2025 is the year of the camera—with plenty of upgrades making their way into flagship phones from all the popular brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google. We'll look at all the hard-core camera capabilities, plus baked-in intelligent features that make these phones stand out from the rest, whether you’re a professional photographer, social media mogul, busy multitasker, or just a casual user.
The top 4 camera phones for 2025 include:
- Best camera phone for pros: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
- Best camera phone for social media buffs: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Best camera phone for everyday family moments: iPhone 16 Pro Max
- Best camera phone for business travelers: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
1. Best camera phone for pros: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
For those who demand the best in professional photography, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the ultimate tool. With its 200MP main sensor and advanced zoom capabilities, this phone is made for capturing everything from the finest details to grand landscapes. Its 8K video and robust AI processing let you shoot with cinematic quality, whether it's stills or moving pictures. This phone is engineered to help professional photographers get the highest level of precision and creativity, all in a single device.
Key features:
- 5 Cameras: 4 Main and 1 Selfie
- Main
- Wide – 200MP with Laser Auto Focus
- Ultra-Wide – 50MP
- 50MP (Dual Telephoto) 5x Optical Zoom / 100x Digital Zoom
- Tele – 10MP with 3x Optical Zoom
- Video capture
- 200MP: 8K @ 30fps
- 50MP: 8K @ 30fps
- 10MP: 4K @ 60fps
- Selfie
- 12MP / 2PD AF (Dual Telephoto and Auto Focus)
- Main
- 5x periscope zoom – Capture distant subjects with incredible precision.
- 8K video recording – Professional-grade video at 60fps.
- Cinematic Mode – Stable, movie-like shots with a focus on depth and detail.
- Up to 1TB storage – Store your high-resolution photos and videos without worry.
- Galaxy AI Camera features:
- AI Image Enhancement—Automatically adjusts brightness, saturation, and contrast for optimal color in every shot.
- Generative Edit—AI can remove or reposition objects in your photos, creating a cleaner, more appealing shot.
- AI Scene Optimizer—Detects the scene and intelligently adjusts the settings for optimal results—whether you’re shooting a sunset, a portrait, or a crowded scene.
- AI Video Enhancements—AI-driven stabilization for smoother video, plus real-time scene recognition to adjust exposure, lighting, and color on the fly.
- Space Zoom and Nightography—Incredible detail even in low light, and the AI helps reduce blur and noise, especially with zoomed-in shots. It’s great for those who love gazing at the night sky.
Perfect for: Professional photographers and videographers who need cutting-edge technology. Whether you’re capturing high-resolution portraits, landscapes, or fast-moving action, this phone provides the ultimate flexibility and image quality for demanding jobs. Galaxy AI features are game-changers, making sure your photos and videos always turn out stunning without needing to constantly change settings.
2. Best camera phone for social media buffs: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
If you're all about quick, stunning shots for your social media feed, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is designed for you. With Google’s latest AI-powered tools, this phone ensures every photo is Instagram-ready in seconds. Its Magic Editor and Audio Magic Eraser make it easy to enhance, adjust, and clean up your photos and videos, even on-the-go. For the perfectionist who wants their content to always look its best, this phone is an excellent choice.
Key features:
- 4 Cameras: 3 Main and 1 Selfie
- Main
- Wide – 50MP Octa PD
- Ultra-Wide – 48MP Quad PD with autofocus
- Telephoto – 48MP Quad PD with 5x optical zoom
- Video Capture
- 48MP: 4K @ 60fps
- 50MP: 8K @ 30fps
- Selfie
- 12MP / 2PD AF (Dual Telephoto and Auto Focus)
- Main
- 50MP main camera – Crisp, vibrant images with rich detail.
- 48MP ultra-wide – See more of the scene with stunning clarity.
- 8K video recording – Capture your moments in ultra-high definition.
- Up to 1TB storage – Store your high-resolution photos and videos without worry.
- Google AI Camera features:
- Magic Editor—Intelligently adjusts lighting, composition, and even removes or relocates objects from your shots with ease.
- Audio Magic Eraser—Automatically detects and eliminates unwanted background noises like traffic, chatter, or wind, allowing you to focus on what matters in both photos and videos.
- Best Take—Uses AI to combine the best facial expressions and moments from multiple group shots into one perfect photo, ensuring no one’s blinking or looking away.
- Real Tone—AI-powered color correction ensures accurate skin tones, helping you capture true-to-life portraits and photos of people.
- Night Sight—Google AI makes low-light photos brighter and clearer, reducing noise and enhancing details even when there’s little to no natural light.
- Super Res Zoom—A blend of AI and computational photography helps you zoom in on distant subjects without losing sharpness, delivering a clearer, more detailed image.
Perfect for: Social media enthusiasts, influencers, and anyone who wants to quickly create shareable, high-quality content. Whether you're taking selfies, shooting stories, or creating quick vlogs, the Pixel 9 Pro XL ensures your photos and videos always look polished and ready to share. The combination of Google’s AI-powered features makes capturing and editing moments easier than ever, without needing to be a photography expert.
3. Best camera phone for everyday family moments: iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 16 Pro Max offers a perfect balance of ease-of-use and pro-level performance. With its 48MP main camera and smart Apple Intelligence processing, it makes every family moment look incredible, from birthday parties to weekend adventures. The Camera Control button puts all the best AI camera tools at your fingertips, while Spatial Capture helps you relive your favorite moments in 3D. For those who want something advanced, yet simple and intuitive for capturing everyday moments or creating special memories, iPhone 16 Pro Max is an excellent choice.
Key features:
- 4 Cameras: 3 Main and 1 Selfie
- Main
- Wide – 48MP & 24MP Fusion
- Ultra-Wide – 48MP
- Macro – 48MP
- Video Capture
- 48MP: 4K @ 120fps
- Selfie
- 12MP (Optical Image Stabilization and Autofocus)
- Main
- 50MP main camera – Crisp, vibrant images with rich detail.
- 48MP ultra-wide – See more of the scene with stunning clarity.
- 8K video recording – Capture your moments in ultra-high definition.
- Up to 1TB storage – Store your high-resolution photos and videos without worry.
- Apple Intelligence Camera features:
- Camera Control—Just touch the Camera Control button to quickly access intelligent tools, like exposure, depth of field, digital zoom, and more.
- Visual Intelligence—Hold the Camera Control button to activate Visual Intelligence, which gives you instant info about the places and objects around you, like restaurants, businesses, plants, animals, and more. It’ll also translate or summarize text.
- Spatial Capture—Adds depth to your photos so you can experience them again in virtual 3D.
- Audio Mix—Instantly adjust the voices in your videos using three different options: In Frame, Studio, and Cinematic
- Photographic Styles—Get accurate skin tones, adjust the mood or look of your photos through tone and style, and more.
Perfect for: Families, casual photographers, and anyone who wants a hassle-free, high-quality camera experience. If you’re looking to capture moments effortlessly and create memories that look just as good in print as they do on your phone, iPhone 16 Pro Max's AI features make it an ideal choice. Whether you're shooting kids' birthday parties, family holidays, or off-the-grid adventures, this phone delivers amazing photos and videos every time.
4. Best camera phone for business travelers: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 is the perfect device for those who need to do it all—work, play, capture, and create on-the-go—without compromising anything. The foldable design offers a unique advantage, giving you a massive screen for editing and multitasking, while still delivering pro-level camera performance. With its 50MP wide lens, 10MP telephoto, and 12MP ultra-wide lens, you can take sharp, versatile shots from any angle, and the large folding screen makes it easier to edit photos on-the-go or even capture video while browsing or texting. The 8K video recording makes it ideal for those who want to mix business with pleasure on a portable, thin, light, efficient, all-in-one device.
Key features:
- 5 Cameras: 4 Main and 2 Selfie
- Main
- Wide – 50MP
- Ultra-Wide – 12MP
- Telephoto – 10MP
- Video Capture
- 8K @ 30 fps
- Selfie
- Main screen 4 MP / Cover screen: 10 MP
- Main
- 50MP main camera – Crisp, vibrant images with rich detail.
- 8K video recording – Capture your moments in ultra-high definition.
- Up to 1TB storage – Store your high-resolution photos and videos without worry.
- Galaxy AI Camera features: As with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Z Fold6 has a ton on Galaxy AI features, including Generative Edit, Instant Slo-mo, Nightography, and more. Plus, it also has extra features like:
- Sketch to Image—A favorite AI tool for S Pen users, Sketch to Image lets you sketch something on a blank page—or even on a photo—and then have AI transform it into an image (e.g., draw a dog on the grass in one of your photos and AI naturally incorporates it into the picture).
- Hidden Selfie Camera—Tucked under the display is a 4MP camera within the unfolded screen, perfect for video calls.
- Flex Mode—Keeps the phone open at different angles, so you can just set it down and shoot videos, no tripod or phone stand needed. It’s great for capturing slow-motion videos, which take a little longer.
- Dual Record—Record videos from any two of the phone's cameras at the same time.
- Large 7.6-inch foldable screen—Perfect for multitasking, editing photos, attending meetings, and working across projects.
- Multi-tasking support—Run multiple apps side by side for efficient editing and sharing, use the S Pen to take notes, and let Galaxy AI summarize it all for you.
Perfect for: Professionals, business travelers, and creators who need a phone that does it all. Whether you’re handling emails, editing photos, on video calls, or creating content, the Galaxy Z Fold6’s multiple displays, foldable design, and powerful camera system make it the ultimate device for productivity and creativity.
From the powerful Galaxy S25 Ultra to the flexible Z Fold6, our best camera phones are more than just point-and-shoot devices. Whether you're chasing cinematic quality, perfecting your social feed, or just capturing life’s moments, these phones have advanced camera setups and innovative AI features that fit right in your pocket, making them perfect for life on-the-move.
FAQ: The breakdown
1. Why is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera setup great for professional photographers?
It has pro-grade camera hardware with advanced AI that does most of the heavy lifting for you. This phone is engineered to help professional creators get the highest level of precision and creativity, all in a single device.
2. What are the standout camera features on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
8K video + 200MP sensor + 100x zoom + Generative Edit + Scene Optimizer for amazing detail, photos, and videos.
3. Why is Google Pixel 9 Pro XL’s camera setup good for influencers and content creators?
It has powerful AI editing tools that are fast, smart, and easy to use. For those who need their content to always look its best, this phone is an excellent choice.
4. What are the standout camera features on Google Pixel 9 Pro XL?
Audio Magic Eraser + Magic Editor + Real Tone + Best Take for people-perfect photos and videos.
5. Why is iPhone 16 Pro Max’s camera setup great for families and everyday users?
It offers a perfect balance of ease-of-use and pro-level performance. The Camera Control button puts all the best AI tools literally at your fingertips.
6. What are the standout camera features on iPhone 16 Pro Max?
Spatial Capture + Camera Control + Visual Intelligence tools for capturing and simplifying everyday life on-the-go.
7. Why is Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6’s camera setup great for business travelers and creative professionals?
An impressive multitasking machine, this phone is a portable office and studio that folds, flexes, and helps you capture it all.
8. What are the standout features on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6?
The massive screen, built-in S Pen, and under-display selfie cam, plus features like Flex Mode and Dual Record give you unmatched creativity and multitasking capabilities.
You might also be interested in:
*Please note that product availability may vary, and some items mentioned may no longer be in stock or available at the time of reading. Browse all of our latest phones, devices and accessories here.
Sources:
https://store.google.com/in/product/pixel_9_pro
https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_pixel
https://www.samsung.com/levant/smartphones/compare
https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-s25-ultra
https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-z-fold6
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/best-samsung-galaxy-phone
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/best-camera-phone