Top Camera Phone of 2024: The Ideal Choice for Photographers

The Top Camera Phone of 2024 all feature incredible cameras that can capture stunning photographs for your Instagram followers or family members. These include high-performance smartphones from Apple, Google, Samsung, and others. Different businesses provide distinct features, a wide range of camera lenses, and varying megapixel counts.

We meticulously examined and analyzed dozens of phones and discovered that having more lenses or megapixels does not inevitably equal taking better-looking photos. Top phones like the iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro use larger image sensors and software enhancements to enable AI-powered computational photography. Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera, which can produce some of the best zoom shots available on a phone.

It’s vital to remember that no phone camera is “perfect” for everyone. Even among CNET’s phone reviewers, no phone camera meets all of our requirements. We examine how these cameras perform in real-world scenarios, including how they balance exposures, handle colors, and are simple to use. Please read our guide to help you select the finest phone camera.

Top Camera Phone of 2024 at a Glance

Best for video: iPhone 15 Pro Max

Best zoom: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Best for stills: Google Pixel 8 Pro

Best value: iPhone 15

Best for pro shooting: Google Pixel 7a

Best variable aperture: OnePlus 12

PHONE 15 Pro Max

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has replaced the iPhone 14 Pro as the greatest camera phone we’ve tested; although, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra on the way, this may change.

Apple’s newest flagship is reliable in all settings, records the greatest video of any phone on this list, and has three distinct cameras for versatility, each with a different focal length.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s zoom capabilities remain comparable to those of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, they are noticeably better than those of the previous 14 Pro. The iPhone 15 Pro does not include the full 5x zoom, which is reserved for the Max variant.

The iPhone 14 Pro makes significant adjustments to the formula we’ve been using for several years, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max continues the trend. There is a 48MP main wide camera that reduces photos to 24MP, rather than 12MP on the 14 Pro series. You can take 48MP photos if you like, however this is a distinct mode.

When compared to many of the other phones on this list, the iPhone’s photos are slightly more realistic, and the skin tones appear more natural. There is a specific Night Mode for photography in low-light situations, and the results are excellent, with plenty of information retained and dark regions relatively noise-free.

The outstanding results continue when we consider video capturing. While it does not take video at the same 8K resolution as the S23 or S24 Ultra, the 4K capture we recorded was well-stabilized without being false and had the same excellent color reproduction as the images. The Cinematic Mode still supports 4K, and the Action Mode improves stabilization.

In addition to the camera itself, you’ll get outstanding battery life, a beautiful display, a well-built titanium body, and USB-C – a feature that lets you plug in SSDs for higher-quality filming.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S24 ULTRA

While all of the cameras on Samsung’s top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra are noteworthy, its zooming ability remains unrivaled by the competition, even without a dedicated 10x periscope like last year’s flagship.

Instead, the S24 Ultra includes a new high-resolution 50MP 5x periscope lens that gives identical results at 10x while also significantly improving quality between 5-10x, a duty previously handled by the fixed 10MP 3x telephoto lens. Regardless of the zoom setting you choose, the phone captures far more detail than digital zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Google Pixel 8 Pro, making it a flexible camera.

There’s also Samsung’s famous 100x space zoom, which is very useful for photographing the moon – but not much else – and a relatively normal 12MP ultrawide lens.

The primary 200MP camera stays identical to the S23 Ultra, but given the high-end capabilities on offer, this isn’t a major concern. The phone’s 16-in-1 pixel binning technology delivers vivid, detailed images in both well-lit and low-light conditions. It’s almost straightforward to snap amazing shots with the primary sensor.

It’s not just hardware; the camera app includes a variety of shooting modes, including Expert RAW, which allows you to capture RAW photographs at up to 50MP and take long-exposure shots of the night sky. It also makes use of new GenAI-powered editing features, allowing you to delete objects from photographs, move them around, and record in up to 8K@30fps.

GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO

The main camera on the Pixel 8 Pro is noticeably better than the one on the Pixel 7 Pro, although the differences can be difficult to describe.

The camera’s lens features an f/1.65 aperture, which is wider than the f/1.9 aperture of last year’s lens. While the number is lower, a wider aperture is better since it lets in more light, and the improvement is exponential rather than linear.

Macro photography works better on the Pixel 8 Pro than on the iPhone, and even if you don’t want to shoot macro, the Pixel allows you to get closer to your subject. The Pixel 8 Pro also performed far better on food shots than the iPhone. The iPhone’s natural look might make dishes appear unappealing in poor lighting. It’s preferable to have a camera that can make some improvements.

After you’ve shot your images, you’ll need to edit them in Google Images, which is a unique app on the Pixel 8 series of devices. It has features that are not available on other Pixel phones, Android phones, iPhones, or even the desktop.

PHONE 15

The iPhone 15 still has only two lenses on the back, however, they are not the same as those found on the iPhone 14. Okay, the 12MP ultrawide is the same, but the main camera now has the same 48MP lens as the iPhone 14 Pro. That is not the same sensor as the larger one found inside the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, though.

Nonetheless, this is a big advance from the iPhone 14’s 12MP main camera, and all of the cameras are powered by the last-generation A16 Bionic processor and an enhanced image pipeline technology (photonic engine and computational photography), which provides a few unique, new photography features.

Video quality remains superb, and you can shoot at up to 4K 60 fps. You’ll like shooting in Cinematic mode, which allows you to apply a brief focus effect to all of your movies and select which topic or item to focus on while recording. If you don’t like your first option, you may always revise it and choose an alternative focus topic.

Low-light shooting is good, and the 12MP TrueDepth lens makes an excellent selfie camera. You can also turn almost any selfie into portrait mode with a single tap.

This is certainly the nicest combination of cameras we’ve seen on an iPhone basic model. They aren’t as good as the ones on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and they lack better telephoto and macro features. If you want that, you’ll have to pay more, but for the money, this is all you should want or need in an iPhone without the word “Pro” in the name.

GOOGLE PIXEL 7A

Google’s Pixel range has continuously pleased us with camera performance since we evaluated the first generation Pixel in 2016, and it’s not limited to the flagship phones. The far more cheap A-series has produced some of the greatest value camera phones in recent years, and the Pixel 7a lives up to those standards.

The phone has a far superior primary camera than the 6a, with a significantly larger 64MP sensor. It’s powered by the same Google-made Tensor chip, allowing it to offer a few Pixel-specific features like Magic Eraser, which uses AI to erase unwanted photobombers and components from your photo in the main camera app.

Night images taken with the superb Night Sight feature maintain excellent contrast and are noise-free, while photos are snapped significantly faster than on the Pixel 6a. Regular images look natural, with neutral, true colors and no oversharpening, as we see on other phones at this price. This wins it a spot on our list of recommended camera phones for those searching for the greatest value.

Next to the primary camera is a very capable 12MP ultrawide camera that matches colors well with the main camera, as well as a 13MP selfie camera in a little cutout on the front.

The video maxes out at 4K 60fps, and our reviewer was once again surprised, noting how the nice colors from the photo capture carried over to the video.

Our reviewer was thrilled not only with the phone’s camera capabilities but also with its other features. There’s a beautiful 90Hz display, compact size, and wireless charging.

ONEPLUS 12

The OnePlus 12’s camera system is designed for a special type of photographer, reflecting the spirit of Hasselblad, the revered optics used by astronauts in the great expanse of space. OnePlus has unabashedly embraced this aesthetic, which pervades every pixel of its current smartphones.

However, let’s be clear: if you’re looking for jaw-dropping telephoto images or extreme close-up macro photography, the OnePlus 12 might not be the right fit. Its longest lens only reaches 3x magnification, which is a far cry from the 5x lens on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The OnePlus 12 excels in portrait and landscape photography. Its images have a depth and naturalness that both the iPhone and Pixel lack. While Apple and Google seek truth and stark reality, the OnePlus 12 embraces the spirit of a genuine prime photography lens, inviting you to record experiences with a creative flair that goes beyond mere documentation.