Who needs professional cameras and bulky photography equipment to capture high-grade photos today? Modern high-end smartphones include excellent built-in cameras that you can carry in your pocket wherever you go. Pictures and videos shot by these smartphone cameras look almost as good as those taken with a DSLR camera.
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The phones with the best cameras don’t come cheap, but they are totally worth the money. They are still way cheaper than professional photography equipment and a lot easier to manage too. The best camera phones to buy in 2024 focus on quality output like never before:
Top 5 Camera Phones
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Google Pixel 8 Pro
- OnePlus 12
- Google Pixel 7a
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Rear Cameras: 200MP (main) +12MP ultrawide + 50MP 5X telephoto + 10MP 3X telephoto
Front camera: 12MP (f/2.2)
Dimensions: 162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6mm
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB
Screen size: 6.8-inch
Resolution: QHD+
Battery: 5,000mAh
High-end phones from Samsung usually come with good camera specifications, but Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra takes the lead. This smartphone currently priced at approximately $1200 on Amazon is the toughest and most powerful model by Samsung to date.
A whopping 200 megapixels (MP) surely sounds impressive, and the results will blow your mind. Samsung has not just been generous with the pixels but also improved the overall quality of photos. They come out more natural than ever; even photos with a blurred-out background look incredibly lifelike.
While this model only offers 5X zoom, which is a downgrade from the 10X zoom in Galaxy S23 Ultra, the fine details in the photos are a notch better. The range of photos shot with the rear camera of this phone is more dynamic than ever, they exhibit sharper colors, and the overall noise is greatly reduced.
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Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Rear Cameras: 48MP (wide) + 12MP (ultra-wide) + 12MP (telephoto with 5x optical zoom)
Front camera: 12MP
Dimensions: 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm
CPU: A17 Pro
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB
Screen size: 6.7-inch
Resolution: 2796 x 1290 pixels
Battery: 4,422mAh
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is the best choice for video recording because the stability, quality, and level of detail are unmatched. This camera phone comes with 5X optical zoom, which is a first and the results are amazing – thanks to the superior periscope technology.
This model boasts the best camera in the Apple franchise yet, so if you’re looking for an iPhone with the best camera specs, this is the one. The photo shooting modes in this smartphone are not as versatile as the ones in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but the overall quality of photos is just as remarkable despite the lesser megapixels.
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Google Pixel 8 Pro
Rear Cameras: 50MP + 48MP + 48MP
Front camera: 10.5MP
Dimensions: 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm
CPU: Google Tensor G3
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
Screen size: 6.7-inch
Resolution: 1344 x 2992
Battery: 5,050mAh
When it comes to the Google Pixel Pro series, this phone model takes the win in terms of best-performing camera. Pixel 8 Pro features a f/1.65 aperture lens, which is surprisingly better than the f/1.9 aperture lens in last year’s Pixel 7 Pro.
Pixel 8 Pro’s aperture is wider but excels because it permits more light, which improves the quality of photos exponentially. While photos taken in the dark or dim light are not as good as the ones shot by the former two smartphones in the list, the macro-photography in daylight is unparalleled.
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OnePlus 12
Rear Cameras: 50MP (main) + 48MP (ultra-wide) + 64MP (3X zoom)
Front camera: 32MP
Dimensions: 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM: 12GB/16GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB
Screen size: 6.82-inch
Resolution: 1440 x 3168 pixels
Battery: 5,400mAh
The cameras of the OnePlus 12 embrace a unique aesthetic that perfectly complements landscape and portrait photography. It does not manage to excite with its zoom feature, but the front camera is promising with a lavish 32 megapixels. The photos shot with this phone exude an artistic flair and richness like none other.
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Google Pixel 7a
Rear Cameras: 64MP (main) + 13MP (ultrawide)
Front camera: 13MP
Dimensions: 152 x 72.9 x 9 mm
CPU: Tensor G2
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Screen size: 6.1-inch
Resolution: 2400 x 1080 pixels
Battery: 4,385mAh
If you’re looking for premium camera features in a smartphone that costs under $500, the Google Pixel 7a is an excellent option. This phone came out in May last year (2023), but it’s still a great time to buy this one for its unbeatable camera experience within a budget. The main camera of this phone shines in low-light photography, and the AI-powered photo processing is commendable.
Summing Up
Now that we’ve discussed the best camera smartphones to consider in 2024, the final decision depends upon your purpose. For example, if you like to capture nature shots, you may consider getting a phone that stands out with the zoom feature. On the other hand, if you’re mainly interested in snapping glamorous selfies and pictures at social events, any of the mentioned models will deliver nicely.
