Become a TechRadar Insider
At TechRadar, we go hands-on with a load of phones each year, and testing their camera capabilities is one of the key parts of our review process. As such, we're in a good position to decide which phones have the best cameras.
Right now the leader of the pack is the iPhone 17 Pro Max given its combined photo and video performance, but others like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra new for 2026 are worthy contenders.
The best camera phone 2026
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The best camera phone
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max camera samples
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is the best camera phone you can buy. It takes photos that are lifelike, rich in color, nicely balanced, and appealing to share. There are unique options to tweak the look of your photo or apply filters but you won't need them. Photos look great straight out of the camera, better than I've seen on any previous iPhone I've tested (ie. all of them).
If you shoot video, you need an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max. Other camera phones can claim to match the resolution and might come close to the same frame rate, but no other smartphone shoots video from start to finish that is so reliably smooth, with no hiccups or dropped frames. Other camera phones can record video, but the iPhone is the true videographer's tool.
I might complain about the lack of shooting modes on the iPhone, but my photos didn't suffer for it. There is no Food mode like you'll find on a Samsung phone, and no Long Exposure mode like many camera phones offer. Those are usually AI tricks anyway. The iPhone 17 Pro Max doesn't need tricks. It just takes great photos.
Why the Pro Max? The iPhone 17 Pro has the exact same camera specs, so it will take equally amazing photos. If I'm choosing between the two, I always want a larger viewfinder to help me frame my shots and see fine details, so I like having the larger screen on the Pro Max. The bigger battery also helps.
Read our full Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review
The best camera phone for influencers
Galaxy S26 Ultra camera samples
Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra is the camera phone for people who want a mix of cameras and capabilities to take a myriad of photos; from sharp high-resolution shots, to expansive ultra-wide photos, and zoomed-in shots that actually look usable compared to some of the other phones' telephoto capabilities on this list.
When comparing the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the cameras are very similar, but the newer phone does pull slightly ahead when punching into the details, according to our reviewer Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff. But if you'ee already got a Galaxy S25 Ultra it might now be worth upgrading to the S26 Ultra; for those on older Galaxy phones, the S26 Ultra might be the phone to get.
There's a suite of AI-powered editing tools and features to get the most out of your smartphone photography, and can help rework shots that might not have quite worked out.
When you combine all of this, we reckon the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best phone for influencers and others who want to snap a range of phones they are keen to share. An iPhone 17 Pro can achieve a lot of this and arguably delivers the more natural colors, the Galaxy S26 Ultra serves up photo that pop, both online and offline.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review
The best action camera phone
OnePlus 15 camera samples
With the OnePlus 15, you get a versatile camera array that rises to any occasion. For hundreds less than a Pixel 10 Pro XL or Galaxy S26 Ultra, you get a camera with the same capabilities – especially a real 3.5x optical zoom lens.
The photos I got from the OnePlus 15 were usually just as good as pics from the best camera phones, and in some cases the OnePlus 15 shots were the best. Compared to the Pixel 10 Pro, for instance, the OnePlus 15 camera achieves more clarity edge to edge in most photos.
The OnePlus 15 does have some special tricks up its sleeve. It's the best camera phone I've used when I am shooting a fast moving subject. For my kid’s football games, the combo of zoom plus action mode means I get shots with the ball hovering in mid air, taken from high up in the bleachers. Other phones can manage the same zoom, but not the same speed.
Maybe there are too many modes in the camera, but there are some I'm dying to try, like the underwater mode that balances for the blue light and gives you controls to use when the screen doesn't work. I'll need to wait until it's warmer for that one.
Is the OnePlus 15 the absolute best camera phone? I still think the iPhone 17 Pro is tops, but for the price, the OnePlus 15 offers unique features and excellent quality, and it surpassed my expectations once again.
Read our full OnePlus 13 review
The best AI camera
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL camera samples
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is the best AI camera, a mighty feat considering every smartphone today is using AI to improve its photography. If the idea of an AI camera is unappealing, it shouldn't be. The Pixel 10 Pro XL helps you become a better photographer, it doesn't use AI to create something fake.
The new Camera Coach is an AI helper than looks at the photo you're thinking of taking and offers real improvements. It doesn't take the photo for you, it teaches you how to improve your settings, your framing, and your camera position to get the shot you want. If you're not a photo pro, you might be after spending time with the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is also the best camera for AI photos like portraits. Most cameras fake the blurry background in portrait shots, but do a terrible job figuring out what should be sharp and what should be blurry. The Pixel creates portraits that look like real camera shots, with just the right amount of focus.
I was also very impressed with the digital zoom photos I took with the Pixel 10 Pro XL. All camera phones sharpen your photo past 4x or 5x zoom, and the Pixel does the best job creating a natural looking photograph that I might want to share. Other cameras zoom in and look blurry and smudged.
There's a big caveat, and that's the Pixel 10 Pro XL uses a slower Tensor G5 processor that causes some lag in the camera, especially if you use advanced settings like night mode or take high resolution photos. I missed a few shots because of the slow performance. The good news is the shots I took looked fantastic.
Read our full Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review
The best foldable camera phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 camera samples
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 defies the foldable phone norm with a main camera ripped straight from the Galaxy S25 Ultra - a wide angle, 200MP shooter to complement the ultrawide and zoom lenses on this powerhouse phone. Any sensor can offer a ton of megapixels, but the Samsung ISOCELL HP2 sensor on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the best you can buy, and the Fold is the perfect phone to showcase it's prowess.
With such a big main camera, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 isn't just a great camera phone, it's instantly the best tablet you can buy for photography. I've always dreamed of taking amazing photos with a viewfinder the size of an iPad, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 offers an inner display that is just as big as an iPad mini, making it the tablet camera, er, phone of my dreams. It's incredibly easy to see every detail of your subject when you shoot with the Fold 7 open.
That big inner screen is also perfect for photo editing, whether you're using powerful tools like Adobe Lightroom or Samsung's own surprisingly adept Gallery app. The Gallery is where you'll find Samsung's special photo AI tools, and these editing options have gotten very good. If you delete somebody standing in front of vertical blinds, for instance, Galaxy AI is smart enough to redraw the blinds perfectly, matching the lines so it looks natural.
In our tests, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 really did produce images that rivaled the Galaxy S26 Ultra, at least on the main, wide camera. The zoom and ultrawide cameras took great photos, but they weren't quite as good or as detailed as the Ultra's shots, and the Fold 7 maxes out at 3x zoom, unlike the 5x zoom you'll find elsewhere. Still, this is by far the best foldable for photos, and it's images exceed my expectations of what a foldable phone can deliver.
Read our full Galaxy Z Fold 7 review
The best budget camera phone
The Google Pixel 10a continues the solid work of its predecessors by delivering class-leading phone photography for a very attractive price. We'd say that when it comes to getting great cameras for a compelling price, you really don't need to look beyond the Pixel 10a.
This latest iteration of the budget Pixel phone see the pair of rear cameras sit flush with the phone's back, removing the bump of its predecessor and making for a phone that feels that bit cleaner on the design side.
But putting that aside, the Pixel 10a's cameras excel at taking crisp, bright and well-balanced photos with excellent colors; the latter are some of the most natural and have a bounty of dynamic range that Pixel phones have been doing well for years. Add in some new AI features like Camera Coach, which uses AI and haptic feedback to effectively nudge you into the right position to take what the phone's smarts decide makes for the best photo, and you've got a fantastic camera phone.
A lack of meaningful upgrades over the Pixel 9a means you don't need the 10a if you've got that older phone. But for others on Pixels that are longer in the tooth, or are looking to step up from some other budget Android phones, the Pixel 10a is the best budget camera phone to buy right now.
Read our full Google Pixel 10a review
How we test camera phones
Our reviewers take a whole range of photos on the smartphones they test to really assess the the quality of the cameras on the phones. We'll judge photos in isolation, in addition to comparing them against shots from other phones in a similar price range and their predecessors, as well as against some of the popular phones.
We'll test these phones' cameras in bright sunlight outdoors, at night, in shade, inside and in other diverse shooting conditions. And we'll test the cameras as a set, helping identify any big shifts in colors from ultra-wide and telephoto cameras compared to the main camera. We also flirt with some of the AI features, but do generally judge the quality of these phone cameras in their default modes or similar modes to each other.
While harder to assess in a shot-by-shot photos comparison, we also test out video capabilities, looking for ease of shooting clear and usable video with solid white balance and colors.
FAQ
What phone has the best camera?
All of the phones on this list have great cameras that will take fantastic photos, but you can find a camera phone that is tuned to the shots you prefer. A Galaxy S25 Ultra or other Samsung phone takes photos that are rich in color, making them great for food photos and influencer selfies. The Pixel 10 Pro does a great job taking photos in difficult night-time light. Finding the best camera for your shooting style is the best way to be satisfied with your camera phone.
What iPhone has the best camera?
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max each feature the same cameras - the best Apple has included with any iPhone model, ever. These are the best iPhone cameras you can buy.
Which Samsung phone has the best cameras
The Galaxy S26 Ultra packs the most cameras of any Samsung phone, with two real telephoto zoom lenses, in addition to wide and ultrawide cameras. That's the best Samsung camera phone, but you will also find a 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Edge and Galaxy Z Fold 7, so if you mostly care about wide photos, you can get the same great shots from those other Samsung phones.
Which Android phone has the best camera?
In the US, the best Android phone cameras are on Samsung's top phones like the Galaxy S26 Ultra. In other countries, phones like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Huawei Pura 60 Ultra have amazing camera capabilities, but those phones are not sold or supported in the US.
How do you take good pictures with your smartphone?
The first thing to do is stop tapping the screen. Use the volume keys - or the Camera Control on the latest iPhone models - to snap the photo. That will reduce the amount of movement on the camera. The second thing to do is edit your photos after you take them. Every top camera phone has amazing editing software that can reframe, remove unwanted distractions, and much more.
Is a real camera better?
Do digital cameras take better photos than smartphones?
Yes, a digital camera is better than a smartphone camera, but it depends on the camera and the type of photos you take. Digital cameras have larger sensors and larger lenses, which means more light to create the image. However, no digital camera maker is using AI and computational techniques to improve photos in the way that phone makers are doing, and digital cameras don't come with the same robust editing software and sharing capabilities on board.
How do phone cameras work?
How do phone cameras work?
Phone cameras have three main components: the lens, the sensor, and the image signal processor, which is part of a phones system-on-a-chip. Most smartphones today have multiple lenses, and each lens is attached to its own sensor. There is no moving shutter on a smartphone camera, and no moving diaphragm to modify the aperture. Smartphones also rely heavily on a technique called pixel binning. This is when a phone uses four pixels in close proximity to create one final pixel image: thus a 48MP image becomes a higher-quality 12MP image.
Do megapixels matter?
Do MPs matter?
No. Megapixels don't matter at all. What matters is the size of the sensor. A sensor is like a pie. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has 200 megapixels, but it's sensor is the same size as the iPhone 17 Pro, which only has 48 megapixels. Samsung cut the pie into 200 million pieces, but those pieces, or pixels, are tiny, and you need to eat four at a time to get as much pie as one of Apple's pixels. A bigger pie, or sensor, is what you want, and it doesn't really matter into how many pieces it's cut.
How many megapixels do I really need?
How many MPs?
You need 12 megapixels for most photos. A 12MP image is a great size for sharing over email and text, posting to social media, or even printing on an 8x10 sheet. If you are going to print larger images, or if you plan on cropping your images to include only a small portion, then more megapixels will help. Otherwise, more megapixels only mean a larger image file, and you probably don't need to waste the space if you aren't shooting photos to hang on your wall.
What's the best budget phone camera?
Our favorite budget camera phone is the new Google Pixel 10a, especially if you find it on sale. It takes photos on its main camera that are very close or indistinguishable from the Pixel 10 Pro, and it really excels at macro photos and close-up shots. The Pixel 9a is still a great budget camera as well, so if you need to save even more, you might find that one at a great price.
What's the best selfie camera phone?
Best for selfies?
While we don't break out selfies on their own in this list, you can't go wrong with any of the selfie cameras on the phones in this list. They all do a very good job at video calls and snapping front-facing photos.
But there's an argument that the AI features and processing of the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL offer fantastic selfie shots. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a contender, as is the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, especially for video calls.
What's the best camera phone brand?
What's the best camera phone brand?
Because cameras have become the most important part of a phone, I consider all of the best phone makers to be great camera phone brands. You can trust that Google's cameras, for instance, will be consistent across every model. You can trust that Samsung will have vibrant cameras and more shooting modes than any other phone maker. OnePlus has made a name with its Hasselblad partnerships and unique artistic tuning. Of course, Apple is always a standout camera brand, and even a cheap iPhone will have a high-quality camera.
What's the best camera phone for video?
What's the best camera phone for video?
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are the best video recording cameras right now, and it might not even be close. The iPhone 17 Pro is the only phone on this list that can record 4K resolution videos up to 120fps, which gives you truly cinematic looking slow-mo shots. Even at a normal resolution, the iPhone can record video that looks good enough for the big screen, and some filmmakers have famously used iPhones as the heart of their film process.
What should I look for when buying a camera phone?
Picking the perfect camera phone starts with knowing what you like to shoot. If you're snapping action shots of your kids' games or capturing wildlife in their natural habitat, a good zoom is a must-have. But if your Gallery is mostly filled with portraits and group pics with friends, a solid all-around camera will do the trick. If video is more important than photos, or if you plan on mostly sharing shots of sumptuous desserts, you'll want a camera phone that excels at those tasks.
What should I look for when buying a camera phone?
Picking the perfect camera phone starts with knowing what you like to shoot. If you're snapping action shots of your kids' games or capturing wildlife in their natural habitat, a good zoom is a must-have. But if your Gallery is mostly filled with portraits and group pics with friends, a solid all-around camera will do the trick. If video is more important than photos, or if you plan on mostly sharing shots of sumptuous desserts, you'll want a camera phone that excels at those tasks.
Which phone has the best camera?
The best camera phone for most types of photos is the Apple iPhone 17 Pro (and iPhone 17 Pro Max), because it produces photos that look like real photography, with no digital tricks or touch-ups apparent.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best camera phone if you need some specialized photos, like delicious food shots or astrophotography, or landscape photos with bright blue skies and the greenest grass.
The OnePlus 15 offers fantastic photos too, thought is perhaps edged out by the iphne 17 Pro in overall photography, and the S26 Ultra has it beat on flexibility. But the phne is still a worthy contender for your consideration.
What about Xiaomi or Huawei phones?
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a phenomenal camera phone, and our UK reviewer Paul Hatton was enthused by the camera capabilities. We've left Xiaomi phones off this list for now due to their lack of availability in the US, but we are currently testing Xiaomi and Huawei phones in our New York Office and we may change our mind if these prove too good to ignore.
Whether or not Xiaomi or Huawei make the best camera phone, I'd warn US buyers against importing a phone without a local warranty. Buyer beware, it may be hard to fix, and impossible to fix under its own warranty, but if you want to see what we're missing, it's been a lot of fun so far.
How to choose the best camera phone?
Should you choose a phone based on the camera? Absolutely. After the messaging features, the camera is probably the feature you'll use most on your smartphone. You don't need the most expensive and expansive camera options, so it's best to consider what sort of photos you care about the most.
I'd suggest you take a look at the camera samples in this article and read our reviews, we try to offer a selection of the best images the camera produced in our brief review period, and we don't rely on studio testing. We also compare the cameras to all of the other phones you might consider, so you can trust our judgment is up to date and considering the competition.
How do I transfer camera photos to my phone?
You can use the software from your camera maker to transfer photos from your phone. Also, almost all phones today will let you plug in a USB card reader, and then you can read your camera's memory card with your phone. This way you can add your real camera's photos to your phone's photo library, and even edit your photo's using your phone's superior (AI) editing tools.
