Your phone is the camera you always have in your pocket, but not all phone cameras are equal. Some provide optical zoom, others take sharp shots in low light, and a few have an edge on color rendition. PCMag has been writing about and reviewing phones for more than three decades, so we're experts on mobile photography. We put every phone we review through a rigorous series of camera evaluations to determine the best performers on the market. The best camera phones available include entries from Apple, Google, and Samsung, like the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and the Pixel 9 Pro. All our recommendations are worthy, so be sure to read our linked in-depth reviews. And don't forget to scroll to the end so you can get the big picture with our buying guide.

Which Phone Has the Best Camera?

One thing we find frustrating about modern smartphones is that the best cameras are often not available in the US. Manufacturers such as Honor, Oppo, and Xiaomi are intensely innovative in camera technology, but for various reasons, they don't sell their phones stateside.

In the US, Apple, Google, and Samsung phones typically have the best cameras. Higher-end devices tend to perform better, but the gap is closing, especially if you primarily take photos in good light.

Apple's iPhone cameras tend to be the benchmark in the creative industries. They're dead simple to use and offer excellent focus and balanced colors. Google's Pixel cameras are like the Apple of Android: fast, simple, and balanced, with a dash of AI to make things fun.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Samsung's phones typically have more lenses, modes, and options than Apple's or Google's. Samsung's top innovation right now is Super Zoom: The S24 Ultra has a 5x optical zoom with decent resolution at up to 100x digital zoom. The Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL also feature telephoto lenses with 5x optical zoom, but Google's Super Res Zoom tops out at 30x. Samsung and Google improved color accuracy with their latest Galaxy and Pixel devices, respectively, moving away from the oversaturated look.

The most important factor in any photo isn't the camera—it's the photographer. No matter what phone you have, following our camera expert Jim Fisher's tips and tricks for mobile photography can make your images better.

Even if you aren't the best photographer, some phones—particularly those from Google and Samsung—offer AI-assisted processing and edits, so you might just luck out.

Which Camera Phone Features and Accessories Do You Need?

A few years ago, we saw a blossoming trend of phones with multiple lenses, which is still fully en vogue. Many phones now have a standard lens, a magnifying zoom lens, and a wide-angle lens. Monochrome or infrared time-of-flight sensors can help judge depth for bokeh effects. Less successful lenses and sensors we've seen include color filters and dedicated macro lenses for close-ups.

Although super-high-megapixel camera phones are becoming more popular, the options are scant in the US. The 200MP sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the exception. The advantage of that many pixels is that you can zoom and crop images after the fact or perform lossless digital zooming in your camera app without relying on an extra magnifying lens. The disadvantage is that the individual pixels can sometimes be very small, creating problems for color capture or low-light photography.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Superzoom lenses are also popular. Phones now combine high-megapixel sensors, optical magnifying lenses, and advanced software to give you 30x, 50x, or—in the case of the Galaxy S24 Ultra—100x zoom. In general, anything much higher than 10x shows heavy digital artifacts. But a good 5x optical zoom, as you get on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Galaxy S24 Ultra, and Pixel 9 Pro, is still a big step forward from what we used to have.

Sensor size is a separate matter from the megapixel count. Unfortunately, most of the phones available in the US fall behind their international competition. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's 1/1.3-inch primary sensor and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max's 1/1.28-inch sensor are among the biggest you can buy in the US. Compare those with the older Sony Xperia Pro-I's industry-topping 1-inch primary sensor, and you can see we still have a way to go. Larger sensors are arguably more important than a higher megapixel count because they capture more light in less time. That translates to less blur and sharper photos, particularly in challenging light.

The most advanced night modes combine close to a dozen frames to brighten up photos and improve clarity. They appear to have long, multi-second exposures, but they use AI software to reduce blur by aligning the various images together. Google's Pixel phones, Apple's iPhones, and Samsung’s Galaxy S and Z phones all have excellent night modes.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Google's camera software also has top-notch features such as Magic Eraser (removes unwanted objects), Real Tone (ensures accurate skin tones), Face Unblur (leans on the other lenses to make sure everyone's face in an image is sharp), and Audio Eraser (which minimizes background noise in video recordings). Samsung is catching up here, and its latest Galaxy S24 range has AI-based shooting and editing tools, including Magic Editor for backfilling shots that aren't quite there.

A good Pro mode can tie all these individual facets together and make for a powerful platform. Most phones have manual settings that allow you to tweak the exposure, aperture, and focus point to get exactly the shot you want. If you're getting into smartphone photography, take some time to learn how manually adjusting things like aperture, ISO, and shutter speed can improve your photos. If you need a fast shot, however, all the phones on our list use machine learning and other software smarts to take incredible photos without any manual tweaks.

Why do so many photographers rely on iPhones? The availability of third-party camera apps plays a big role. Some are available for Android, but apps that professionals use still tend to come out first and see more frequent updates on iOS.

For more, see our story on the best phone and camera gimbals.

Which Phone Is Best for Video Recording?

In the TikTok and Instagram Reels era, video is more important than ever. Here are some features to look for.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Optical image stabilization is always better than electronic or digital image stabilization because it leads to less jittery videos. Many high-end phones now use both, giving a Steadicam-like effect.

Although 1080p video is still good enough for most people, many phones can record in 4K at up to 60fps. This is the current gold standard. 8K recording is becoming more common on Android flagships, but it requires a massive amount of storage and isn't truly usable or shareable yet.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Slow-motion videos can make for some exciting effects. Although most phones can now capture up to 240fps (1/8 speed), some can go up to 960fps (1/32 speed). Keep an eye on how long a phone can record slow-mo, though, because it can be tricky to grab a scene if you only have 0.2 seconds of recording time. Many phones also have other video tricks like time-lapse, hyper-lapse, and video bokeh or HDR modes.

How Do Camera Phones Compare With Standalone Cameras?

For the ultimate in image quality, the best possible low-light performance, killer optical zoom, or a good macro shot, you still need a dedicated SLR or mirrorless camera. Our list of the best digital cameras is a great place to start. And be sure to check out our beyond-basic photography tips.

If you don't need to take professional shots, however, a top smartphone camera should suit you just fine, and you can't go wrong with any of our picks here.

Dave LeClair and Sascha Segan contributed to this story.