The best camera phones for stills, video, zoom and more

When it comes to smartphone photography, no handset does it better than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra right now. Xiaomi has long been known for its outstanding camera chops but the 15 Ultra takes all that the company has learned over the last few years and accelerates it.

There are four cameras on the back but the headliner this time around is a new 200Mp periscope camera, which can offer outstanding levels of detail even as you zoom in to capture a subject from afar. This is the closest that a smartphone comes to mimicking the experience of using a dedicated camera.

Thanks to the generous inclusion of 512GB of storage (although this can be upped to 1TB), you have plenty of room on the phone itself to store all of your photos and videos, saving you from being over-reliant on cloud storage.

The massive 5410mAh battery is designed to get you through a full shoot without issue, and you can quickly top up the phone if needed via 90W wired and 80W wireless charging. The only major stumbling block for the phone is the cumbersome nature of Xiaomi’s HyperOS, but if that doesn’t bother you, then you’ll find a great camera phone waiting for you.

Add in the Photography Kit and you’ve got the best camera phone on the market. This case and slide on grip adds proper buttons, including a zoom toggle, as well as a small additional battery to keep the 15 Ultra topped up.

Who should buy the Xiaomi 15 Ultra?

Amateur or professional photographers who want a true camera-like experience on their phone.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Further considerations

HyperOS is a fairly clunky Android overlay compared to what you’ll find elsewhere.

While the Pixel 10 Pro is a similarly great option for anyone who wants to save a tad on their next flagship upgrade, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the real cream of the crop that allows you to enjoy Google’s incredible computational processing but with a larger screen for easier editing.

In fact, speaking of Google’s software, the push to ensure that Pixel phones can more accurately represent skin tones is exactly why the Pixel 10 Pro XL is one of the best phones out there for portrait photography. There’s a wonderful attention to detail that allows all subjects to really look their best.

As previously mentioned, the real reason to go for the XL over the standard 10 Pro is the larger 6.8-inch display which not only makes it easier to frame a shot, but it also affords more space when trying to edit the finer details of a photo. Plus, having a much larger 5200mAh battery also helps.

The 100x Pro Res Zoom sounds like a good idea on paper, but in practice, it’s far too reliant on generative AI, and much like the AI-powered Super Zoom found on Honor phones, the results are definitely a mixed bag, so we recommend keeping your focus on objects and subjects closer to the phone itself.

Who should buy the Pixel 10 Pro XL?

Portrait photography enthusiasts who want to capture skin tones accurately.

Pixel 10 Pro XL: Further considerations

The Pixel 10 and 10 Pro are still great options, and cost a lot less.

It says a lot about the quality of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s cameras that, despite increased competition throughout the year, the phone still stands as one of the best you can buy for smartphone photography, largely down to its next-level versatility.

The 200Mp main sensor can capture stunning shots with the wonderful touch of colour saturation that Samsung is typically known for, and it’s much the same when faced with low-light scenes. The 5x telephoto lens also provides plenty of freedom with capturing subjects from afar, making the phone a handy companion at a gig.

There’s plenty for content creators to get excited about, too, as the phone has a Log recording mode for high-quality, untampered video, which can then be brought to life with LUTs after the fact. While it’s not quite at the level of video that iPhones can achieve, it is very close, plus you can shoot at 8K if you so please.

Strangely enough, the main thing working against the Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung’s iterative approach to updates. This flagship phone isn’t too different from the S24 Ultra, which in turn was only a slight change to the S23 Ultra. Still, if you do go with the latest kit, then you can enjoy a long stint of software and security updates.

Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

Folks who want a versatile camera set-up to handle almost any situation.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Further considerations

The S24 Ultra isn’t all that different and can now be found for much less.

Oppo already set the bar pretty high with the Find X8 Pro, but somehow the brand has managed to raise the ceiling yet again with the outstanding Oppo Find X9 Pro which, just like its predecessor, absolutely destroys the competition when it comes to battery life. If you want a solid camera phone that can genuinely get you through a day’s shoot, then this is it.

There’s a massive 7500mAh battery built into this thing which, from our testing, can go through a heavy day of use involving GPS navigation, capturing videos and photos, and still have around 40% remaining by the end of it. And thanks to 80W fast charging, you won’t have to wait long either when you do need to top up the phone as we managed to get from 0% to 50% in only 30 minutes.

On paper, it might seem like there’s a slight downgrade with the cameras as the phone has moved away from having two telephoto lenses, opting for just one in a triple-camera array. However, this new sensor has been bumped to 200Mp, which gives you a lot more freedom for zooming in and cropping images without losing clarity.

When out and about, the phone is right up there with Xiaomi in terms of taking pictures that look as if they’ve come from a full-on DSLR camera. Autofocus on all cameras is extraordinary and you’d have to try really hard to take a bad picture – we only wish that the phone was available in the US so that more people could experience what it has to offer. 

Who should buy the Oppo Find X9 Pro?

Content creators who want a phone that can genuinely last them all day long.

Oppo Find X9 Pro: Further considerations

The phone isn’t available in the US, which immediately rules it out for some.

There’s been so much talk about the redesign of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with its massive camera ‘plateau’ which now houses a good amount of the internal tech, that you’d be forgiven for missing what the actual upgrades are. Well, in typical Apple fashion, the company has thrown everything at its most premium smartphone and it doesn’t really put a foot wrong.

Zoom photography has long been a sticking point for high-end iPhones, with even last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max falling quite a bit behind rival devices from the likes of Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo. Thankfully, Apple has seen fit to level the playing field by introducing 8x optical zoom, offering far better quality for capturing subjects from a distance.

What you get is the same high-quality Apple-style photography that we’ve come to love, but if there’s one area where the phone constantly excels, it’s in video. Footage captured on the 17 Pro Max is so smooth (especially when jumping between lenses) that the competition doesn’t really stand a chance – for content creators who film primarily with a smartphone, this is the handset that you’ll want to have with you.

That argument also overshadows the standard iPhone 17 Pro, as you’re getting a greatly expanded battery life here. Apple now claims that you can get up to 37-hours of video playback on this phone and we found it had 20% left after an 18-hour day of mixed use. It would be nice if the phone was just a bit more affordable as £1,199/$1,199 is steep by any estimation, but you are getting a lot in return for the cost.

Who should buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max?

Video-first content creators who prefer to film on a smartphone.

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Further considerations

It’s a pricey buy, and the standard iPhone 17 is better for most people.

The Pixel 9a stands as proof that you don’t need to spend a small fortune in order to get a camera set-up that more closely mirrors what you’ll find at the higher-end of the market. Google’s mid-range champ is able to borrow from the company’s next-level computational processing to put out some of the best pictures you’ll see within this price bracket.

Just like the pricier Pixel phones on the market, the 9a does an outstanding job of capturing all skin tones in a natural way, and even when you’re simply taking pictures of the world around you, there’s a wonderful injection of colour that really draws your attention. They’re the type of snaps that are perfect for social media.

On top of the cameras themselves, one of the best things about the Pixel 9a is that you’re getting the full suite of AI-powered editing tools that make Pixel phones so attractive in the first place. Best Take ensures that you never have a group shot where someone’s blinking or looking away from the camera, whilst Magic Eraser can remove unwanted subjects and objects in just a few seconds.

Making a great package even better is the promise of seven years of updates from the time of launch, providing outstanding value for money for consumers shopping around the mid-range sector. 23W wired charging is fairly slow in today’s smartphone market, but it’s a minor setback when you consider all that the Pixel 9a offers in return for its reasonable price tag.

Who should buy the Pixel 9a?

Anyone with a mid-range budget who wants flagship level cameras.

Pixel 9a: Further considerations

The standard Pixel 9 can now be found for not that much more.

Much like all of the other phones within the Samsung Galaxy S25 range, the S25+ does suffer from being a fairly iterative update over its predecessor, but that doesn’t get in the way of what is otherwise a very competent package that excels in almost every category and will leave you wanting for very little.

Whenever we took the S25+ out for a spin, we were continuously impressed with just how well the main 50Mp sensor could adapt to most situations, providing plenty of dynamic range. If a subject is a little too far away then you can comfortably shoot from a distance with the 10Mp 3x telephoto.

It’s practically an identical camera experience to what you’ll find on the standard Galaxy S25, but what’s different here is all of the benefits you get from the larger build. The gigantic 6.7-inch display is impressively bright, reaching a peak of 2600 nits, which just makes it easier to take pictures on sunnier days, and the 4900mAh cell comfortably removes any feelings of battery anxiety as you go about your day.

Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset under the hood, the S25+ is also one of those phones that benefits from excellent everyday performance, so if you’re trying to run through one of the many Galaxy AI features onboard, or dabble in a spot of gaming as you travel, you’ll find that it all runs smoothly here.

Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+?

Samsung fans who want a great screen and battery life, without paying Galaxy Ultra prices.

Samsung Galaxy S25+: Further considerations

It’s not an essential upgrade for users of the Galaxy S24+ or the Galaxy S23+.

In the last few years, Honor has come leaps and bounds to the point where it’s now a genuine force to be reckoned with at the higher end of the market. You have the outstanding Honor Magic V5 offering a compelling alternative to the Galaxy Z Fold series and now the Honor Magic 7 Pro provides a tempting set of features to lure folks away from Apple and Samsung.

The main 50Mp sensor does a great job of capturing the breadth of colour found in landscape photography, while the 200Mp telephoto lens gives you plenty of freedom to zoom in on a point of interest from afar. What really stands out though are the portrait filters developed in accordance with Harcourt, which look incredible, emulating the sensation of taking portrait shots in a dedicated studio.

If you do have a holiday on the horizon and you want to use the Honor Magic 7 Pro as your main camera then you won’t have to worry about battling with the elements thanks to IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance. This is a camera that’s meant to be used outdoors, so if it does see a bit of splashback from the pool or a pummeling from the wind, you can still crack on.

Much like every company right now, Honor is attempting to go all in on AI, but its inclusion just feels half-baked here, particularly with the AI Super Zoom. This mode lets you zoom in 100x for a shot, but instead of using AI to elevate what’s been taken, it will simply generate an entirely new picture utilising your own as its main inspiration. The results, as you might imagine, are hit and miss, and we would rather see Honor refocus its efforts elsewhere.

Who should buy the Honor Magic 7 Pro?

Android users who want something different, and a solid mix of capable main, telephoto and front-facing sensors.

Honor Magic 7 Pro: Further considerations

Honor AI and MagicOS bring down the overall experience, both of which are outdone by Samsung.

While the Xiaomi 15 sits in a slightly awkward position amongst the other flagship phones that you can buy nowadays, it does provide an easy answer to the question, ‘if you have precisely £899 to spend, which phone can provide the best cameras in return?’. Priced slightly higher than the iPhone 16 and Galaxy S25, yet cheaper than the S25+ and the Ultra range, the Xiaomi 15 is a solid middle-of-the-road handset.

It’s also worth mentioning that with a 6.36-inch display, the Xiaomi 15 is one of those rare Android phones that can still be used one-handed, which in turn can be more helpful when using the phone as a point-and-shoot camera. No need to line up your shot with both hands when the phone is compact enough for you to hold it and reach the shutter button in one swift movement.

There are no fewer than three 50Mp cameras on the back of the phone, all of which have been developed in association with Leica. It’s worth heading to our review to check out the camera samples that we were able to capture with the Xiaomi 15 because, in most cases, they absolutely wiped the floor with more expensive options. It’s the perfect blend of colour, detail and contrast, practically inviting you to see how creative you can be with the sensors.

In spite of its smaller size, the Xiaomi 15 has a surprisingly large 5240mAh battery which works in tandem with the very efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset to provide a solid day of use whilst still having a decent amount of juice remaining at the end of it. You might want to wait for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, though.

Who should buy the Xiaomi 15 Ultra?

Android users who miss having a compact phone with flagship features.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Further considerations

The phone will soon be superseded by the much-rumoured Xiaomi 16.

After losing quite a lot of ground to the competition due to fairly iterative updates, Samsung is back on its pedestal with the outstanding Galaxy Z Fold 7. This is the foldable that long-time Samsung fans have been waiting for, with it feeling as if the company has finally delivered on the promise of what book-style foldables could provide when the very first Z Fold phone came to market.

The biggest benefit here is that, in comparison to its predecessors, the Z Fold 7 is unbelievably slim. At just 4.2mm thick when unfolded, the foldable concept no longer feels cumbersome, which means that you can now comfortably use the larger 8-inch interior display for more in-depth photo and video editing on the go.

It would have been nice to see S Pen support return, particularly as the Honor Magic V5 can still be used with a stylus, but this won’t be a major issue for anyone who wasn’t using an S Pen to begin with, and there’s plenty to love about the cameras nonetheless. Instead of feeling massively behind Samsung’s Ultra range of phones, the Z Fold 7 has borrowed the main 200Mp sensor found on the S25 Ultra.

Having that beefed-up main camera paves the way for detail-rich and vibrant photos. The 12Mp ultra-wide camera now also benefits from having autofocus, meaning that you can get some great looking pictures when shooting in macro mode. The fact that you have plenty of editing features via Galaxy AI just makes the Z Fold 7 an excellent choice for professional content creators who want a mini studio with them at all times.

Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7?

Content creators who need a larger display for editing photos and videos on the go.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Further considerations

The battery life is massively outdone by the Honor Magic V5.