10 Of My Favorite Smartphone Cameras Of All Time Ranked: Which Takes The Best Photos?

Smartphone cameras have reached a point where I can comfortably ditch my DSLR when I'm on a holiday. You can now find phones with 1-inch sensors and massive optical zoom ranges giving traditional cameras a run for their money. Having reviewed smartphones for close to seven years, I've experienced first-hand how these tiny pocket computers have evolved from being just an occasional photo-taking tool to a full-blown cinema camera that can even shoot movies.

Along with top-notch hardware, smartphones have also improved by leaps and bounds in terms of software features and image processing, thanks to Al and computational prowess. As an avid photographer for more than a decade myself, I've almost completely shifted to capturing moments on my phone instead of carrying around bulky cameras and lenses. As a result, I've amassed over 50,000 photos taken using a smartphone in the past couple of years. This made me wonder — which are some of the best smartphone cameras to have existed?

Well, I dug up my Google Photos archive to find out. After going through what I believe are some of the best pictures I've captured using a smartphone, I decided to compile a list of the 10 most powerful smartphone cameras that capture the best photos and videos.

No best smartphone camera list can ever be complete without an ode to the Nokia Lumia 1020. Launched back in 2013, Nokia pushed the boundaries of what a smartphone camera was capable of with the Lumia 1020. It came equipped with a 41 MP camera — something that may not seem outrageous in 2024 but was definitely way ahead of its time a decade ago.

The massive 1/1.5-inch sensor captured photos with excellent details and dynamic range. While megapixels aren't everything, a big advantage of having so many pixels at your disposal is the fact that you can zoom into a shot without the picture looking like a watercolor painting. Additional perks included a Xenon flash for low-light photography and a partnership with Carl Zeiss for the lens.

Nokia nailed the optics on the Lumia 1020, which was evidenced by the fact that no other smartphone camera came close to its performance for a while. However, a sub-par camera app and the dying Windows Mobile OS meant that the Lumia 1020 didn't get the attention it deserved. Sales figures were dismal compared to the iPhone 5S and Galaxy S4. Still, more than 11 years after its launch, the Nokia Lumia 1020 holds a special place in the heart of every camera enthusiast.

For camera phones, 2013 was definitely the year of innovations. Along with the mighty Lumia 1020, we saw yet another camera-focused smartphone in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, which was unlike anything else we'd ever seen. Samsung threw in everything but the kitchen sink to make the S4 Zoom compelling to photographers. It was almost like Samsung took a phone and slapped a full-blown camera to its back.

A quick look at the back of the phone will tell you why. The Galaxy S4 Zoom had 10X optical zoom capabilities, going all the way from 24mm to 240mm. While most modern-day flagships can achieve better zoom levels with much smaller lenses, this was quite a feat of engineering in 2013. Moreover, the phone had a variable aperture ranging from f/3.1 to f/6.3.

Although, the S4 Zoom fell slightly short of the Lumia 1020 in terms of sensor size. It had a much smaller 1/2.3-inch 16MP sensor resulting in images that were less-detailed and noisy at night compared to those captured by its Nokia counterpart. However, the unbelievably good zoom levels made it an excellent option for wildlife photographers who didn't want to carry expensive gear.

Despite the top-notch hardware, the massive module jutting out of the back of the phone at all times meant it wasn't the most practical smartphone to carry around in your pocket. This is a big reason why the Galaxy S4 Zoom couldn't reach the masses and remained a phone that only catered to enthusiasts.

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is another smartphone was never particularly intended for the mass market. While its specs may seem similar to most flagships from competing brands, the cameras on the Xperia 1 VI are catered specifically towards professional photographers and videographers.

Switching to the Pro or Manual mode unlocks the true potential of the camera system. All three lenses — the primary, ultrawide, and the stepless optical zoom camera that goes from 3.5X to 7.1X, capture intricate details and natural colors. The telephoto lens can also capture macro shots. Then there's the professional video mode, which mimics the UI on Sony's mirrorless cameras. You can also use the Xperia 1 VI as an external monitor for your Sony camera — another demonstration of how Sony designed the phone specifically for serious camera nerds.

Rounding everything up is a dedicated camera shutter button — something that Sony had been doing much before Apple jumped onto the bandwagon with Camera Control with the iPhone 16 series. If you're already familiar with Sony cameras and want a tool that can not only take good photos but can even complement your photography gear, the Xperia 1 VI is a fantastic option.

No, there's no typo there. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the latest offering from Samsung, but I strongly believe the S23 Ultra has a better camera array. Allow me to explain.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra has four cameras on the rear. A 200MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP 3X telephoto lens, and a 10MP 10X periscope lens. I have used the S23 Ultra as my primary phone for close to a year and was thoroughly impressed with its camera output. Everything from daylight shots to low-light images and portraits to selfies look stunning. I'm a sucker for zoom lenses so both the 3X and 10X cameras on the S23 Ultra were my go-to options every time I was taking a picture. The 10X camera was clearly the highlight of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Unfortunately, though, Samsung dropped the 10X camera from the S23 Ultra in favor of a 5X shooter on the S24 that can be increased to 10X with its Adaptive Pixel Sensor. While it's still capable and more than enough for most people, I can't help but state the obvious — the 10X camera was much more helpful for wildlife photography since it provided an unmatched lossless range. I could easily take usable photos up to 30X on the S23 Ultra. On the S24 Ultra, the pictures start falling apart when you go beyond 20X. This is a big miss, making the S23 Ultra a more capable camera system than the S24 Ultra in my books.

After a rather unimpressive run of camera tech for a few years, Apple redeemed itself by delivering some of the best cameras in the game when they released the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The brand has only extended its lead with the iPhone 16 Pro. For starters, the primary 48MP camera captures sharp 24MP photos with excellent dynamic range. In addition, the Photographic Styles feature first introduced with the iPhone 13 gives you immense control over the color science of your pictures, something that was lacking on iOS for the longest time.

Apple has also upgraded the ultra-wide camera to a 48MP sensor. I'm someone who prefers zooming in over zooming out, though, and the 5X telephoto camera helps in this regard. I've captured some stunning portrait shots with the 5X lens, albeit only in good lighting. The small sensor suffers in low light, so I recommend switching to the primary camera once the Sun goes down.

One of the highlighting features of the iPhone 16 Pro's camera system is the ability to shoot 4K videos at 120fps. The output is gorgeous and unlike anything I've seen from a smartphone. iPhones have also been top-tier in terms of videography, so if you're a content creator, there's little reason to look beyond the latest iPhone.

It was tough to decide whether the iPhone 16 Pro or the Pixel 9 Pro would take the fifth spot. I eventually ranked the Pixel 9 Pro higher due to two main reasons –- better low-light photos and some unbelievable AI magic.

Pictures from the Google Pixel 9 Pro have the typical Pixel look, with high contrast levels and colors that pop. No matter what you're capturing, you can simply hit the shutter button and rest assured that you'll get an appealing looking photo that is ready for social media without any edits. Even when the lights are dim, the results are impressive with little to no noise thanks to Night Sight.

Apart from the pictures themselves, Google's smart camera features like Add Me and Magic Editor drastically improve the experience of using the cameras. Add Me is a way to add yourself to a group picture when you don't have someone to take a picture for you. Magic Editor can remove objects from an image or even change the sky, background, and other elements.

Notably, the smaller Pixel 9 Pro also gets the 5X telephoto lens this time so for those looking for a compact phone with capable cameras, the Pixel 9 Pro is a great pick. I've also found that Pixel phones are some of the best to capture landscapes, which is especially useful if you're an avid traveler.

Huawei may not be selling phones in the U.S. anymore, but that hasn't stopped the brand from innovating in the smartphone space. A good example of that is the camera system on the Pura 70 Ultra. It has a massive 1-inch camera sensor with a variable aperture that goes from f/1.6 to f/4.0. Moreover, it's a retractable mechanism so every time it's in use, it pops out of the module and then sits back flush once you close the camera app. How cool is that?

There's also a 3.5X periscope camera that offers lossless hybrid zoom up to 10X. The same lens also acts as a macro camera with up to 35X magnification. A 13mm ultra-wide camera rounds things up. Apart from the fact that the Pura 70 Ultra's hardware clicks stellar photos, there's a neat little software trick Huawei added to the phone called the XD Motion Engine. 

The XD Motion Engine is what sets the phone apart from the rest of the competition, as the feature allows the phone to seemingly freeze time to prevent shaky photos. This makes it one of the best offerings for those who click moving subjects like kids, pets, or cars, regularly. Unfortunately, the phone had long been exclusive to China, and while Forbes has reported on the launch of a global edition, it remains hard to find.

Alright, we've now reached the top three smartphone cameras and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra gets the bronze model. Like the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, the primary shooter for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra uses a 1-inch camera sensor. In fact, the 14 Ultra also has variable aperture so there are quite a few similarities between the two. The domain in which the 14 Ultra (quite literally) one-ups the Huawei though is in terms of an extra zoom lens. Along with a 3.2X zoom lens, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra also has a 5X periscope camera for long-range shots.

Both lenses serve different purposes. The 3.2X camera is primarily for portrait shots — they're stunning, mind you — and for close-up macro images. On the other hand, the 5X zoom is for extra reach. All the hardware prowess results in the Xiaomi 14 Ultra producing some of the best photos I've captured using a phone. Whether it's during the day or night, indoors or outdoors.

A large part of the credit for this also goes to Leica — the legacy camera brand responsible for tuning the Xiaomi 14 Ultra's cameras. Owing to this partnership, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has some well-tuned Leica filters that bring the camera maker's stunning black-and-white photography to the phone alongside extras like the photography kit, which adds a traditional camera grip and expanded shutter controls. If you're into street photography and human portraits, you must consider picking up the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Its only Achille's heel is the sub-par selfie shooter.

The Oppo Find X7 Ultra is yet another smartphone that boasts a 1-inch sensor for the primary camera. The 50MP main shooter is accompanied by three other 50MP sensors –- an ultrawide, a 2.8X optical zoom for portraits, and a 6X periscope for long-range shots. The result? Stunning photos in all lighting conditions. Oppo's partnership with Hasselblad also seems to be contributing to the excellent camera performance since colors look true to life with a slight boost in vibrance.

The parity in the megapixel count across the board ensures photos taken from all cameras are detailed. What also adds to this is the fact that the Oppo Find X7 Ultra has one of the largest sensors for the periscope camera – resulting in more light intake at night. Owing to this, zoom shots captured even without sufficient lighting turn out to be excellent.

If you're a zoom photography enthusiast, or you click a lot of photos indoors or in low-light situations, you're in for a treat with the Find X7 Ultra. However, it's worth noting that the X7 Ultra is now Oppo's last-gen flagship, and was never available globally. The X8 series is out now and should be easier to find in international markets, even if it is still not sold directly in the United States.

We're now down to what I believe is the best smartphone camera setup to date. Vivo has been nailing the camera performance on its recent flagships and the X200 Pro is no different. Despite some questionable decisions like going with a smaller sensor compared to the 1-inch sensor from last year's X100 Pro, the X200 Pro outdoes the competition with superior processing.

Vivo's proprietary image processing chip helps with capturing insane levels of details with eye-pleasing colors. Even in the dark, the X200 Pro holds its own, capturing ample light. While the primary camera is excellent, it's not even the highlight of the massive camera island on the rear. The real hero here is the crazy 200MP 1/1.4-inch 3.7X telephoto camera. Interestingly, the sensor on the zoom lens is almost as big as the iPhone 16 Pro's primary camera.

Numbers aside, the X200 Pro clicks some of the best zoom photos I've ever seen hands down. You get usable shots up to 30X, but the real gains here are in terms of unmatched portrait shots. Vivo's collaboration with Zeiss means you get several Zeiss-style portrait modes that use the 85mm zoom lens. Everything from the compression to the bokeh is unlike anything I've seen a smartphone pull off. The edge detection is close to flawless too.

The capabilities of the zoom camera also extend to the macro mode — which, again, is the best I've come across on a phone. I'm not kidding when I say this, photos from the Vivo X200 Pro are the closest any phone can get to a DSLR. Now that's high praise.

I've been taking pictures with smartphones for over a decade now, giving me an understanding of all the different parameters that contribute to a good picture. Using hundreds of phones over the years has also given me an eye for details. I've combined these two traits to judge photos based on aspects like highlights, shadows, sharpness, colors, bokeh, etc.

It's also become increasingly important for a phone camera to have feature-rich software and reliable image processing to improve the user experience. So, along with the hardware, I've also taken into consideration the accompanying camera app and complementary editing tools included with it. Above all, quality has to be backed up by reliability. All the smartphones mentioned on this list consistently capture good photos making them reliable options for any situation.

Most importantly, photos are always subjective. While some may like saturated colors and high contrast levels, others may prefer true-to-life images that capture the scene as is. Owing to this, all the recommendations on this list cater to varied sets of audiences. So, whatever your preference is, there is a camera phone for you.