Best camera phones 2022 - buyer’s guide

The Galaxy S22 Ultra has it all - a huge sensor main cam, an autofocusing ultrawide, and not one but two telephotos. And six months later it is still our favorite cameraphone.

The main camera's 108MP Nonacell sensor bins pixels 9-to-1 producing wide dynamic range in both good light and at night. The high-res imager also enables 8K video recording.

Then, 3x zoom and up, the S22 Ultra excels thanks to its pair of tele cams. Both modules put up a great performance at their native focal lengths and in-between magnifications aren't too bad either. Going past the 10x level isn't out of the question, too.

The Ultra's ultrawide is one of the best that Samsung's put out to date. It's sharp and delivers great quality, but more importantly it adds autofocus, further extending its range of usability.

The 40MP selfie camera is also among the best ones we've seen – with outstanding quality across the board.

Finally, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is not only the best cameraphone, but one of the best phones on the market right now. And for that it was an easy pick for the top spot in this category.

This list wouldn't look right without a Xiaomi Ultra on it, but the 2022 option only qualifies as a 'Niche' choice. And it's not because the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is a bad cameraphone - quite the opposite.

In fact, it has a remarkable camera system that's headlined by a 1" main unit - a sensor size that you can only get on two other phones, but those have specific limitations that the Xiaomi doesn't. The ultrawide and the telephoto aren't as exclusive, but do complement the primary camera nicely.

Xiaomi hasn't skimped on the non-camera bits for its ultimate flagship for the year, so you're getting top-quality display and speakers, as well as class leading performance - all of it in a stylish, water-tight body.

Where the 12S Ultra comes a little short of perfection is video recording - somehow it's not quite as good as the Mi 11 Ultra. The telephoto is also not as dependable in the dark as the predecessor's. But those could be fixed in future software updates.

What isn't going to change is the 12S Ultra's availability outside of China - that's not happening. So you must really be into that 1" sensor to go through the hoops of obtaining the latest Ultra, and even then you'll have to put up with its China-focused software build. Hence the 'Niche' badge.

The best iPhone ever, the iPhone 14 Pro Max so far, comes with a wide range of advancements, and even if you don't consider any of them groundbreaking or relevant to your usage, they're there and add up. The brightest screen by a country mile, now with AoD, a pill for the notch-ache, a camera system with all-around improvements and great full-res images, and emergency hardware/software features - that's the new stuff.

These come on top of Pro Max staples like great battery life, superb speakers, and premium and durable build quality. The most potent chipset in the business and at least 5 years of support for the software you've known for ages (and likely love and hate at the same time) are other classic arguments for the iPhone, Pro Max included.

While all four cameras deliver excellent photos, they are a bit overprocessed and won’t necessary pass for natural-looking next to ones coming from a Sony or a Huawei. But, the iPhone has the best video quality, even better – it comes with class-leading stabilization and audio quality, too. So, for its consistently good, even if overprocessed photos, and best in-class videos, we do recommend the 14 Pro Max as the best phone for videos, suitable for vloggers and the likes.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra was our previous Editors' choice for a cameraphone, but it is no longer available. Worse, it seems the 12S Ultra will stay China-exclusive. On the other hand, Xiaomi knows how to make a cameraphone and its current flagship – the 12 Pro – is one worthy of your attention.

It packs a triple 50MP camera setup on the back – a rather unique combination of top-class hardware and puts it to good use, producing great results across virtually all scenarios. Our only beefs are with the not-that-long-range zoom (2x) and the lack of AF for the ultrawide camera.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro shoots excellent photos and videos with all cameras, selfies included, and its stabilization is really good. And when we add the flagship hardware - one of the best OLEDs and chipsets on the market, plus four speakers and 120W charging – we surely have a winner here.

Even without a 3x, 5x or 10x telephoto, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is still one of the most capable modern cameraphones out there and it earns our recommendation.

Pixels have historically lacked mainstream appeal, and the lack of truly global availability is no small part of why that is so. This year, the list of countries with official Pixel presence has been expanded to 16, and maybe that will drive sales numbers up, even if a lot of the world will still be missing out..

And there's quite a lot to be missing out on. The camera system is the single biggest Pixel 7 Pro selling point that comes to mind, and it brings some welcome improvements, even if a bit modest. That, of course, comes on top of what is a hard to quantify character that you simply can't get on anything that's not a Pixel.

The Pixel 7 Pro is certainly not the best flagship right now - battery life is markedly worse than on a current iPhone, and a Galaxy will likely get you better longevity too. Neither Apple nor Samsung are industry leaders in charging speed, but Google has become an industry... trailer? Two hours for a full charge can turn into an actual issue in day-to-day use, we reckon.

But as far as consistently good and reliable photo and video quality is concerned, the Pixel is one of the best. It is a compelling package that can easily win over other brand loyalists if given a chance, and the enticing pricing helps a lot.

The Sony Xperia 1 IV impressed us with its four superb cameras on both ends. The three 12MP rear shooters are all of the premium kind and the potent processing make for the most natural-looking and balanced photos and videos a smartphone can save. The continuous zoom, even if not as impressive as it sounds, has its use cases and does come in handy.

We wish Sony implement Night Mode – while the main camera does wonderfully at night, the UW and the zoom ones would strongly benefit from these and their output is not up to par.

In addition to the camera, the Xperia 1 IV also offers flagship-grade features across the board – the 4K 120Hz OLED, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, the IP68-rated body, the full-fledged stereo speakers, the battery life, among others.

Sony is also selling various accessories for the Xperia 1 IV to make it even more attractive to photographers and vloggers, there are all sorts of photo and video apps – from basic to advanced, and you can even connect the Xperia with Sony Alpha cameras. It is a truly powerful cameraphone that deserves a spot here.

The Oppo Reno7 5G, also sold as Oppo Find X5 Lite in some markets, is an excellent smartphone with a well-rounded feature set and attractive pricing. It’s a great offer for those wanting a cameraphone on a budget – the photo and video quality across all cameras are very good, and the hardware is consistently reliable.

It's got a lot going for it outside of its camera, including solid battery life, speedy charging and a full set of nice-to-haves. The AMOLED display is also pretty good, and the Dimensity 900 5G chipset is capable enough for the midrange class.

If your budget is about the €400 mark, you should definitely consider this Oppo smartphone!

The vivo X80 Pro could have been our top pick, but its availability is still limited to India and a couple of EU markets. It is a great cameraphone with an innovative quad-camera setup and all but the UW snappers feature hardware-based stabilization. The 12MP 2x telephoto even comes with gimbal stabilization. All cameras shoot excellent videos and photos and this rarely happens.

The X80 Pro is a full-blown flagship with an excellent IP68-rated design, a stunning 120Hz OLED screen, the most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, plenty of storage, stereo speakers and whatnot. The fast charging speeds are impressive, too.

The Pixel 7 is definitely one of the best options in the €600-700 range, especially when considering camera quality. It has a flagship-worthy performance, although a bit lower than you'd expect; it's one of the best phones for mobile photography, if not the best-in-class, and it has bright OLED, great-sounding stereo speakers, long battery life (with the size category in mind) and exceptional software ensuring timely updates and smart features.

Sadly, there are a few caveats to consider here. There's no true telephoto camera; the display is limited to 90Hz; some of the most advanced software features are region-dependent, and the charging solution is just way too outdated for a 2022 flagship release.

But we do recommend it- at that price, the Pixel 7 offers a unique combination of ultra-premium camera experience, long battery life and AI-based features that make it the smartest kid on the block.

The Huawei P50 Pro is a great smartphone with great pedigree, and you can tell that by its premium design and photography-oriented hardware and features. The P series has been around for many years, and Huawei has always raised the bar with its cameras. The P50 Pro is no different.

Huawei's latest cameraphone easily impresses with the latest generation Leica camera that's put within a unique dual-circle setup. The use of a 64MP sensor with a Bayer sensor has paid off with lossless zoom of up to 7x. The return of the monochrome camera, 40MP at that, will definitely intrigue creators who have a knack for the B&W dramatic photos..

The P50 Pro is undeniably a good smartphone - its screen and performance are great, as well as the speakers, the software package, the overall camera experience, and the charging speed, too. If you fancy a cameraphone of high quality, the P50 Pro is a proper option, especially at that €800 or so price.

While its battery life turned out uninspiring, its biggest hurdles are the lack of Google services and 5G. Still, if anyone can live without 5G speeds and you can do just fine on a mixed diet of App Gallery and third-party app stores, then the P50 Pro might be a good fit.

The Xiaomi 12 Lite seems like a solid "lite" version of the more expensive Xiaomi 12X, vanilla 12 and 12 Pro. It maintains a relatively competitive price tag, which makes sense in the Xiaomi 12 series while retaining some high-end features. А speedy 67W fast charging, a flagship-grade OLED panel, a big 108MP main sensor and boxy, catchy design make a compelling case.

What’s really impressive about the Xiaomi 12 Lite is its solid camera performance, a rarity in this price range. The primary, ultrawide and selfie cameras offer commendable photo and video quality. For that, and the well-rounded specs sheet, we’d recommend the Xiaomi 12 Lite as an affordable cameraphone.