Best camera phones 2023: The top choices we’ve tested and reviewed
If you’re in need of a new camera phone, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve tested a wide variety of smartphones and gathered all the best picks for capturing photos and videos right here in this guide.
Whether you’re looking for a phone for filming TikToks, capturing your BeReal or sending everyday snaps to your friends and family, we’ve compiled our favourite devices on this page.
Your smartphone is one of the most convenient ways to capture memorable moments on the go as it’s almost always going to be on you. This makes it as easy as pulling the phone out of your pocket when you see something you want to photograph.
Not only that but there are countless editing apps available that make it possible to shoot, edit and post your photos and videos on social media all on a single device.
While camera phones generally can’t rival some of our best mirrorless cameras and DSLRs, they’ve made huge strides over the last decade. Many handsets now pack two, three or even four sensors to capture everything from wide and ultra-wide to macro and telephoto shots.
Many smartphones also take advantage of powerful camera software which allows them to offer features like portrait mode and night mode. Google’s Pixel phones, in particular, are packed with advanced features, including Real Tone, Motion Mode and the Magic Eraser.
You don’t need to spend thousands of pounds on an expensive flagship to get a great camera in 2023, either. The iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra are fantastic, but you can get stunning results from mid-range handsets if you know where to look.
Likewise, a high-end phone won’t automatically equal the best camera, which is why it’s important you do your research before committing to any lengthy contracts.
We examine every aspect of a smartphone when it comes to our reviews, including the design, display, specs, battery and camera. We use the device as our main phone for at least a week and put it through a number of rigorous lab and real-world tests. For the camera, this includes testing its low-light capabilities, shooting in portrait mode and looking at the video quality.
Scroll down to see all our best camera phones right now, or head over to our best phones guide for a more general overview of the best mobiles on the market.
Mục lục
Best camera phones at a glance
How we test
Learn more about how we test mobile phones
We review a smartphone’s camera based on our experience with it, not a manufacturer’s claims or boasts. We shoot sample images and video in varying conditions to properly test its skills and we include sample images in our review wherever possible.
If a smartphone has a specific camera setting – a night mode, for example – we’ll test it thoroughly, while always comparing it to what else is on the market.
iPhone 14 Pro
The best for video
Trusted Score
Pros
- Great screen that gets very bright outdoors
- Versatile camera system for both photography and videography
- Always-on display and Dynamic Island are both neat tricks
- Additional safety features are always welcome
Cons
- Not the quickest to charge
- Zoom photography isn’t on the level of the competition
- Only really a day of battery life
We think the iPhone 14 Pro is the best all-round camera phone. It’s 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.
However, it’s not actually the best camera phone across every specific area. We much prefer the zoom skills on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, for one thing, as it captures a much clearer overall image when you zoom in to a subject. But that said, when taken as a whole, the iPhone 14 Pro comes out top.
In terms of the overall spec of the camera hardware, the iPhone 14 Pro makes some drastic changes to the formula we’ve been familiar with for a number of years. It’s the first iPhone to move on from the 12-megapixel sensor, switch to a 48MP version for its main wide camera. This works in a similar way to the S23 Ultra and others, binning down images to 12MP but utilising the larger amount pixels. You can shoot 48MP shots if you want, but this is a separate mode.
When compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Oppo Find X5 Pro, the shots from the iPhone are a little more realistic and skins tones feel more natural. There is some minor oversharpening on the iPhone, though for the most part the image processing churns out reliable images.
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. That said, it would still be nice to be able to turn the Night Mode on and off as you please, since with this phone it just bursts into life automatically when the camera can’t pick up enough light. Night Mode is much quicker this year and the 14 Pro is capable of some of the best night shots around.
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 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 now supports 4K, and there’s a new Action Mode that ups the stabilisation.
On top of the camera itself, you’ll also be treated to good battery life, so you won’t run out of juice on a busy shooting day, and a gorgeous display to view the images back on.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: iPhone 14 Pro review
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Best for zooming
Trusted Score
Pros
- 200MP camera delivers in both well-lit and low-light conditions
- Top-notch performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
- All-day battery life
- Stunningly detailed 6.8in 120Hz display
Cons
- Very expensive
- Relatively slow 45W charging
- Difficult to use one-handed
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
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Best for stills
Trusted Score
Pros
- Excellent camera and loads of clever camera tricks
- The best version of Android on the market
- Priced well for the European market
Cons
- Charging could, and should, be faster
- Very glossy finish and some odd design elements
- Not a huge upgrade on the Pixel 6 Pro
If you’re purely wanting a phone camera for stills photography we think the Pixel 7 Pro is the one to go for, just like the Pixel 6 Pro before it.
While it disappoints a bit with video capture and lacks some of the versatility of the iPhone 14 Pro or the S23 Ultra, the beautiful images it captures are rich in detail and vibrancy and are the most pleasing of all the phones on this list. The way it utilises HDR to level out contrast and exposure is fantastic, ensuring photos taken on sunny days really “pop”. We’ve taken hundreds of snaps on the Pixel 7 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 Oppo Find X5 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro, but can’t compare to the S23 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 7 Pro also impressed our reviewer with its numerous camera tricks. Magic Eraser is even better with the Tensor G2 chip, easily removing photobombers from photos.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Pixel 7 Pro review
Oppo Find X5 Pro
Best ultrawide
Trusted Score
Pros
- Great screen
- Strong main and ultrawide cameras
- Charges very quickly
Cons
- The shiny back is a miss
- Poor camera zoom
- Software needs more polish
Oppo has consistently impressed us with its phones in recent years, with the firm’s ever-improving cameras being one of the biggest reasons why. The Find X5 Pro disappoints with its zoom performance, but it boasts the strongest ultrawide camera we have tested.
While other phones on this list use inferior sensors for their ultrawides, the Find X5 Pro uses the same hardware for both the wide and ultrawide camera, giving you far superior results. Not only are pictures more detailed with better colours, but they lack the distorted edges and strong fish-eye effect we found on the S23 Ultra’s ultrawide camera.
This is the first Oppo phone to use the brand’s own MariSilicon X NPU and it helps the phone have greater control over the image quality. When compared to the outgoing Find X3 Pro – which has very much the same camera hardware – the images here are more detailed, with nicer colour reproduction. Low-light performance has greatly improved too.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Oppo Find X5 Pro review
Vivo X90 Pro
Best for low-light photography
Trusted Score
Pros
- Truly impressive low-light photography performance
- Wonderfully detailed 6.78-inch AMOLED display
- Charges from flat to full in less than 30 minutes
- Flagship-level performance
Cons
- Only available in a vegan leather finish
- No Dolby Atmos or Dolby Vision support
- Only 2x optical zoom available
When it comes to low-light photography, the Vivo X90 Pro is undoubtedly the most capable phone on the market right now with some truly stunning low-light results.
That’s largely down to the inclusion of a 1-inch sensor and f/1.75 aperture with its main 50.3MP main camera which allows it to let in much more light than the capable iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the results are instantly noticeable.
Low-light images taken on the Vivo X90 Pro boast not only more light than the competition, but decent detail and colour accuracy too.
In fact, Vivo’s claims that it can take images with less than 1 lux rings true in our experience, with the ability to take a photo of a garden at 11pm with nothing more than moonlight and make it look like it was taken on a cloudy day. Some might argue that it’s not true to life, and it’s certainly not, but it’s better to have too much light than not enough in my opinion.
Besides, the night mode is split into two – standard and advanced – that changes the amount of light let into the lens. The former offers something a little more true to life while the latter produces something closer to night vision. You don’t need a tripod either, even when taking snaps of the stars.
It’s not just focused on low light though; the combination of the main 50.3MP sensor, a 12MP ultrawide and a 50MP 2X telephoto lens provides a versatile shooting experience, though the 2X zoom does seem a bit limited compared to most flagships on the market.
Elsewhere, key specs including a top-end Dimensity 9200 chipset, 5000mAh battery with 120W fast charging tech and a pixel-packed 6.78-inch AMOLED display make for a tempting flagship smartphone.
Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full Review: Vivo X90 Pro review
OnePlus 11
Best flagship alternative
Trusted Score
Pros
- Stunning 6.7in AMOLED display
- Solid flagship performance
- Great rear camera performance
- All-day battery life
Cons
- No wireless charging
- Basic selfie camera setup
The OnePlus 11 is a fantastic all-rounder that hits almost all the points expected of a flagship phone in 2023, including a great display, top-end performance, all-day battery life and a brilliant camera.
The smartphone has an eye-catching design with a slightly sparkly finish. On the front, there’s a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a 2K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and LTPO 3.0 technology, meaning it can drop as low as 1Hz to save battery life on the always-on display.
Turn the phone around and you’ll find a triple camera, including a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 32-megapixel telephoto lens. We found that the camera was capable of impressive colour reproduction with 10-bit colour, while HDR helped to tackle bright backlighting.
Low-light performance is particularly impressive and you can even record video at 8K/24fps, though the rather aggressive crop means that most people will probably want to stick to 4K/60fps. Likewise, the 16-megapixel selfie camera is good enough for calls, but the 1080p limit and lack of autofocus means we’d recommend using the rear camera for video.
The OnePlus 11 combines the flagship performance of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with its own OxygenOS Android skin, offering a more user-friendly and intuitive experience than software from other Chinese manufacturers like Vivo’s FunTouchOS and Xiaomi’s MIUI.
Widgets and music controls can be easily reached with the Shelf feature and the phone comes with four years of OS upgrades, meaning you won’t need to worry about outdated software this time next year.
The OnePlus 11 also boasts an all-day battery life, and our reviewer was left with around 30% battery at the end of each day. There’s support for speedy 100W fast charging, although wireless charging is sadly nowhere to be found.
While there are a number of minor ways in which OnePlus could improve this phone, we have no major complaints after testing the OnePlus 11, making it one of the best all-rounders available right now.
Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full Review: OnePlus 11 review
Google Pixel 6a
The best value camera phone
Trusted Score
Pros
- Lovely small form-factor
- Reliable camera for the price
- Google’s excellent software
Cons
- 60Hz display feels slow compared to the rivals
- Slow to fully charge
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. Despite changes in hardware this has largely been fueled by the line’s advanced processing, which uses Google’s AI and machine learning to create best in class imaging quality year-on-year, based on our testing.
The Pixel 6a continues this legacy, but brings the brand’s camera quality to an atypically low price point. The phone features the same rear camera setup as the regular Pixel 6. It’s also powered by the same Google-made Tensor chip, which lets it offer a few Pixel-specific features you can’t get elsewhere. The most useful we’ve found is Magic Eraser, which lets you use the 6a’s AI smarts to remove unwanted photobombers and elements from your photo in the main camera app.
This plus the 6a’s small hand friendly design and fantastic image processing powers let it deliver unparalleled image quality that blew every other phone we’ve tested out of the water when it came to camera performance when we reviewed it.
Low light photos hold better contrast and remain noise free. Regular photos look realistic, featuring neutral, accurate colours and remain blissfully free of the rookie mistakes we experience on other phones at this price, like oversharpening. This earns it a place in this list as our recommended camera phone for buyers looking for the best value option.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Pixel 6a review
Realme 9 Pro Plus
Best cheap camera phone
Trusted Score
Pros
- Excellent main camera for the money
- Solid performance
- Fast 60W charging
Cons
- Drab design in two of three colours
- Realme UI isn’t a slick Android skin
Our pick for the best cheap phone is the Realme 9 Pro Plus, which costs less than £350 yet delivers excellent photographic results.
This model is a significant upgrade over the Realme 8 Pro as it includes the same excellent 50-megapixel main sensor that you’ll find on the Oppo Find X5 Pro. Shots are remarkably clear and crisp in daylight, and while night shots can seem over-brightened they do still retain an impressive level of clarity that separates it from all other handsets at this price point.
Admittedly the remaining sensors on the handset, namely an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro sensor, are just bog standard and not anything special. But just getting your hands on a flagship-level sensor at this price is the bargain that makes this phone worth your consideration.
We reckon that you simply won’t get a better main camera performance for this price.
Reviewer: Jon Mundy
Full review: Realme 9 Pro Plus
FAQs
What is an optical zoom?
Optical zoom is a camera phone feature that allows you to take images of your subject from afar without allowing the quality to suffer as you might see with digital zoom.
What is a telephoto camera?
Having a telephoto lens on your phone lets you to get very close to your subject without reducing the quality of your image.
What is OIS?
OIS – or optical image stablisation – uses a gyroscope to compensate for shake, keeping your videos stable and your images crisp even in low light.
Specs Comparison
‹
UK RRP
USA RRP
EU RRP
CA RRP
AUD RRP
Manufacturer
Screen Size
Storage Capacity
Rear Camera
Front Camera
Video Recording
IP rating
Battery
Wireless charging
Fast Charging
Size (Dimensions)
Weight
Operating System
Resolution
HDR
Refresh Rate
Ports
Chipset
RAM
Colours
Stated Power
iPhone 14 Pro
£1099
$999
€1299
CA$1399
AU$1749
Apple
6.1 inches
128GB
48MP Main, 12MP Ultrawide, 12MP 2x Telephoto, 12MP 3x Telephoto
12MP True Depth
Yes
–
Yes
Yes
71.5 x 7.85 x 147.5 MM
206 G
2556 x 460
Yes
120 Hz
Lightning
A16 Bionic chip
–
Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple
20 W
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
£1149
$1199.99
€1259
–
–
Samsung
6.8 inches
128GB
108-megapixels
40-megapixels
Yes
5000 mAh
Yes
Yes
77.9 x 8.9 x 163.3 MM
229 G
1440 x 3080
Yes
120 Hz
USB-C
Exynos 2200
8GB
Burgundy, Gree, Black, White
–
Google Pixel 7 Pro
£849
$899
€899
–
AU$1298.99
6.7 inches
512GB
50MP Wide, 12MP Ultrawide, 48MP Telephoto
10.8MP
Yes
5000 mAh
Yes
Yes
76.6 x 162.9 x 8.9 MM
212 G
1440 x 3120
Yes
120 Hz
USB-C
Google Tensor G2, Titan M2 security coprocessor
12GB
Obsidian, Snow, Hazel
–
Oppo Find X5 Pro
£1049
–
€1299
–
–
OPPO Digital
6.7 inches
256GB
50MP + 50MP + 13MP
32MP
Yes
5000 mAh
Yes
Yes
73.9 x 8.5 x 163.7 MM
218 G
3126 x 1440
Yes
120 Hz
USB-C
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 + MariSilicon X
12GB
Ceramic White, Glaze Black
–
Vivo X90 Pro
–
–
–
–
–
Vivo
6.78 inches
256GB, 512GB
50.3MP + 50MP + 12MP
32MP
Yes
4867 mAh
Yes
Yes
74.5 x 9.3 x 164.1 MM
215 G
1260 x 2800
Yes
120 Hz
USB-C
MediaTek Dimensity 9200
12GB, 8GB
Legendary Black
–
OnePlus 11
£729
$699
€849
–
–
OnePlus
6.7 inches
128GB, 256GB
50MP + 48MP + 32MP
16MP
Yes
5000 mAh
–
Yes
8.53 x 74.1 x 163.1 MM
205 G
3216 x 1440
Yes
120 Hz
USB-C
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
16GB, 8GB
Black, Green
–
Google Pixel 6a
£399
$449
€459
–
–
6.1 inches
128GB
12MP + 12MP
8MP
Yes
4410 mAh
–
Yes
71.8 x 8.9 x 152.2 MM
178 G
1080 x 2400
Yes
60 Hz
USB-C
Tensor
6GB
Sage, White, Black
18 W
Realme 9 Pro Plus
£349
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Oppo
6.4 inches
128GB
50MP + 8MP + 2MP
16MP
Yes
4500 mAh
–
Yes
73.3 x 8 x 160.2 INCHES
182 G
1080 x 2400
–
90 Hz
USB-C
MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G
6GB
Midnight Black, Aurora Green, Sunrise Blue
–
›
Trusted Reviews test data
You can see all the test data for the smartphones in this list in the below chart.
‹
Geekbench 5 single core
Geekbench 5 multi core
sRGB
Adobe RGB
DCI-P3
Max brightness
1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR)
30 minute gaming (intensive)
30 minute gaming (light)
1 hour music streaming (online)
1 hour music streaming (offline)
Time from 0-100% charge
Time from 0-50% charge
3D Mark – Wild Life
3D Mark – Wild Life Stress Test
3D Mark – Sling Shot Extreme
iPhone 14 Pro
1878
5491
–
–
–
–
10 %
11 %
5 %
1 %
1 %
99 min
32 Min
2809
–
–
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
1159
3514
99.8 %
90.2 %
97.4 %
770 nits
6 %
–
–
2 %
1 %
59 min
23 Min
6930
6179
–
Google Pixel 7 Pro
1059
3203
–
–
–
–
8 %
20 %
7 %
3 %
3 %
72 min
31 Min
6474
–
–
Oppo Find X5 Pro
980
3436
95.4 %
67.5 %
83.5 %
475 nits
11 %
–
–
2 %
2 %
36 min
14 Min
9616
–
–
Vivo X90 Pro
1381
4176
–
–
–
1300 nits
8 %
12 %
6 %
–
–
28 min
11 Min
3679
–
–
OnePlus 11
1165
4856
–
–
–
–
6 %
–
4 %
–
–
28 min
12 Min
3532
3567
–
Google Pixel 6a
1043
2900
–
–
–
–
7 %
10 %
9 %
1 %
1 %
105 min
40 Min
–
–
–
Realme 9 Pro Plus
809
2301
–
–
–
–
5 %
–
–
–
–
50 min
18 Min
2284
–
3900
›
