The 10 best camera phones in March 2024 – Body Blaze

The 10 best camera phones in March 2024

If you love your photography, but don’t want to carry a weighty DSLR around with you all day, the best camera phones offer high-end image technology with supreme portability. But which one should you go for? We’re here to breakdown the pros and cons of all the top camera phones currently on market.

We’ve picked out our 10 favourite handsets based on our reviewing and testing experience and detailed comparison of the specs. Be warned: a lot of the phones we’ve featured are the flagships of their lines, meaning they come at a considerable price. We’ve made an effort to also include some cheaper options, but please check out our guide to the best budget camera phones if the phones below – which often hover around the $1,000 mark for sim-free handset – are out of your price range.

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The new gold standard for Android camera phones.

Specifications

RAM: 8GB, 12GB

Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Rear camera: 200MP (wide, f/1.7) + 10MP (periscope, 10x optical zoom, f/4.9) + 10MP (telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.4) + 12MP (ultra-wide, 120-degree, f/2.2)

Front camera: 12MP (wide, f/2.2)

Reasons to buy

+

Stunning shots in all conditions

+

Very good low-light performance

+

Gorgeous display

Reasons to avoid

–

100x zoom is mostly a gimmick

–

Inevitably expensive

If you thought smartphone cameras couldn’t get any better, Samsung stepped up to the plate to prove you wrong with the magnificent Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and its 200MP flagship camera. Now, granted, you’re not likely to be shooting 200MP images very often – the real tricks are in features like 16-in-1 pixel binning that greatly enhances light and detail, delivering images of superb quality even in dark conditions. The quad-camera array on the S23 Ultra gives you real shooting flexibility, with a 10x optical zoom that brings distant subjects closer, as well as an ultra-wide module and a dedicated autofocus array.

You can ignore that headline-grabbing 100x zoom mode – it’s mostly a gimmick that’s pretty much impossible to use in the real world, and Samsung has come under some flak recently for possibly augmenting its ‘Space Zoom’ shots with some AI trickery. But this doesn’t detract from the fundamentals of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It’s simply the best-specced smartphone camera array on the market right now. Drop into Pro mode and record in .DNG raw format for the ultimate in shooting flexibility and performance.

The best iPhone camera available.

Specifications

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Rear camera: 48MP (wide, f/1.8) + 12MP (telephoto, 3x / 5xoptical zoom, f/2.8) + 12MP (ultra-wide, 120-degree, f/2.2)

Front camera: 12MP (wide, f/1.9)

Reasons to buy

+

Fantastic processing

+

Great macro photography mode

+

ProRes video at 4K

Reasons to avoid

–

One of the most expensive camera phones

–

Underwhelming selfie mode

The Pro and Pro Max have significantly better cameras than the standard iPhone, sporting that additional third lens (the Pro Max has a telephoto with 5X optical zoom, the Pro is 3X), and excellent macro abilities. Though the cameras are an incremental upgrade over the 14 Pro and Pro Max, there are improvements that include lens choices, that 5X zoom on the Pro Max (the previous were 3X), technical sounding ‘nano-scale coatings’, which apparently improve flare and ghosting and an improved photonic (machine learning) engine that will give better output.

Still one of the best camera phones around.

Specifications

RAM: 6GB, 12GB

Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Rear camera: 108MP (wide, f/1.8) + 10MP (periscope, 10x optical zoom, f/4.9) + 10MP (telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.4) + 12MP (ultra-wide, 120-degree, f/2.2)

Front camera: 40MP (wide, f/2.2)

Reasons to buy

+

Useful S Pen stylus

+

8K video recording

+

Excellent zoom lens

Reasons to avoid

–

Costs over $1,000 in the US

–

Battery life suffers with 8K recording

–

Slippery case

In reviewing the S22 Ultra, we found that whether we wanted to take a wide shot of a big view, needed to jump in close for a portrait shop or wanted to travel far (and really far) into the distance for a zoom shot, we could rely on it to provide. Photos taken with a 30x zoom are much clearer here than what the S21 Ultra could produce, and night photography yields warmer tones and more balanced contrasts.

04. Google Pixel 7 Pro

The best camera phone for chances of a great deal.

Specifications

RAM: 12GB

Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Rear camera: 50MP (wide, f/1.9) + 12MP (ultrawide, 114-degree, f/2.2) + 48MP (telephoto, 4x optical zoom, f/3.5)

Front camera: 11.1MP (wide, f/2.2)

Reasons to buy

+

Useful camera software tools

+

Top camera hardware

+

Good deals available

Reasons to avoid

–

Battery life isn’t impressive

–

The ultrawide lens is fixed focus

Best of all is Google’s software. We found the AI scene optimization to be fantastic at tweaking pictures. Night Sight is fairly good for low-light photography, and the Magic Eraser is good at editing out unwanted objects and even people if the shot’s clean enough, although Photoshop doesn’t need to worry too much yet. It can get hot, and battery life is poor when compared to the S22 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, although no worse than the iPhone 14 Pro.

The best camera phone for people who like ‘real cameras’.

Specifications

Storage: 256GB, 512GB

RAM: 12GB

Rear camera: 12MP (wide, f/1.7) + 12MP (telephoto, 3.5x-5.2x optical zoom, f/2.3) + 12MP (ultra-wide, 124-degree, f/2.2) + 0.3MP (3D Time-of-Flight))

Front camera: 12MP (wide, f/2.0)

Reasons to buy

+

Useful shutter button

+

Loads of creative apps

Reasons to avoid

–

Angular design

–

High price

Meanwhile, for the first time on a Sony phone, you can record 4K and 120fps footage on any of the three rear cameras and one on the front, which is useful for videographers and bloggers. We also quite like Sony’s creativity apps like Photography Pro and Cinema Pro (there’s also Audio Pro for music). The photography app isn’t the easiest to use since it’s modelled on cameras rather than smartphones, but if you’re familiar with using a DSLR, you’ll have no problem with it.

One of the best camera phones for looks.

Specifications

RAM: 8GB, 12GB

Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Rear camera: 48MP (wide, f/1.8) + 8MP (telephoto, 3.3x optical zoom, f/2.4) + 50MP (ultra-wide, 150-degree, f/2.2)

Front camera: 32MP (wide, f/2.2)

Reasons to buy

+

Stylish design

+

Impressive cameras

+

More affordable than other flagships

Reasons to avoid

–

Can get hot

–

No official water resistance

Beyond the camera, we found the OnePlus 10 Pro to be a well-rounded Android phone with a good-looking screen, fast charging and plenty of processing power. As with all phones, it has a few rough edges, and we found it ran hot when put through intense use. OnePlus has since released an update, the OnePlus 11 (there’s no Pro version coming anytime soon), and while it is a little cheaper and sports some camera upgrades, it lacks the 150-degree ultra-wide module on the 10 Pro.

The Oppo Find X5 Pro was one of the most talked about top-end smartphones of 2022, and mostly because of its camera, thanks to help from Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad. There’s a 32MB selfie on the front and three lenses on the back neatly grouped into a kind of plateau: a main 50MP with a super fast f/1.7 aperture, an ultra-wide-angle 50MP camera with f/2.2 and a 13MP telephoto lens with f/2.4. Gone is the Find X3 Pro’s dedicated microscopic macro lens.

The two main lenses are fantastic with great, vivid colours and the low apertures allow fast shots. The telephoto lens is less impressive, with only a 2X zoom, which lags behind much of the competition. The new Marisilicon X neural processing unit applies AI imaging algorithms right on RAW data to improve noise reduction in low light for photos and 4K video. Meanwhile, Hasselblad’s filters that can add a film-like quality to the most mundane of images.

The best foldable camera phone.

Specifications

RAM: 12GB

Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Rear camera: 50MP wide (f/1.8), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2), 10MP telephoto (f/2.4) with 3x optical zoom

Front camera: 10MP cover (f/2.2), 4MP under-display (f/1.8)

Reasons to buy

+

Better multitasking with taskbar

+

Foldability can be handy as a tripod

+

S Pen support

Reasons to avoid

–

More expensive than phones with better cameras

–

Lacklustre selfie camera

There are five cameras spread around the Z Fold 4 – three on the back, a selfie camera in the front display, and then another in the inner display. These aren’t Samsung’s best cameras, but they’re a notable upgrade from the previous foldable, with a 50MP main camera with an f/1.8 lens, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP, 3x zoom telephoto. The selfie camera on the cover display is also 10MP, but the in-display selfie camera is a rather lacklustre 4MP. A fun feature of the phone is the way its foldability allows it to work as its own tripod. And if you open it up while taking a shot, you can give subjects a preview by duplicating your viewfinder to the front display.

For a discount on an older (still great) model.

Specifications

RAM: 12GB, 16GB

Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Rear camera: 108MP (wide, f/1.8) + 10MP (periscope, 10x optical zoom, f/4.9) + 10MP (telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.4) + 12MP (ultrawide, 120-degree, f/2.2)

Front camera: 40MP (wide, f/2.2)

Reasons to buy

+

Wacom pen tech

+

Excellent camera zoom

Reasons to avoid

–

Big and bulky

–

Expensive

How to choose the best camera phone

Obviously there’s no one camera phone that s perfect for all users. In our minds, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes pretty close, but what about all those Apple lovers? That’s why we’ve picked these 10 options, with different users in mind.

You’ve got to think about the overall strengths of each camera, what the device focuses on (!). Some have long-ranging zoom cameras, either optical, digital or a combination of both. Others might focus on sensor size or dedicated macro lenses. Available modes might help too, as most brands create their own camera modes. Samsung has Single Take and Food, both of which help you take great-looking pictures with little work, while OnePlus and Oppo have some gorgeous Hasselblad-created filters.

Finally, the shooting experience could influence your buying choice. Some phones offer an easy point-and-shoot experience, so that at the tap of a button you can take social-media-ready posts, while others have a more involved process that makes it easy to fiddle with different settings. Your choice here will depend on your comfort level with cameras, and we’ve definitely noted anything pertinent in our reviews above.

Of course, you need to consider the rest of the phone experience in your choice too. You’re choosing a camera phone, not just a camera, so you also want to consider general processing power, screen quality, batter life and the size of phone you want.

How we test our camera phones

You can look at a spec sheet all you want (and believe me, we do), but really nothing betters getting a camera phone in your hands and having a play. And doing that for long enough to get a good feel for the handset, and to find out what the photography experience is like with it.

That’s what we’ve done with the majority of camera phones above. And where we haven’t had a chance to review the model ourselves, we’ve consulted friends in the business, and sister tech sites that have had time with the handset, and picked their brains. Our thinking is, you may buy one of the models above based on our recommendation, so we need to be 100% sure that we’ve done a good job of providing the actual best camera phones out there.

Our writers are professional photographers and keen enthusiasts, and so are in tune with all types of potential users, and what they most desire from a camera phone.

How much do the best camera phones cost?

None of the phones in our pick of the best camera phones is cheap. Based on the manufacturers’ recommended retail prices, our recommended choices for the best camera phone range from $699 / £699 for the Realme GT 2 Pro to $1,099 / £1,199 for the new iPhone 14 Pro Max and a staggering $1,799 / £1,499 for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 – and those prices are for the starting configurations.

That’s a difference of $400 in the US and £500 in the UK – large enough to possibly be a factor in your decision. But when it comes to comparing our top picks, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the difference in price is pretty minimal, with only around $100 generally separating the two (it depends which configuration you go for).

That said, some of the phones on our list are more likely to see discounts than others. Samsung often offers deals on its phones, especially during events like Black Friday, while Apple doesn’t. Your best bet to save on an iPhone is through trade in or through a deal with a phone carrier. Google’s Pixel 6 Pro is also seeing some great deals at the moment because of the release of the Pixel 7 Pro.

Are camera phones as good as digital cameras?

This is a slightly complex question. In certain ways, camera phones have physical limitations that make them inferior in a lot of ways to the best cameras. The big one is sensor size – smartphones have to use physically smaller sensors than cameras. Larger sensors are able to use larger individual pixels, which creates a cleaner image with less noise, and makes for better low-light performance.

However, clever computational tricks mean that camera phones are catching up. For instance, the 200MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S23 isn’t really for capturing 200MP images (though it can), it’s designed to use a technique called pixel binning that combines several pixel into one, creating a digital simulation of the larger pixels on a camera’s sensor. This improves image clarity, and makes shooting modes like Night Photography much more potent.

Of course, some people will always prefer the form factor of a real digital camera, and we haven’t even touched upon the advantage (and expense) of being able to swap lenses. Suffice to say, cameras and camera phones each have their place, and neither one is really empirically ‘better’ these days.

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