Which Android phone has the best camera? What I found after testing dozens of devices in 2024

There are a ton of reasons to buy Android phones, but the consistently great camera performance is one of the biggest. This guide will help your know which camera phones are best, regardless of whether you're capturing pictures of your family or an image of the night sky.

In the past, you could expect the best Android camera phones to cost you an arm and a leg, but nowadays there are powerful options for just about every budget and use case under the sun. Luckily, there are plenty of options for people who want effortless point-and-shoot style photography and those who want to go more in-depth or have different needs beyond the camera.

The options capable of delivering those results are also growing in number, which is why this list is filled with excellent choices. If you opt to go with the Google Pixel 9 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, or OnePlus 12, you'll be getting a stellar camera for every situation.

The best camera phones are generally expensive, but you can take advantage of massive savings if you buy them during one of the many sales that happen throughout the year.

Ted Kritsonis

For 20+ years, Ted Kritsonis has been spending a lot of time testing out gadgets to help others make the best decision with their hard-earned money. That includes taking countless photos with the latest Android phones, so Ted's picks come with many years of experience as a photographer.

At a glance

Best overall

Google has stood firm among the best camera phones for a few years now with its Pixel series consistently impressing thanks to excellent software. With the Pixel 9 Pro, you can get Google’s best camera system and fastest hardware behind a more compact 6.3-inch display than last year’s 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro. If you still want a big phone, you can get the same hardware in the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL with a 6.8-inch display. Still, we’re happy to get Google’s full-power Pixel in a one-handed size.

When it comes to the camera system, the spec sheet shows a lot of similarities between the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 8 Pro, but Google has still made some nice improvements including some new AI cameras features like Add Me and night mode in panorama shots as we saw in our initial review for the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. This phone has a main 50MP sensor, a 48MP periscope telephoto camera, and a 48Mp ultra-wide camera. The selfie camera has also been bumped up to a 42MP unit.

If you’ve been following Google’s Pixel series, you’ll already know that one of the phone’s best features is ongoing software support directly from Google. This phone ships with Android 14, but is set to receive Pixel update for seven years, so you’ll keep getting new features and the freshest UI for years to come. It’s also nice that, unlike some other pioneers in the camera space, this phone will work great on just about any carrier in the U.S. with strong 5G band support.

The biggest downside on the photography side is the portrait mode. For some reason, Google still can't get portrait mode photos right, which is perplexing given the company's AI pedigree. We've found that portrait mode shots from any Pixel phone has very poor "cutouts" of the subject, meaning that nice-looking blurry background looks really bad around the edges of people's hair, ears, and other non-straight lines. The Pixel 9, unfortunately, doesn't fix this problem.

Best premium pick

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best phone you can find that comes with a stylus, since the S Pen comes included. The pen can play an active role in capturing photos when using it as a remote shutter by just clicking the button to snap a shot. It's not a new feature, by any means, given past Samsung flagships also do it, but it's still a unique use case among Android devices.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra borrows heavily from the previous S23 Ultra, which is why the camera system appears (on paper) to be similar. There is a new image sensor for the big 200-megapixel wide camera, along with a brand new 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens that can give you very clear shots at up to 10x hybrid zoom. Throw in a 48-megapixel ultrawide — and improved low-light and night photography on all of them — and you have a stellar mix to work with. Expert RAW can capture images at the full 50-megapixel resolution, while Samsung’s Camera Assistant app offers a great helping hand.

That also goes for the editing process. Newer "Galaxy AI" features include the ability to smartly remove shadows or reflections, re-apply subjects to different parts of an image, or get rid of people or objects in the background. Circle to Search also lets you do a Google search based on items you photograph with the phone.

All of this comes courtesy of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Devices chipset, a unique processor that drives the generative AI features seen in the phone. The only thing is you pay a real premium to get everything the S24 Ultra gives you.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra also captures some of the best video you'll find anywhere, including a powerful manual recording mode that gives you more options than most phones. Google might tout the Pixel's ability to let the cloud process its video for better quality, but Samsung captures video with better quality right from the phone.

The biggest downside is that Samsung phones often have a hard time taking pictures of moving subjects, which means photos of your kids or pets might often be blurry. Pixel and Honor phones do a much better job of this particular niche, so if these kinds of photos are what fill up your camera roll most of the time, you might want to consider those phones, instead.

Best budget choice

Google's A-series of phones have been punching above their weight in terms of camera performance since they were introduced, and while the jump from the Pixel 7a to the Pixel 8a is marginal, the Google Pixel 8a is still the best budget smartphone for taking photos. It's powered by the quick Tensor G3 SoC with 8GB of RAM, so it has no trouble keeping up with Android 14 and processing images to look vibrant.

The camera hardware is identical to the Pixel 7a with a 64MP main sensor and a 13MP ultrawide camera. Still, as our Pixel 8a review shows, the images you can get out of this phone are still among the best you'll find, especially at this price. On the front, the 13MP selfie camera's images look solid, but our Pixel 8a review found the colors to be a bit lacking. After you've taken your shot, you've got some nice AI features like Magic Eraser, Zoom Enhance, Best Take, and even Audio Magic Eraser for video.

The Pixel 8a is one of the best cheap Android phones thanks in no small part to this camera setup, but the rest of its hardware is solid as well with strong 5G support for sub-6 bands on most U.S. carriers. While the 18W charging isn't impressing us, the 4492mAh battery has solid endurance. Last but not least, Google has planned seven years of Pixel updates for this phone, which is an improvement over the Pixel 7a.

The downside is that you won't be able to zoom in the way you can with more expensive Pixels since there's no telephoto camera. For the most part, you'll be able to zoom in to around 4x until the quality starts to sharply fall off, but we imagine there aren't that many situations where this will make or break a decision to purchase a phone, especially when the phone's price is the most important part.

Best alternative

If you're not sure about whether OnePlus can hang with the big guns, think again. The OnePlus 12 earns its keep as a bona fide Android flagship, and the consistency of the camera is a big reason why.

The key is in the collaboration with Hasselblad, the renowned Swedish camera brand, whose input in how the OnePlus 12 captures photos makes a real difference. Hasselblad's color calibration leads to more natural tones in every image, along with the option to choose from various filters based on Hasselblad's legacy of film photography. The results should speak for themselves, but there are so many tools to work within the camera app worth experimenting with.

That includes a new Master mode with manual controls, Long Exposure, Hasselblad's XPan, and even a Movie mode for cinematic video output. The curved display makes ergonomics a little harder to handle compared to flatter screen alternatives, but there's no doubt this is a sleek device for any pair of hands.

OxygenOS remains one of the nicest Android overlays to use, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor does the job — thanks to a new vapor chamber — of keeping things smooth and cool. Battery life is ridiculous when considering the 80W charger can fully charge the OnePlus 12 in just 30 minutes.

The biggest weakpoint is HDR capture, which doesn't product as wide of dynamic range as you'll find on a Galaxy S24 Ultra or Pixel 9. Some may prefer this look, which appears less "computational" and more like a "real camera," but there's no denying that images from this phone aren't as bright.

Secondary to that is capturing pictures of moving subjects with the dedicated action setting, which the OnePlus 12 does better than the Galaxy S24 Ultra but not as good as the Pixel 9.

Best features

Even if you've never heard of Vivo, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start paying attention because it routinely delivers one of the best mobile photography experiences around. Part of that is because of the excellent collaboration with Zeiss, the storied German imaging brand that brings its expertise to the superb results we got when testing the X100 Pro.

An abundance of shooting modes leads to various avenues of experimentation, letting you really choose how to compose and capture a scene. The 50-megapixel telephoto lens may be the best in the industry at this point, capable of freezing action into sharper detail in ways others simply can't. The front camera may be a weak spot, but in the grander scheme, the rear cameras produce some of the best shots you'll find on any Android phone in 2024.

It's just too bad it's not as readily available as others are in North America. You can get your hands on one online, but don't go looking for it in stores. If you do grab one, know that you get multi-year Android updates and more durable IP68 protection in case you want to get adventurous with those cameras.

Best international

Leica's partnership with Xiaomi makes for one of the most innovative tandems in mobile photography, which is a big reason why the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is one of the best available. You could even argue the device is more like a camera with a phone attached rather than the other way around. We certainly saw it that way in our review, and there's a global version available too.

The 14 Ultra is a rarity in that its main camera uses a 1-inch sensor, and with its wide array of features and settings, it's capable of capturing outstanding photos. It's no exaggeration to suggest it can outdo any phone on this list, and the Leica presence plays a key role. Both the default Leica Authentic and Vibrant modes are fantastic in their color tones, while the software does a stellar job in virtually any set of conditions. This is the kind of camera interface worth exploring to discover everything it can do. There's even an optional camera grip — including a dedicated exposure slider and video recording button — turning this phone into a classic point-and-shoot.

You have to accept three years of Android updates (compared to four or more from others) and the limited availability means you'll have to buy this one online. Bloatware continues to decline with each successive Xiaomi device, but you'll have to do a little cleanup once you get your hands on one to make way for your preferred apps.

Best for pros

If you assessed the Sony Xperia 1 V entirely on how it takes photos right out of the box, you might come away disappointed, but there's more than meets the eye. The phone comes with two camera apps, and the one that will turn more heads is the Photography Pro app, which offers a high level of control over composition before you capture anything.

A good example of that is the variable lens where you can zoom at 3.5x and 5.2x without losing resolution, not to mention the physical shutter button that will lock focus when you half-press it — just like an actual camera. If you want to use the Xperia 1 V as an external monitor with select Sony mirrorless cameras, you can do so by connecting the two via USB.

Then there's video, where you have not one, but two pro apps to work with, Videography Pro and Cinema Pro. All the granular controls available for photos apply here, and then some, giving you the highest level of autonomy over how to frame and capture your footage. Overall, the camera features dominate this phone, which helps explain the finicky fingerprint sensor and lack of fast charging, in particular.

Best small flagship

While the Galaxy S24 Ultra steals much of the spotlight with its over-the-top hardware features and massive size, the smaller Galaxy S24 is still one of the best flagship phones you can get. And with a display measuring just 6.2 inches, it's also one of the best small phones you'll find. Despite its diminutive size, you still get the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC under the hood with 8GB of RAM.

The camera hardware starts with a 50MP main sensor that can take sharp and vibrant images in a wide range of conditions. There's also a 10MP telephoto camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The camera array is identical to that in the Galaxy S24 Plus and generally takes very strong images, though the cameras can still struggle in scenes with a lot of motion.

The phone is running Android 14 out of the box and Samsung has committed to one of the best update policies around with seven years of OS updates planned for the entire S24 range. This phone should remain usable for years to come and with strong 5G support, and with strong 5G support, it will work on just about any carrier.

Best foldable

We love folding phones, but too often their camera systems are closer to what you’d find in something mid-range, not an expensive flagship. That being said, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a nice upgrade over its predecessor with the latest Snapdragon SoC, 12GB of RAM, and as we’ve come to expect from Samsung, excellent vibrant displays both inside and out. Samsung has also reduced the size of the crease in the folding screen so there’s no distracting bump.

Samsung’s cameras are known for punchy colors and sharpness that look great on social media, but they’ve also had some issues with motion. While the motion issues are still present with some blurry subjects, it’s possible to take some great photos with the main 50MP sensor, upgraded from 12MP on the Z Flip 5, and the 12MP ultrawide camera. The battery is also surprisingly big for a flip-style folding phone at 4000mAh, though the 25W charging is on the slow side.

Samsung isn’t to be outdone by Google with its software support either. Samsung has matched Google with seven years of software updates promised meaning this phone will still be up to date well after you’ve likely retired it. Samsung has also made sure to include excellent carrier support for all of the major U.S. carriers, so you should get strong 5G no matter which carrier you choose.

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More to consider

There are a lot of Android phones on the market, and many of them specialize in something specific. While the above list contains the best of the best for most people, there are other considerations you might want to make, especially if you live outside the U.S.

The Honor Magic 6 Pro is the best phone camera for capturing motion, full stop. It's even better than a Google Pixel because of its ability to automatically capture images using the power of AI. It sounds hokey at first, but we reviewed its capabilities earlier this year and were incredibly impressed with how well it worked. It even does this while recording video, so you'll get automatic "best moment" photos any time it finds them.

If you're looking to spend $200 or less on a phone, you might think you'll be stuck with a garbage camera experience. Thankfully, the CMF Phone 1 is here to prove you wrong, providing genuinely impressive photos and video capture with its powerful 50MP camera array. These photos rival that of phones twice the price, which makes the phone's unique modular design even better.

Lastly, folks looking for a big foldable phone with an amazing camera should look no further than the OnePlus Open. The company recently released the OnePlus Open Apex Edition, a souped-up version of our favorite foldable phone with the same incredible cameras we love. This one uses a large sensor on the back plus some great software tuning with Hasselblad branding, so you know you're getting a quality shot every time.

How we test

At Android Central, we test every Android phone imaginable to find out which has the best camera around. While brands like the Pixel are easy recommendations for great cameras, sometimes a new release surprises us. The Galaxy S24 Ultra camera review earlier this year showed that Samsung had made some monumental improvements, helping to beat Google's Pixel 8 Pro in overall quality.

Likewise, brands like Honor have made massive strides with phones like the Honor Magic 6 Pro. In our Honor Magic 6 Pro camera review, we found that Honor was the only other company that was able to meet or beat the Pixel's ability to take fantastic and crisp shots of moving pets or kids. But you'll notice that every company's phone camera gets compared to a Pixel, which is why we often recommend Pixel phones as the most reliable way to get the best picture.

For our tests, we often take two or more phones out in the real world, taking pictures and videos of as many things as we can find. Photo comparisons often include taking images from each camera sensor—most phones have three on the back and one on the front these days—plus zoom levels in-between each sensor's stated level. A phone might have a 1x and 5x camera, but what about when you need to zoom in to 3.5x or something awkwardly in the middle? We test that, too.

Many phones these days ship with novel modes that companies try to advertise as the best thing since sliced bread, but oftentimes those modes aren't worth buying a phone for. Every so often, a feature like the Pixel 9's Add Me or the Pixel 8's Best Take comes along and surprises us with its utility. We always test manufacturer claims to see if these new modes or improvements are worthwhile.

If we're making some Android camera suggestions

The Google Pixel 9 Pro comes out ahead of the competition not for its camera hardware, but for the consistently good results you get with the phone. Google's software pushes this phone into the top position with rich colors and a splash of sharpness that makes these photos really pop on a phone screen. For social media, this is one of the best Android phones around. The Pixel 9 also continues to be one of the best phones for night photography, even with panoramas.

But you'd be remiss to not consider Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, which provides the best quality zoom and cropping at almost any level, including some seriously ludicrous quality even beyond 30x zoom. It's also a consistently excellent low-light performer and takes the best video of any Android phone available in most countries.