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Best Camera Phone of 2024 [CNET]
Our Experts
Andrew is CNET’s go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
Expertise Smartphones | Photography | iOS | Android | Gaming | Outdoor pursuits Credentials
- Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
The best phones in 2024 all have amazing cameras that can take photos that’ll wow your Instagram followers or family members. These include high-performance phones from Apple, Google, Samsung and others. Different companies offer unique features, a spectrum of camera lenses and varied megapixel counts.
Read more: I Spent My First Day With the Galaxy Z Flip 6 AI-ing My Way Through Paris
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 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro use larger image sensors and software additions for AI-powered computational photography. Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera, which can take some of the best zoom photos that you can possibly get from a phone.
Read more: Best Phones to Buy in 2024
It’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t a “perfect” phone camera for everyone. Even among CNET’s phone reviewers, there isn’t a phone camera 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.
What is the best camera phone?
The $999 iPhone 15 Pro and $1,199 iPhone 15 Pro Max have the same regular and wide cameras and offer the best complete package for photos and videos on any phone you can buy today. While the 15 Pro’s 3x optical zoom lens is good, the Pro Max goes further with a 5x zoom that lets you find more interesting shots in a scene. Both phones pack advanced features like ProRaw images, ProRes video capture and recording in Log color space, which makes them powerful tools for professional filmmakers.
Watch this: Camera Comparison: The Galaxy S24 Ultra Takes On the iPhone 15 Pro Max
Is the iPhone 15 Pro leaps and bounds ahead of what Google and Samsung are doing? No. But in terms of consistency, reliability and approachability, the iPhone 15 Pro is our pick for people who want a top-notch camera system that’s easy to use.
Best camera phones of 2024
Photo Gallery 1/1
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The iPhone 15 Pro Max (left) alongside the iPhone 15 Pro (right)
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While features like the new titanium body and A17 Pro processor make both the Pro and Pro Max exciting phones, it’s the larger model that keen photographers should look toward. It shares the same 48-megapixel main camera as the standard Pro, but its telephoto lens gets a significant bump to 5x over the base Pro’s 3x. It might not seem like much of a step up, but that extra zoom will help you find more interesting compositions in scenes out of reach of smaller zooms.
I love using the 5x zoom on the Pixel 8 Pro — it feels like you’re carrying a fully equipped camera setup with you, alongside the other lenses. With the 15 Pro’s ability to shoot in ProRaw, along with advanced video capabilities including Apple ProRes and Log codecs, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is one of the most sophisticated camera phones you can buy right now.
With that in mind, if you’re not that bothered about long zooms, then the iPhone 15 Pro has essentially the same features and comes in a smaller package that’s easier to hold. Read our Apple iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max review.
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While we had some early issues with the Google Pixel 8 Pro — mostly with its cameras shooting Raw files — further testing and software updates from Google meant we eventually came away thinking quite highly of the Pixel 8 Pro. It has a lot going for it, from its slick design and easy-to-use Android 14 software to its rear camera setup, which can take some genuinely beautiful images. Google has sprinkled a variety of new AI features throughout the phone too, including a tool that uses generative AI to create wallpapers for the phone, and a camera feature that allows you to combine different faces from a series of burst images of a group of friends to make sure that everyone looks their best.
But one of the best updates is Google’s commitment to providing seven years of security updates to the Pixel 8 series, meaning this phone will still be safe to use in at least 2030. While we haven’t been as impressed with this year’s 8 Pro as we were with the 7 Pro, it’s still a great phone to consider, especially if you’re keen to hold on to your phone for longer. Read our Google Pixel 8 Pro review.
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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
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With a sharper 5x optical zoom, a faster new processor, that familiar giant display and 100x digital zoom, the Samsung’s “Ultra” phone remains a top choice for mobile photographers that want plenty of screen space. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is also one of the first phones with Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features, which include tools for translating text messages and phone calls instantly and Circle to Search, a new gesture that lets you launch a Google search for almost anything simply by drawing a circle around it.
Like the previous two generations, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with an embedded S Pen for those who like jotting down notes or doodling. But perhaps best of all, Samsung has committed to updating these devices with new versions of Android for seven years, meaning it shouldn’t feel out of date anytime soon.
Still, there are still some important downsides to consider. At $1,300, this phone is expensive, so be sure to look for trade-in discounts if you plan to upgrade. And for that high price, I had hoped Samsung would’ve added extra Galaxy AI features that are specific to the Ultra, perhaps some that take advantage of the S Pen. But Galaxy AI is the same on all Galaxy S24 devices, and it’ll be coming to the Galaxy S23 lineup soon too, so you don’t have to splurge on Samsung’s top-of-the-line phone if you just care about those features. Read our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
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The Pixel 8 has many of the features of the more expensive Pixel 8 Pro but comes in a slightly smaller package and with a smaller price tag to match. You’ll find the Tensor G3 processor on board, along with Android 14 software that includes AI tools like the generative image wallpaper creator. It also comes with the same guarantee of at least seven years of security updates so this phone will still be going strong in 2030 — as long as you look after it.
The rear cameras are more cut back here, though, as the base Pixel 8 lacks the 5x optical zoom camera seen on its bigger brother. I personally love that zoom lens, but then I’m a professional photographer. If photography isn’t a priority for you, you can save yourself a bundle and opt for the cheaper of Google’s new range. The Pixel 8’s higher price $699 seems worth it and makes you realize just how incredibly affordable the $599 Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 were and still are. Read our Google Pixel 8 review.
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The Pixel 8A is so good it makes the regular Pixel 8 almost feel irrelevant. It shares so much in common with its pricier sibling — from its selection of AI-powered features like Circle to Search, to its aesthetic and Tensor G3 processor — that it’s hard to see why anyone would buy the Pixel 8 instead.
The Pixel 8 does offer a marginally better camera system, a slightly larger screen and the ability to charge other phones and accessories wirelessly on the back of the device, but those features don’t feel significant enough to impact the buying decision for most people. As I wrote in my review, the Pixel 8A raises the bar for what a $500 phone should be. That also means I’ll be expecting more from the Pixel 9 this fall.
Try it before you buy it: It’s one thing to ogle over the camera features of a phone, but it’s another to actually try them out in a store.
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 13 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 Black Friday.
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.
We test every phone in real-world scenarios, focusing on its features, design, performance, cameras, battery life and overall value. We document our findings in an initial review that is periodically updated when there are new software updates, or to compare it against new phones from competitors such as Apple, Samsung, Google and OnePlus.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 largely has the same camera hardware as the Z Flip 4. But the new chip brings some image processing improvements.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNETPhotography
Photography is a major focus for most phones these days, so we take pictures and videos of various subjects in a variety of settings and lighting scenarios. We try out any new camera modes, such as ProRes Log video that debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, or the Magic Editor photo tool that launched with the Google Pixel 8 series.
Battery life
Battery testing is conducted in a variety of ways. We assess how long a phone lasts during a typical day of use and note how it performs during more focused sessions of video calls, media streaming and gaming. We also conduct a video playback test, as a simple, replicable measure of pure battery life, which isn’t always included in the initial review but sometimes added later in an update.
Performance measuring
We use benchmarking apps to measure each phone’s performance, alongside our own anecdotal experiences using the phone for our review. Most notable are how the graphics and animations look. Are they smooth? Or do they lag or stutter? We also look at how quickly the phone switches between horizontal and vertical orientations, and how fast the camera app opens and is ready to take a photo.
Emergency SOS might be one of the most important features to come out on any phone this year.
Kevin Heinz/CNETWe perform processor-heavy tasks like editing photos, exporting videos and playing games. We evaluate whether a newer version of a particular phone includes enough features to make it worth upgrading from older models.
Read more: How We Test Phones
The $1,400 Sony Xperia 1 V retains all the best features of previous Xperia 1 phones, like a 4K high refresh rate display, expandable storage, cutting-edge cameras with eye-tracking autofocus, a 5,000-mAh battery, a dedicated hardware shutter button and a headphone jack, all wrapped in Sony’s lovely, mundane utilitarian design. The phone brims with numerous quality-of-life improvements for its target audience of creative types like photographers, filmmakers, musicians and gamers who want nuanced control over the content they make. Its $1,400 price tag keeps this phone squarely aimed beyond most consumers.
Which phone camera is the best at night?
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Google Pixel 8 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 15 Pro or 15 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.
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