The Best Phones for Photography in 2024

From sunrises at the end of a summer beach trip to those spontaneous memories with friends, you don't always know when a photo-worthy moment is going to arrive.

However, carrying a traditional digital camera around, which is often heavy and bulky, can be inconvenient – that's why having a high-quality phone camera is essential in the modern world.

Today, the best camera phones are designed to rival the image quality of a DSLR, with ever-evolving technology that offers enhanced zoom capabilities, strong image sensors, and easy editing tools.

With several releases from big technology brands competing for the top spot, deciding which is the ideal camera phone for you can be tricky. So, keep reading to discover the best camera phones that money can buy to help you make the right choice today.

Best Camera Phone of 2024: 5 Top Options

Whether you're looking for a luxurious, high-end camera phone to kickstart your photography career or more budget phone cameras with great image quality, here are the 5 best options currently available on the market:

1. Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

As Samsung's new flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is certainly the company's best camera phone to date.

While its main camera features the same 200MP sensor as the previous S23 Ultra model, what makes the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra stand out is its 50MP telephoto camera, which has been upgraded from the 10MP model of its predecessor. Although downgraded from the S23 Ultra's 10x zoom, this telephoto camera also has a high-quality 5x zoom, plus video recording up to 8K 30fps.

Another key feature that makes the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra one of the best camera phones of its time is the introduction of Galaxy AI.

Announced during Samsung's annual Galaxy Unpacked event, Galaxy AI brings features such as improved HDR imaging, zoom, night photography, and noise performance to its flagship range. This also enables new editing features, such as the reflection removal tool, to easily clean up your favourite photos.

Priced starting from $2,199, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra isn't cheap, but it does make an excellent investment for budding and professional photographers alike.

2. Best Apple Camera Phone: Apple iPhone 15 Pro

The iPhone 15 Pro camera is pretty similar to the 14 Pro, but with a few significant upgrades that make it the best Apple iPhone camera phone yet for avid smartphone photographers.

Its key camera specs include a triple-lens setup, offering a 48MP wide camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, and 12MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

The wide camera produces enhanced image quality thanks to Apple's new photonic engine, which generates photos at a high 24 megapixel count by default. An anti-reflective coating on the ultrawide lens also offers better nighttime performance for those who prefer taking photos in low light.

Another key software update that the 15 Pro benefits from is automatic Portrait mode, which detects human faces more easily through facial recognition.

3. Best Android Phone for Photography: Google Pixel 9 Pro

Alongside the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, another Android phone that impresses with its camera capabilities is the Google Pixel 9 Pro.

For the first time in the Pro series, this device has the same 6.3-inch display as the standard Pixel 9, which is great for those who prefer a smaller, more compact phone.

The rear cameras of the Pixel 9 Pro feature a triple setup, with a 50MP main camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera, and a 48MP telephoto camera that offers 5x zoom. The selfie camera is 42MP with autofocus, which is a significant improvement from the 10.5MP snapper of the Pixel 8 Pro.

The ultrawide camera also has an upgraded aperture compared to the Pixel 8 Pro, increasing from f/2.0 to f/1.7 for enhanced low-light photography. Another great addition to this camera phone is 10x Super Resolution Zoom and optical image stabilisation that helps to prevent blurry photos.

Like other Android phones, the Google Pixel 9 Pro introduces new AI features to the phone camera. This includes Add Me, a tool that allows everyone to get into the photo – even the photographer!

The Google Pixel 9 Pro doesn't support 8K recording, but you can use the improved Video Boost feature to upgrade from 4K to 8K after backing up your videos to the cloud.

4. Best Large Camera Phone: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

For those who prefer to see their photos and videos on a larger display, have a slightly higher budget, or are simply looking for a little more luxury, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a great choice.

The Pro Max comes with the same Super Retina XDR OLED screen as the 15 Pro, except this one is 6.7 inches in diameter. It also shares many of the benefits of the standard 15 Pro model, with 48MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto cameras.

However, the key difference lies in its 5x optical zoom lens, which is much longer and offers better telephoto reach than the base Pro device.

5. Best Budget Camera Phone: Google Pixel 8a

What's great about the Google Pixel range is that it offers camera phone options for every budget. The Pixel 8a is a great choice on the lower end of the price spectrum, costing significantly less than the $1000+ price point of many flagship phones.

While it may not be the most luxury-feeling camera phone due to its plastic back and slightly sub-par battery life, the Google Pixel 8a does feature a quality 10.8MP front camera, along with 64MP wide and 12MP ultrawide rear cameras.

It also works using Google's smart processing, which supports excellent point-and-shoot photography in the camera app and 4K video recording through a wide range of lighting conditions.

The Pixel 8a is therefore ideal if you're looking to test camera phones out before investing in a more premium Google Pixel Pro option.

Protect Your Camera Hardware with a Shockproof Phone Case

Whether you decide to go with an Apple iPhone, Google Pixel, or Samsung camera phone, you'll want to ensure it stands the test of time – and that's where a durable phone case comes in.

At Ghostek, our cases feature lifted bezels and raised edges to protect the delicate screen and quality lenses of your camera phone. With military-grade, dual-layer constructions, they're also built with complete durability in mind, offering impact-absorbing technologies to protect your device from drops, falls, scratches, and cracks.

Explore the full Ghostek collection today and discover premium protection for the best camera phones on the market.