The Best Camera Phones for 2025

Samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-5g-iphone-11-se-google-pixel-4a-lg-velvet-6133

The Best Camera Phones for 2025

In 2025, you can find a decent camera on phones as cheap as $500. But truly impressive phone cameras are found only on the best phones that you can buy. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro and the Galaxy S25 Ultra all have amazing cameras as well as a host of tools and features that even a professional photographer can appreciate. Outside the US, Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi (which makes the Xiaomi 15 Ultra) offer cutting-edge camera technology, with large image sensors and lenses that can double as microscopes. This list of best camera phones only includes phones that we tested and that you can buy in 2025.

What is the best camera phone?

It’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t a best camera phone for everyone. Even among CNET’s phone reviewers, there isn’t a “perfect” phone that suits all our needs. We look at how these cameras perform in real-life situations: How they balance exposures, how they handle colors and how easy they are to use. Read our guide to help find the best phone camera for your needs.

We thoroughly tested and compared dozens of phones and found that one with more lenses or megapixels isn’t necessarily any better at taking great shots.

Top phones, like the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro” target=”_blank, tend to have a variety of lenses, including an ultrawide and a telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and use larger image sensors and camera features for AI-powered computational photography. Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera, which has 3x and 5x optical zoom lenses and can take some of the best zoom photos that you can possibly get from a phone.

A building with a curved façade

The $999 iPhone 16 Pro and $1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max have the same trio of lenses: wide, ultrawide and 5x telephoto. The new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera is a big step up from previous iPhone models. It not only takes outstanding photos but doubles as a high-res macro lens to get the perfect focus on your food snaps. Both phones also support 4K 120fps slow-motion video that looks outstanding. A new Camera Control button doubles as a shortcut key to open the camera but also as a shutter button. It can also be used as a zoom rocker or to swipe through Apple’s revamped Photographic Styles – letting you preview each one in the viewfinder before you take a single pic. Both phones pack advanced features such as ProRaw images, ProRes video capture and recording in Log color space, which makes them powerful tools for professional filmmakers.

Is the IPhone 16 Pro leaps and bounds ahead of what Google and Samsung are doing? No. In terms of consistency, reliability and approachability, the iPhone 16 Pro is our pick for people who want a top-notch camera system that’s easy to use.

Best camera phones of 2025

1. The iPhone 16 Pro’s ultrawide lens
2.  Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
3. Pixel 9 Pro’s main camera.
4. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s new ultrawide camera.
5. This iPhone 16 photo, 
6. Pixel 9’s
7. Pixel 8A

Factors to consider when looking at a phone’s cameras

Consider last year’s models: Apple no longer sells the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but you can still find it at third party retailers and often for hundreds less than the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Protect your new phone with a case: Make your phone and its camera’s last longer with a case.

Don’t overlook affordable phones: The $499 Pixel 8A and $599 iPhone 15 can do almost everything that a new premium phone can do for a fraction of the price. Save some money and still take great snaps.

Wait for sales: Many of the best phone camera systems are found on more expensive models. Look for sales and discounts around major holidays, especially Amazon’s Prime Day and Cyber Monday.

Check if you’re already invested: Have you already bought a lot of iPhone camera accessories like a case or tripod? Stick with an iPhone if you still want access to them. Make sure your new iPhone will still work with your setup.

Frequently Asked Questions Faqs

Which phone camera is the best at night?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 9 Pro all have dedicated night modes that take multiple images and combine them in a single photo that’s brighter and has less image noise. All three are good, and it’s nearly impossible to say one is better than another.

Are IPhone or Samsung cameras better?

Samsung Galaxy phones and Apple iPhones have some of the best cameras found on any phone. Either smartphone is a capable photographic tool, but neither is such a clear leader that It's worth moving from Android to iOS or vice versa. If you want the biggest telephoto zoom camera found on a phone, grab a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. If you want an excellent all-around shooter that produces natural-looking images and videos, along with pro features like ProRes and Log video capture, get an iPhone 16 Pro or 16 Pro Max.

What’s the difference between real cameras and phone cameras?

The biggest difference between a dedicated camera and a phone camera is the size. A dedicated camera has a larger sensor and bigger lenses that take in more light. The results are photos that have more detail, a wider dynamic range and more versatility in medium and low light. A phone camera is tiny.

The sensor is smaller than a fingernail and the lens is about the size of a single Lego brick. To overcome the limitations of a small sensor and lens, a phone uses computational photography (AI and machine learning) to combine parts of multiple images into a single photo that’s brighter and has more detail than a phone camera alone.