Which Android phone has the best camera? What I found after testing dozens of devices in 2025

If you're in the market for the best Android camera phone, you're going to have a tough time choosing as there are countless options available out there. In general, mobile photography has reached a point where even the budget smartphones have some truly impressive cameras that can deliver above-average photos and videos.

That said, if you still want the best of the best, you're going to have to shell out quite a bit of cash for a flagship smartphone. Sure, these things cost a fortune, but the kind of image quality these smartphones can deliver is something you just can't get with midrange or budget devices.

Our best overall choice, no matter where you're in the world, is the brand-new Google Pixel 10 Pro. The latest top-of-the-line smartphone from Google delivers incredible images and videos in all kinds of lighting conditions, while also packing a boatload of AI-based editing tools and other features to make things even better. There are quite a few other options as well, so keep reading to know more about the best Android camera phones you can get in the market.

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's smartphones have always been renowned for their class-leading imaging chops, and the latest and greatest Pixel 10 Pro is no exception. Now, if you were to compare it with the Pixel 9 Pro, you'll notice that the camera hardware (among other things) is largely unchanged. That said, there are enough bells and whistles here that make this thing arguably the best Android camera phone you can buy right now.

Featuring a 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED panel, the Google Pixel 10 Pro is driven by the newest Tensor G5 SoC, along with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of onboard storage. As noticed by Android Central's Nicholas Sutrich in his Pixel 10 Pro review, the smartphone delivers solid everyday performance over its predecessors, especially when it comes to gaming. Combine that with Android 16 and all of its Material 3 Expressive goodness, as well as more AI-based goodies than you'll probably ever need, and you've got a top-of-the-line Android device. As far as the cameras are concerned, the triple-lens primary camera system is comprised of a 50MP wide-angle sensor, a 48MP ultrawide lens, and a 48MP telephoto module with 5x optical zoom. You also get up to 8K video recording at up to 30fps, and there's a laundry list of AI-powered features (e.g., Camera Coach, High-Res Portrait, and Auto Best Take) that make sure every photo comes out to be amazing, regardless of the lighting conditions.

As you'd expect, the Pixel 10 Pro (along with all of its siblings) will get seven years of OS and security updates, so this is a smartphone you can keep on using for years to come. All essential connectivity features such as Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, full 5G support, NFC, and USB Type-C 3.2 are included in the mix. The smartphone is backed by a 4,870mAh battery, and comes with both wired and Qi2-certified wireless charging support.

Best premium pick

If the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was the best phone with a stylus, the Galaxy S25 Ultra takes that away. The S Pen is included, but without Bluetooth capabilities, it loses its remote shutter function and all gesture controls. The focus instead is on AI features — some of which are photo-related — to expand your options to get the right shot.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is not a big departure from its predecessor in various ways, which explains why the camera system is so similar. There is a new image sensor for the big 200-megapixel wide camera, and 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens carry over to this device, with only the ultra-wide now getting a bump up to full-resolution 50MP images. that can give you very clear shots at up to 10x hybrid zoom. For those who want more control, Expert RAW can take RAW photos at full resolution, while Samsung’s Camera Assistant app offers a great helping hand.

The editing process is laden with Galaxy AI features, now including "Best Face" to choose the right smile or expression in any photo. There are also Generative AI features to take your photos and create artistic impressions, like drawings, comics, or other renders. You can even create images from scratch using Galaxy AI. Circle to Search also lets you do a Google search based on items you photograph with the phone.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra captures solid video footage, now including LOG if you want the ultimate in control when editing in post later. No cloud necessary, either, as AI features can run on device rather than having to beam up to the cloud.

Unfortunately, Samsung still didn't address taking pictures of moving subjects. Photos at sporting events, or even of your kids or pets will often turn out blurry. Vivo, Honor, Xiaomi, and (to some extent) Pixel phones do a much better job in this particular aspect. If you want the best results for action shots, you might want to consider those phones, instead.

Best budget choice

At this point, it's no surprise Google's A-series phones have the ability to punch above their weight when it comes to camera performance. But each successive model also takes a smaller step forward, which is why the jump from the Pixel 8a to the Pixel 9a won't feel substantial in every respect. Still, meaningful gains apply, like the extra power of the Tensor G4 SoC and improved battery life. Running on Android 15 to boot, and with seven years of updates, it's capable right out of the box.

The camera hardware undergoes a slight change to a different – and smaller – image sensor. It's also 48MP compared to the 64MP of the previous Pixel 8a except the advantage here is the wider f/1.7 aperture lets in more light. While that should lead to better low-light photography in tandem with Google's computational software, results may turn out more inconsistent instead. The Pixel 9a stands out more for its better macro shooting and color accuracy compared to its predecessor.

Otherwise, the 13MP ultrawide and 13MP selfie cameras carry over from the Pixel 8a, so you can expect the same solid results there based on our Pixel 9a review. The downside if you have no telephoto lens to get optically closer to your subject. Google's Super Res Zoom works admirably well up to 4x until quality starts to fall off.

The good news is AI features like Magic Eraser, Zoom Enhance, Best Take, and Audio Magic Eraser for video are all there to utilize. Google also manages to squeeze in a bigger 5100mAh battery here leading to even longer endurance than before. It still charges fairly slowly at a max rate of 18W, so don't expect it to fill up as fast as Pixel flagships will.

With all that in play, it's no surprise the Pixel 9a is one of the best cheap Android phones you can get your hands on.

Best alternative

The OnePlus 13 is easily one of the best Android flagships available, partly because it improves from its predecessor in a number of areas.

One of the biggest is the camera system, which takes a leap forward in its versatility, particularly when it comes to action photography and low-light results. OnePlus' collaboration with Hasselblad, the renowned Swedish camera brand, is a pillar in establishing the kind of trust this phone earns when you dive into all the camera features. The results should speak for themselves, but it's so ripe for experimentation that you never know what kind of results you'll come up with.

That includes a new Stage mode for concerts and performances, an action setting within the Photo mode, Hasselblad's XPan, and even improved video output. The flatter display makes the 13 easier to wield no matter what you plan to capture.

OxygenOS remains one of the nicest Android overlays to use, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor does the job in helping run anything you throw at it. The battery is even bigger at 6,000mAh, helping already excellent battery life do even better. Use the 80W charger to fully charge the OnePlus 13 in just 30 minutes.

While OnePlus touts its AI features, they only work from the cloud, so no internet connection, no AI to work with. A neat addition is Share with iPhone to share files with iPhone users, though they will need to run the O+Connect app to make it work.

Best features

Vivo routinely delivers one of the best mobile photography experiences around., and after testing the X200 Pro, it's easy to see why. Its excellent collaboration with Zeiss, the storied German imaging brand, helps the cause in offering one of the deepest camera systems on a phone.

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 is the best in the industry at this point, capable of freezing action into sharper detail from further away to produce results 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 2025.

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 it was more widely available, it would very likely be at the top of this list.

If you do grab one, know that you get as many years of Android updates, though outstanding battery life and more durable IP68/69 protection makes this device built to last.

Best international

Leica's partnership with Xiaomi makes for one of the most innovative tandems in mobile photography, and that's just one reason why the Xiaomi 15 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 based on everything you can do with this camera system..

The 15 Ultra continues Xiaomi's preference for 1-inch sensors in the main camera, buttressed by a slew of features and settings. The combination gives you food for thought on how to compose your photos. It's actually better than what Google, Samsung, and Apple can manage – held back only by its limited availability outside overseas markets.

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. The telephoto lens uses the excellent HP9 image sensor, helping it capture some of the best photos you can get from a distance. 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 that you'll have to find one to buy 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.

Part of this is driven by Sony's own Exmor T sensor that bumps up software computation and AI processing. A good example is autofocus (AF) tracking taken from Sony's Alpha series cameras that can recognize human frames to stay on a subject, even while they're moving. With the telephoto lens also capable of zooming up to 7x, there's versatility to behold with this whole system as well.

Between the physical shutter button, plus retooled Pro apps for both photos and video, there's a high level of granular control here over what you want to capture. Not to mention that you can use the Xperia 1 VI as an external monitor with select Sony mirrorless cameras by connecting the two via USB.

Best small flagship

The Galaxy S25 Ultra gets more attention because of its larger size and hardware features, but the smaller Galaxy S25 stands out as a rare compact flagship courtesy of its 6.2-inch display. Despite its diminutive size, you still get the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor under the hood with 8GB of RAM.

The camera hardware is showing its age going back to the Galaxy S22, starting with a 50MP main sensor capable of taking vibrant images in varying conditions. That's the strength of the camera system compared to the 10MP telephoto camera and 12MP ultra-wide camera. The camera array is identical to that in the Galaxy S25 Plus and while it does well with static subjects, it still struggles in scenes with a lot of motion.

Like the other Galaxy S25 models, you can get a case that supports Qi2 with a magnet, essentially letting you use any accessories that are MagSafe-compatible.

Samsung promises seven years of OS and security for the Galaxy S25, so this phone should remain usable for years to come.

Best foldable

If you're in the market for a flip-style foldable smartphone that delivers on all fronts, we highly recommend taking a look at the freshest Galaxy Z Flip 7 from Samsung. It comes with top-of-the-line build quality and features a gorgeous 6.9-inch inner AMOLED panel that makes everything from watching 4K videos to scrolling through your social media feeds a delight. However, what's even more impressive is the larger 4.1-inch cover display, which now stretches edge-to-edge, although in comparison to the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025, the outer screen's functionality still remains somewhat limited.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 features a Samsung Exynos 2500 chipset, along with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. While we would've loved to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor at the helm, the hardware is still capable of handling just about everything you throw at it with little to no effort, as noted by Android Central's Brady Snyder in his Galaxy Flip 7 review. Talking about software, the smartphone runs Android 16 (with Samsung's One UI 8 overlay) out of the box and offers a diverse range of functional and aesthetic features, along with seven years of seven years of OS and security updates. There's a dual-lens primary camera setup onboard with a 50MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP ultrawide module. While the camera hardware hasn't seen any changes over the last generation, you do get some nice software-based features (e.g., Auto Zoom, Camcorder Mode) that make for an enjoyable user experience. Combine that with the numerous AI-powered editing features included in the mix, and this is a very good camera system overall.

In terms of connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 packs everything from Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 to USB Type-C 3.2 and NFC. The flip-style foldable also comes with a 4,300mAh battery with 25W wired and 15W wireless charging, even if there's no built-in magnets for Qi2 compatibility.

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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 Vivo X200 Pro and Honor Magic 7 Pro are the best phone cameras for capturing motion, full stop. They're even better than a Google Pixel because of their ability to automatically capture images using the power of AI. It sounds hokey at first, but we've been impressed by these capabilities before by how well they worked. They can even do it while recording video, so you'll get automatic "best moment" photos any time they find 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 also 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 Vivo X200 Pro is limited by its lack of availability in all markets, but it showed what's possible when a camera system digs deep. Much like how the OnePlus 13 comes across as arguably the most improved camera on any Android phone in 2025.

Our Galaxy S25 Ultra camera review showed fewer major changes but also further establishes Samsung's penchant for leading the charge in AI editing features. Samsung also still has the best smaller Android flagship in the Galaxy S25.

Likewise, brands like Honor continue to make strides with the Honor Magic 7 Pro, a phone that proves highly capable in its own right. 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, features like Add Me or the Best Take (both on Pixel phones) come along and surprise us with their utility. We always test manufacturers' claims to see if these new modes or improvements are actually worthwhile or not.

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The brand-new Google Pixel 10 Pro comes out ahead of the competition not just for its camera hardware (which is same as that of its predecessor), 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, and the new AI-based features make the whole experience even more fun. For social media, this is one of the best Android phones around. The Pixel 10 Pro also continues to be one of the best phones for night photography, even with full panoramas.

But you'd be remiss to not consider Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra, which just offers more versatility by way of its various modes and prosumer-level features. It's also a consistently excellent low-light performer and takes some of the best video footage of any Android phone available in most countries.