Re: No Camera Smartphone
Joao Charlesbois
When choosing a camera phone, you should consider the types of photo you want to take. If you take are taking a lot of sports photos of kids or professionals, or you enjoy nature photography, then a long zoom would help. If you take mostly portraits and photos with friends, then a good all-around camera is better. The best camera phones can be expensive, but we also have bargain options if budget is a major concern.
The best camera phone is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, because it has many cameras with versatile options. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best combination of cameras, but the main camera on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, for instance, may produce better images under certain conditions.
The best camera phones of 2024 return to a focus on quality, after years of 10X zoom and annual spec boosts. Even though Samsung and Google are focused on using AI to edit photos after you take them, the best camera phones still produce great images that don't need editing.
Our favorite camera phone, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, is so versatile it's like carrying the best cameras with a whole bag full of lenses. If that's too pricey, we've just added a new budget favorite, the Pixel 8a, which takes photos that look a lot like the images we get from the Pixel 8 Pro.
Of course we're not forgetting about Apple and the best iPhones. The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a new level of quality and zoom range for Apple. It can't quite match Samsung for versatility in lenses and photo modes, but it's coming closer this year.
If you favor selfies and portrait shots, check out the OnePlus 12. Then read more about our favorite smartphone cameras below, but check back soon because we expect this will be an exciting year ahead filled with amazing smartphone photography.
Update: May 2024. We have the Xiaomi 14 Ultra in our hands in the UK TechRadar offices, and it's an impressive camera phone. It has three 50MP sensors, including a large one-inch main sensor. It has 5X zoom like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it pairs that zoom lens with a larger sensor, and it achieves a wider aperture on the zoom than its competition. Unfortunately, because it's not available worldwide, we won't be including Xiaomi 14 Ultra on our Best Camera Phone list, but look out for our full review coming soon.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra retains the Ultra title as our best camera phone for its versatility, but Samsung has also taken strides to improve image quality all around, making this phone a great choice for every photo situation. Photos from the Galaxy S24 Ultra look more natural than images we've taken with past Samsung phones, and even the iPhone 15 Pro could look cold and lifeless by comparison.
The 200MP main sensor is still around, and this time it's been greatly improved with better color and more dynamic range than before. The blurry background in photos looks more natural than digitized, and the camera was very consistent in its results.
Of course, the big question is whether the 5X zoom camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a downgrade from the 10X zoom on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. While you might not see as many fine details on images from the newest Ultra, the photos are still much better all around. Noise is greatly reduced, and color is improved, which makes most images just look better, even though the zoom isn't looking as far.
Samsung phones excel in their shooting modes and options, and there are plenty of great choices on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Food mode will make your food look delicious and not insipid, and Portrait mode does a great job blurring the background behind your subject.
Overall, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the camera I reach for most often when I need to make every shot count, and I'm not sure what sort of shooting I'll be doing. It can handle everything, just like it's predecessor, and it delivers more consistent results than any competitor.
Apple has finally embraced zoom, with periscope technology that folds lenses and mirrors to give us real, 5X optical zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Unfortunately, the iPhone 15 Pro got left behind with less range, but that makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max the easier choice if you want the best iPhone camera, hands-down.
The big iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn't just get superior zoom range, it also uses a 6-axis stabilizer, which can move in any direction to keep the camera steady while you're taking photos or shooting video. It makes a big difference, especially when you zoom in all the way.
For every type of photography, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a great improvement over past iPhone cameras, and it holds its own against any other smartphone you can buy. For video recording, the iPhone 15 Pro Max truly excels. It has dynamic range and a level of detail and quality that are unparalleled, especially when you are recording in Apple's ProRes format at the highest resolution and frame rate.
It may not be quite as versatile as Samsung's overstuffed Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Apple doesn't give us all the fun shooting modes in which Samsung indulges, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a high quality, reliable camera that can shoot great photos and amazing video in any situation.
There's more to the phones on this best camera phones list than just their sensor and megapixel count. These devices blend great hardware, software and a little AI magic to create amazing photos that you'll be happy to share immediately. And we test them all thoroughly to see who does it best.
Our current top pick is the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which just beats out the Galaxy S24 Ultra in our 200-photo camera face-off. (For more on the changes Apple made to the cameras on the best iPhone, look at our 200-photo iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max face-off.) For a less expensive option, try the Google Pixel 8a, which costs a little less than $500 while still taking premium photos. (Our Pixel 8a vs. Nothing Phone 2a camera face-off shows how Google's phone compares to another low-cost option.)
After hundreds of hours of testing each camera in light, dark and other scenarios, and after many head-to-head photo comparisons between similar devices, these are the best camera phones you can buy right now.
Here's a summary of the best camera phones you can buy right now based on our head-to-head testing of each phone's camera capabilities. Keep scrolling to find the in-depth reviews of every camera phone featured here.
The Pixel 8 Pro ups the ante when it comes to capturing photos and video. Its Tensor G2 chipset adds even more magical features like Magic Editor and Audio Magic Eraser to turn its wielder into a seasoned photo and video editor. If that's not enough, it's a showcase for the future of artificial intelligence.
Google continues to prove you don't need to spend big bucks for a great camera phone, as its latest sub-$500 device, the Pixel 8a matches up well with any other entry on this list. The phone also offers AI-powered editing tools similar to what you get on the Pixel 8 flagships.
Apple upgraded the main camera on its entry-level iPhone to a 48MP sensor, which not only means more detailed shots but the ability to take a sharp 2x zoom without a dedicated telephoto lens. Software improvements also enhance portrait and night shots.
Credit OnePlus for working hard over the years to improve camera performance, an effort that culminates in the OnePlus 12. Besides high-quality images from its main lens, the OnePlus 12 offers an improved telephoto camera with a much better 3x optical zoom than previous OnePlus flagships.
The Galaxy S24 puts a flagship camera phone in your hands for $500 less than the S24 Ultra. You'll get bright, colorful photos, along with the Galaxy AI-powered photo editing tools of Samsung's more expensive S24 models.
It may not have the iPhone 15 Pro Max's more powerful zoom lens, but there's plenty for photo fans to like about the iPhone 15 Pro, including the larger sensor on the 48MP main camera. That improves low light photos, and software improvements make sure that portraits are stellar.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 re-establishes Samsung as the top maker of foldable phones, and the cameras on this device are a big reason why. You get bright, vibrant images from the Fold when compared to the output from rival foldable handsets.
Philip Michaels is the managing editor for mobile at Tom's Guide. He's been covering technology since 1999, and started covering smartphones with the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. Since joining Tom's Guide from Macworld in 2015, he's developed an expertise in Android phones as evidenced by the stack of Samsung, Google and Motorola phones in his Northern California home. And his digital photo library is stuffed with images he's taken as part of head-to-head camera testing for phone reviews."}), " -0-10/js/person.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Philip MichaelsSocial Links NavigationManaging Editor, MobilePhilip Michaels is the managing editor for mobile at Tom's Guide. He's been covering technology since 1999, and started covering smartphones with the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. Since joining Tom's Guide from Macworld in 2015, he's developed an expertise in Android phones as evidenced by the stack of Samsung, Google and Motorola phones in his Northern California home. And his digital photo library is stuffed with images he's taken as part of head-to-head camera testing for phone reviews.
The improved zoom lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max draws all the attention, but it's not the only boost Apple gave to the photo features on its premium phone. Smart HDR gets an update that improves dynamic range while portrait and nights shots see some software-powered improvements as well. It's no wonder that the iPhone 15 Pro Max excels at both portrait shots and low-light photos in a way that tops what Samsung's best camera phone can do.
As for that improved zoom lens, the tetraprism design lets the iPhone 15 Pro Max deliver a 5x zoom, compared to a 3x zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro. The Galaxy S24 Ultra now features a 5x telephoto lens, too, though it uses cropping and a high-resolution sensor to go up to a 10x zoom if need be.
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