The top choices we’ve tested and reviewed

Taking over the award from the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the best camera phone we’ve tested – however with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra on the horizon this could change.

Apple’s latest flagship is reliable in all conditions, captures the best video out of any other phone on this list, and boasts three distinct cameras for versatility, with each capturing different focal lengths.

The zoom skills on the Galaxy S23 Ultra still have the iPhone 15 Pro Max, though the zooming skills here are a notable improvement over the outgoing 14 Pro. You don’t get the full 5x zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro, with this reserved for the Max model.

The iPhone 14 Pro makes some drastic changes to the formula we had been familiar with for several years and the iPhone 14 Pro Max continues the trend. There’s a 48MP main wide camera that bins down images to 24MP, rather than 12MP on the 14 Pro series. You can shoot 48MP shots if you want, but this is a separate mode.

When compared to many of the other phones on this list, the shots from the iPhone are a little more realistic and skin tones feel more natural. There’s a dedicated Night Mode for shooting in darker surroundings, and the effects are great, with plenty of detail retained and dark spots kept mostly free of noise.

The excellent results continue when we look at video capture. While it still doesn’t shoot video in the same 8K resolution as the S23 or S24 Ultra, the 4K capture we recorded was well-stabilised without looking fake, and packed the same great colour reproduction as the photos. The Cinematic Mode still supports 4K, and Action Mode for upping the stabilisation.

On top of the camera itself, you’ll also be treated to good battery life, a gorgeous display, well-built titanium body and USB-C – a feature that allows you to plug in SSDs for higher-quality shooting.

Reviewer: Max Parker 

Full review: iPhone 15 Pro Max review

While all the cameras of Samsung’s top-end Galaxy S23 Ultra are of note, its zooming prowess remains unmatched by the competition. That’s particularly true of the 10x optical zoom, which manages to capture plenty more detail than the digital zoom of the likes of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Oppo Find X5 Pro which were comparatively blurrier in tests.

There’s also a 3X zoom for portrait photography and Samsung’s famed 100x space zoom that’s particularly well suited to taking photos of the moon – though admittedly not much else.

The main 200-megapixel camera is another big reason to opt for the Galaxy S23 Ultra over the likes of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 7 Pro. Using 16-in-1 pixel binning tech, the phone manages to capture vibrant, detailed shots in both well-lit and low-light environments, with the latter representing a huge step forward compared to the already-capable S22 Ultra. It’s almost effortless to capture stunning images with the main sensor.

It’s not just hardware either; the camera app comes with a range of shooting modes including an upgraded Expert RAW mode that allows you to capture RAW images at up to 50 megapixels as well as take long-exposure shots of the night sky. It’ll also record 8K video at 30fps at a wider angle than much of the competition, perfect if you’re one of the few people with an 8K TV to show it off on.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter

Full review: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review

If you’re purely wanting a phone camera for stills photography we think the Pixel 8 Pro is the one to go for, just like the Pixel 7 Pro before it – and the Pixel 6 Pro before that.

The way Google’s processing utilises HDR to level out contrast and exposure is fantastic, ensuring photos taken on sunny days are unmatched in the mobile space. We’ve taken thousands of snaps on the Pixel 8 Pro and very rarely get a dud.

Google’s Night Mode remains strong – though not the quickest to capture – and does a great job at producing bright and detailed images in low light.

The zoom skills of this phone are better than the iPhone 15 Pro, but can’t compare to the S23 Ultra or the more recent S24 Ultra. Google’s software can only get you so far, and the better zoom hardware on the Samsung just produces clearer images. It’s a similar story too for the ultrawide, which produces adequate images that sit somewhere in the middle in terms of quality.

The Pixel 8 Pro also impressed our reviewer with its numerous camera tricks. There’s a load of AI features included, like the ability to generate new backgrounds on shots and remove unwanted guests.

Reviewer: Max Parker

Full review: Pixel 8 Pro review

The Vivo X90 Pro was our previous low-light champion, and the X100 Pro once again comes out on top. There are only a smattering of modest changes, yet this remains one of the very best camera phones you can buy.

The same main sensor sits on the back, with a 23mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.75 aperture. Vivo has said the glass coating has been improved, reducing the reflectivity on shots. There are big upgrades to the secondary cameras though. The ultrawide has been bumped to 50MP from 12MP and there’s a new 50MP 100mm telephoto.

At night, the main camera outperforms the other lenses, thanks to its massive 1-inch sensor, but using night mode the auxiliary cameras hold their own. There just isn’t another phone we’ve tested that pumps out night shots as consistently good as this.

Our reviewer was impressed with the stability of the telephoto camera in various scenarios and claimed that whatever “wizardry Vivo has achieved with its floating periscope design works wonders”.

Elsewhere, key specs including a 32MP selfie camera, top-end Dimensity 9300 chipset, 5400mAh battery with 100W fast charging tech and a pixel-packed 6.78-inch AMOLED display make for a tempting flagship smartphone.

Reviewer: Luke Baker

Full Review: Vivo X100 Pro review

Google’s Pixel line has consistently impressed us with its camera performance since we reviewed the first generation Pixel all the way back in 2016, and it’s not just the flagship phones. The much more affordable A-series has produced some of the best value camera phones in recent years and the Pixel 7a lives up to its predecessors.

The phone features a much better primary camera than the 6a, with a far larger 64MP sensor. It’s powered by the same Google-made Tensor chip, which lets it offer a few Pixel-specific features including Magic Eraser, which enables you to use the AI smarts to remove unwanted photobombers and elements from your photo in the main camera app.

Night photos shot using the excellent Night Sight mode retain excellent contrast and remain noise-free, while the speed at which photos are captured is much faster than on the Pixel 6a. Regular photos look realistic, featuring neutral, accurate colours and remain blissfully free of oversharpening we experience on other phones at this price. This earns it a place in this list as our recommended camera phone for buyers looking for the best value option.

Next to the primary camera there’s a very capable 12MP ultrawide that matches colours well with the main camera and there’s a 13MP selfie camera around the front in a small cutout.

Video maxes out at 4K 60fps and once again our reviewer was impressed, noting how the pleasing colours from the photo capture transferred across to video too.

Our reviewer wasn’t just impressed with the phone’s camera skills but with other areas too. There’s a nice 90Hz display, pleasingly small dimensions and wireless charging.

Reviewer: Max Parker 

Full review: Google Pixel 7a review

It wouldn’t be a camera phone chart without an Xperia present, and our top pick of the 2024 bunch is the top-end Sony Xperia 1 V.

Rather than packing in the most pixel-packed sensor or the largest sensor around, Sony has taken a different approach with its Xperia 1 V rear camera offering. The main 52MP Exmor T sensor has a unique two-layer transistor within the CMOS that allows for a big improvement to low-light capabilities while still retaining a fairly slimline camera bump.

That’s flanked by a 12MP ultrawide and a 12MP telephoto lens with an impressive 5.2x optical zoom – ideal for close-ups and portrait photography.

Our reviewer was impressed with the quality of the main lens both in well-lit and low-light environments, with decent colour and detail on offer – and that’s from the standard Android camera app.

And this is where the Xperia 1 V comes into its own; as well as the standard Camera app we all know and love, Sony ships a plethora of pro-level apps focused on photo, video and even audio capture. The pro apps allow for much more granular control over photo and video capture than any other smartphone around right now, with a layout that mimics Sony’s DSLR and video offering for added familiarity for existing fans.

Yes, some of these capture settings can be provided by third-party apps, but it saves you hunting through paid (or ad-filled) camera apps on Google Play.

Camera chops aside, the Xperia 1 V is very much a top-end Sony smartphone with its blocky, angular design, a 4K display and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance. It’s also pretty solid on the battery front. The catch? All that tech comes at a cost, with the Xperia 1 V starting at £1,299/$1,399, making it one of the most expensive phones around right now.

Reviewer: Alan Martin 

Full review: Sony Xperia 1 V review