Last week, I got into a conversation with TechRadar's mobile computing team and others, including tech journalism luminary Lance Ulanoff, about which phone is best for photography.
Naturally, iPhone 17 pro, Google Pixel 10 Pro, And Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra emerged in conversation with their predecessors, as well as the “science of color” and image processing that these brands rely on.
Now, if you want some semblance of unity of opinion and testing, be sure to check out the selection best phones with cameracurated primarily by senior editor Philip Byrne. But read this article knowing that people's photography preferences may vary as to which phone is the best in their eyes.
In short, flagship phone cameras have generally become so good for their sensor size that it's hard to decide which is objectively better; There will almost always be subjective preferences.
On the one hand, this is great because it means you can't go wrong with any of our best phones. Likewise, it makes things a little boring.
No more calling
I'm one of the technology journalists who remembers when each new generation of smartphones offered significant advances in camera quality, first starting with higher megapixel counts and then moving into image signal processing and computational photography.
But these days, I'd say that if you've purchased a flagship iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, or OnePlus phone in the last few years, you won't be disappointed. And although I haven't used them for a long time, I've heard a lot of positive reviews about the cameras of recent Oppo and Xiaomi phones.
It made me think and yearn a little for the day when there were big camera upgrades and big differences in photo results; I want to be more excited about the camera capabilities and features of new phones rather than seeing the slightest difference in sharpness or detail when you really dig into the pixels of a photo.
Staff writer Jamie Richard reports on this Oppo Find X9 detachable zoom lens – a rare example of a phone brand actually promoting a line of mobile cameras; it's not exactly practical, but it's different and could be really useful for some people who aren't yet ready to shell out for one of our options for best cameras.
When I talk about Oppo, I remember the microscope lens Oppo Find X3which I really enjoyed using both for creative photography and to demonstrate a trick at a tech party – taking microscopic photos of woven denim fibers and other materials was really fun.
Unfortunately, such wild cameras no longer exist. Samsung even reducing the 10x optical zoom of the secondary telephoto camera to its Galaxy S23 Ultra 5 times with Galaxy S24 Ultra and S25 Ultra.
And although the Fusion Camera system iPhone 17 pro max produces some impressive photos, it's a really smart combination of software and I'd say it's a natural outcome of the eventual transition of all cameras to 48MP sensors. This is hardly a bouquet of innovation and creativity.
So I want future phones to go off the beaten path and have a few more wild camera features; how about polarizers to eliminate glare on reflective surfaces, a combination of hardware and software that filters out artificial light when shooting the night sky, or more modular camera systems that actually work.
While there are more software modes for cameras than ever before, I want to see a combination of sensors, lenses, and digital processing that truly makes phone cameras more interesting and exciting than just another photo to take in the increasingly redundant iPhone vs. Android debate.
Fingers crossed for something special with Samsung Galaxy S26…
What do you think? Are phone cameras boring these days? Have your say in the comments below.
Follow TechRadar on Google News. And add us as your preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the “Subscribe” button!
And of course you can also Follow TechRadar on TikTok. for news, reviews, unboxing videos and get regular updates from us on whatsapp too much.
