In the past decade or so, cameras on smartphones have evolved so much that they can pretty much replace a standalone digital camera for most people. The results you can get on some of the best smartphones these days are just so impressive, and being able to be with you at all times means you’ll never miss a moment.
But what if you want the best possible camera phone money can buy? A camera that won’t let you down no matter what you’re taking a picture of? You’ve come to the right place. Here are the very best camera phones you can buy in 2024.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
The best camera phone
Google Pixel 9 Pro
The best camera phone runner-up
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The best versatile camera phone
The main strength of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the camera. It uses a Sony LYT-900 1-inch, 50MP main camera that also has a Leica Summilux lens and an adjustable aperture (f/1.63 to f/4.0), as well as a 50MP telephoto camera, 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP periscope zoom camera. That’s a lot of cameras!
This phone also uses Xiaomi’s new AISP imaging system that features AI to help tune various aspects in your photos. These aspects include the color of each pixel to the lighting and even bokeh effects in your photos.
And then there’s the other Leica involvement, besides the lens. It has Leica tones, filters, and even a dedicated street photography mode. You also have 16-bit UltraRAW photo mode for professionals, long-exposure modes, and even MasterCinema video modes for budding filmmakers.
Again, the biggest strength of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the camera. You won’t get bored of experimenting with this phone for ages when it comes to photo and video. But the rest of the phone is your typical Android phone, which matches up with the other modern day options like Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel 8 Pro. But the camera on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra far surpasses them in almost every way.
The other problem? The Xiaomi 14 Ultra isn’t available in the U.S., so you’ll have to import it. And it doesn’t come cheap with a starting price of around $1,640. But there’s no doubt about it — this is the best smartphone camera out there.
Why should you buy this: It has the best all-round camera you can buy in the U.S. and many markets around the world.
Who’s it for: Those who want a great all-around camera without needing to import it.
Why we picked the Google Pixel 9 Pro:
The Google Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t have the best camera on this list, but it does have the best all-around camera you can buy on a smartphone in the U.S. The wide availability and local warranty mean this is probably the best pick for most people over our best overall pick.
The Pixel 9 Pro uses a 1/1.31-inch, 50MP main camera that has an f/1.68 aperture lens with an 82° field of view. This is paired with a 48MP ultrawide camera with f/1.7 aperture and 123° field of view and a 48MP periscope zoom camera with upgraded sensor and f/2.8 aperture that offers 5x optical zoom. Many of the improvements in the Pixel 9 Pro come from Google’s algorithm changes and a new HDR+ imaging pipeline that promises to better capture shadows, textures and skin tones.
There are also plenty of AI features that are designed to help make the most from this excellent camera package. Super Res Zoom and Video Boost allow you to zoom further than before, and enhance the quality of the final video.
Add Me uses AI to help you capture photos that has everyone in the shot, including the photographer. Reimagine allows you to change photos by adding or removing people or objects in Magic Editor after you’ve taken the photo. Auto Frame uses AI to guide you to better frame a photo after you’ve already captured it. Zoom Enhance allows you to zoom in and then uses AI to fill in the high-quality details that may be missing.
The magic of the Pixel 9 Pro is Google’s ability to achieve outsize results using software and AI, whereas its competitors rely on physical hardware. Like the Pixel 8 Pro and other Pixel phones that came before it, the Pixel 9 Pro proves once again that it’s not the hardware that matters, but the software and color science that is paired with it.
