Here's the buying link for the phone.
3) Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Price: $1,299.99
The S Ultra series has always awed us with its super high specs that not many competitors can match. The S25 Ultra, too, comes packed with superb camera sensors, featuring four lenses. It has a 200MP main camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto, a 50MP ultrawide, a 10MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP selfie camera.
Samsung claims its ProVisual Engine offers some of the best image processing quality ever. With the S25 Ultra, you can expect good clarity, even with a zoom, as there's minimal quality loss. The camera comes with several AI features that help improve camera quality as well. All in all, it's a versatile option for photography, especially outdoors and in low-light conditions.
With up to 8K resolution, videos look incredible on the phone. They look sharp and pick up vibrant color tones, even in low-light conditions. Log Video lets you capture videos with a wider dynamic range, providing you with maximum freedom in terms of color grading and editing. These features make it one of the best flagship camera phones, especially for vlogging or videography.
Here's the buying link for the phone.
Also read: 5 best Android phones under $500 (2025)
4) OnePlus 13
Price: $899.99
The OnePlus 13 is a solid mid-range option for those a little tight on the budget. The Pixel 9 Pro may be priced the same now, but it will be quite expensive once the discount ends. The OnePlus 13 has a great camera lineup, featuring a 50MP main camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto, and a 50MP ultrawide, along with a 32MP front-facing lens.
The high dynamic range of the smartphone puts it right alongside flagships in terms of photo vibrance and clarity. Featuring a Hasselblad-tuned camera system, all lenses have a Sony sensor, allowing it to capture incredibly sharp pictures, especially outdoors.
Low-light pictures offer decent clarity, but the selfies on the phone look average. Unlike most phones, the camera relies more on raw performance than AI features, so pictures look more realistic and natural as they are.
The OnePlus 13 supports up to 8K video and packs a ton of advanced shooting features. It also supports Dolby Vision at 4K, adding a cinematic touch to the videography. In conclusion, its features make it one of the best camera phones for landscape photography and cinematic video shooting.
Here's the buying link for the phone.
5) Google Pixel 9a
Price: $499
The Google Pixel 9a is another excellent Pixel smartphone that offers top-of-the-line camera quality. It features a dual camera setup, featuring a 48 MP main lens and a 13MP ultrawide, along with a 13MP front camera.
The pictures look phenomenal due to the high clarity and realistic color tones. It brilliantly picks up little details like hair on the face and even skin patches in portraits, which is something Pixel cameras excel at. Again, the camera comes with a large number of AI features that improve the shooting experience. Landscape pictures look amazing, but telephoto or ultrawide pictures look a tad bit dull at times.
The camera is capable of shooting up to 4K video, capturing great detail and colors. The color tones look very natural, making it one of the best affordable camera phones for outdoor videography, particularly for vloggers.
Here's the buying link for the phone.
Also read: 5 best gaming phones to buy in 2025
This concludes the list of the best camera phones for mobile photography. We've included a varied budget list, featuring super expensive flagships, all the way to affordable and mid-range options as well. Also, apart from the cameras, all phones mentioned have excellent hardware and great battery life in general, making them great options as daily drivers.
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