GSMArena.com GSMArena.com

Tip us

1.5m
109k
RSS

EV

Merch

Log in

Login

I forgot my password
Sign up
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Featured
  • Phone Finder
  • Deals
  • MerchNew
  • Coverage
  • Contact
ADVERTISEMENTS
GSMArena team, Last updated 10 November 2022

Best camera phones 2022 - buyer’s guide

  • Comments (108)
  • Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G
  • 12S Ultra

Buyers guide

Last updated: November 10, 2022 (Changelog)

The best camera phones are usually the best phones overall, and you'll mostly find flagships in this category - the likes of the latest Galaxies and iPhones typically deliver the highest image quality of the time.

Google Pixels may have lost their edge in computational photography but we still have one to recommend if you're after that Pixel look. Xiaomi and Oppo have made great strides in the camera field too and often offer unusual hardware that delivers outstanding image quality. Finally, there's also a camera phone to get if you're on a budget - non-flagships can take nice pictures too.


Editors' choice

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

128GB 8GB RAM $ 681.00 $ 850.00
256GB 12GB RAM $ 630.00 $ 926.00
Show all prices
  • Unmatched versatile camera system with two zoom cameras
  • Ultrawide cam now has AF
  • Top-notch photo quality
  • Excellent selfies
  • All-round great video recording, top-quality stabilization
  • One of the best OLEDs, best chipset, best speakers
  • S-Pen inside!
  • The fast charging got some bad reception
  • Chipset fragmentation

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.

Read full review

Niche option

Xiaomi 12S Ultra

Xiaomi 12S Ultra

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 12GB RAM $ 947.00
Show all prices
  • Standout design, IP68 rating
  • Superb OLED display
  • Great stereo speakers
  • Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip
  • Unrivaled main camera
  • Video quality not as good as on the predecessor
  • Telephoto can be unreliable in the dark
  • Exclusive to China

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.

Read full review

Best for video

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

128GB 6GB RAM $ 1,041.00 $ 1,099.99
256GB 6GB RAM $ 1,079.99 $ 1,097.00
Show all prices
  • Class-leading design, water resistance and durability
  • Class-leading OLED screen, 120Hz, AOD, Dolby Vision, 2000nits
  • Class-leading performance, very good stability, great speakers
  • Class-leading battery life
  • Outstanding photo and video quality across all four cameras
  • Best video stabilization available on a smartphone, high-quality action mode
  • Over-processed photos
  • Dynamic Island is a love-it or hate-it affair
  • Bigger and heavier than most
  • Apple's iOS restrictions can be off-putting to newcomers to the ecosystem

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.

Read full review
Xiaomi 12 Pro

Xiaomi 12 Pro

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 12GB RAM $ 733.00 £ 899.99
256GB 8GB RAM € 830.50 € 1,052.51
Show all prices
  • Great camera hardware across all three rear units
  • Superb image and video quality across the board
  • Outstanding display, flagship performance
  • Four speakers, class-leading charging speed
  • Just 2x zoom, no AF for UW camera
  • No ingress protection
  • Uninspiring battery life

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.

Read full review
Google Pixel 7 Pro

Google Pixel 7 Pro

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

128GB 12GB RAM $ 748.91 $ 799.00
256GB 12GB RAM $ 949.50 $ 1,057.29
Show all prices
  • Lighter than the two main competitors, about as premium too; IP68 dust- and water-resistant
  • Sharp, bright, color-accurate, with a high refresh rate, this display is stellar
  • Android from the source, exclusive feature set, unrivaled perception of smoothness on this side of the OS divide
  • Great camera quality overall with an unmatched character that has a loyal following
  • Less expensive than major competitors
  • Tensor chip
  • Fast firmware updates
  • Below average battery life, perhaps partly a consequence of display refresh rate seemingly not as adaptive as advertised
  • Very slow charging by today's standards
  • Ultrawide camera is underwhelming in low light
  • Selfies rarely come out tack sharp

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.

Read full review
Sony Xperia 1 IV

Sony Xperia 1 IV

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 12GB RAM $ 798.00 £ 540.00
512GB 12GB RAM $ 938.00 $ 1,198.00
Show all prices
  • The most natural-looking photos and videos from a smartphone.
  • Versatile camera with 3.5x-5.2x continuous optical zoom, the UW camera with AF.
  • Fast wired and wireless charging.
  • 4K HDR 120Hz OLED, SD8 Gen 1 chipset, real stereo speakers, great battery life
  • Solid no-nonsense IP68-rated design
  • No Night Mode - UW and Tele cameras stand to benefit a lot from it
  • No charger in the box, not even a cable
  • The suite of camera apps can be confusing.

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.

Read full review

Value proposition

Oppo Reno7 5G

Oppo Reno7 5G

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 8GB RAM ₹ 26,390
Show all prices
  • Great daylight photo and video quality from the main and UW cams
  • Surprisingly good 2x digital zoom from the main camera
  • Great 90Hz OLED, HDR10+, snappy Dimensity 900 chipset, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage
  • Great battery life, fast 65W charging
  • All of the small goodies - 3.5mm jack, tri-card slot (with microSD), NFC
  • No ingress protection
  • No stereo speakers

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!

Read full review
vivo X80 Pro

vivo X80 Pro

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 8GB RAM $ 813.16
Show all prices
  • Standout design, IP68, impressive display
  • Incredibly versatile 4-camera setup with two tele shooters
  • Three cameras feature OIS, 2x tele is gimbal-powered
  • Great photo and video quality
  • Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip
  • No high frame rate gaming
  • India-exclusive

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.

Read full review
Google Pixel 7

Google Pixel 7

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

128GB 8GB RAM $ 579.00 $ 599.00
256GB 8GB RAM $ 704.99 $ 706.00
Show all prices
  • Compact and premium build, easy to handle, unique-looking design, dust- and water-resistant
  • Sharp, bright, color-accurate display
  • Good battery life considering the phone's size
  • Android from the source, exclusive feature set, unrivaled perception of smoothness on this side of the OS divide
  • Overall, great camera quality with an unmatched character that has a loyal following
  • The display is just 90Hz as opposed to competitors pushing beyond 120Hz
  • Very slow charging by the standards of the day
  • Ultrawide camera is underwhelming in low light
  • Selfies rarely come out tack sharp

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.

Read full review

Niche option

Huawei P50 Pro

Huawei P50 Pro

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

256GB 8GB RAM $ 737.00 £ 896.91
Show all prices
  • Slim dual-glass curved design, good-looking, IP68-ratedt
  • Bright OLED screen, 120Hz refresh, 300Hz touch rate, HDR10+, tiny notch
  • Adequate flagship performance, great speakers, fast charging
  • One of the best cameras on the market with a great photo and good video quality
  • Outstanding selfies
  • Works and talks well with other Huawei devices
  • Mediocre battery life
  • No Google Apps/Services
  • Few if any HDR10-compatible apps
  • No 5G

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.

Read full review

Affordable option

Xiaomi 12 Lite

Xiaomi 12 Lite

All prices Full specs

These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

128GB 6GB RAM $ 369.00 € 458.23
128GB 8GB RAM $ 359.00 $ 375.50
Show all prices
  • Solid camera performance in all scenarios, selfie has AF
  • Fresh and lightweight design, thin bezels
  • Flagship grade 120Hz OLED with 12-bit color dept
  • Competitive fast charging solution
  • Battery life could be a bit better
  • No proper ingress protection this time around, no IP rating

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.

Most recent updates

November 10 2022: Added the Xiaomi 12 Lite as an affordable option.

November 1 2022: Replaced the iPhone 13 Pro Max with the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Replaced the Pixel 6 Po with the Pixel 7 Pro. Added Pixel 7 and Huawei P50 Pro. Removed the Oppo Find X5 Pro.

July 20, 2022: Added the Xiaomi 12S Ultra as a niche option.

June 29, 2022: Replaced the Galaxy S21 Ultra with the Galaxy S22 Ultra (new top). Replaced the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Replaced the vivo X70 Pro with the vivo X80 Pro. Added Oppo Find X5 Pro, Oppo Find X5 Lite/Reno 7 5G, Sony Xperia 1 IV. Removed the OnePlus 8 Pro, Zenfone 7 Pro, Realme 8 Pro, Pixel 5a 5G.

November 5, 2021: Added Google Pixel 6 Pro and vivo X70 Pro+. Removed the Oppo Find X3 Pro.

October 20, 2021: Replaced the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. Replaced the Pixel 4a 5G with the Pixel 5a 5G.

May 10, 2021: Replaced the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with the Mi 11 Ultra as our Editor's choice. Replaced the Realme 7 Pro with the 8 Pro. Removed the Huawei P30 Pro (now 2 years old and hard to find), the Mi Note 10 (old and hard to find), and Mi 10 Ultra (local to China and now replaced by the 11 Ultra).

Feb 16, 2021: Replaced the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra with the Galaxy S21 Ultra as our Editor's choice.

Jan 05, 2021: Replaced the Realme 6 Pro with Realme 7 Pro.

Nov 27, 2020: Replaced the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra with the Galaxy Note20 Ultra as our Editor's choice. Replaced Apple iPhone 11 Pro with 12 Pro Max. Replaced OnePlus 7T Pro with OnePlus 8 Pro. Replaced the Pixel 4 XL with Pixel 4a 5G as the former is no longer on sale. Added the Zenfone 7 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, and Huawei P40 Pro.


Best phones by category

Flagship phones

Flagship phones

Flagship killers

Flagship killers

Gaming phones

Gaming phones

Battery life champions

Battery life champions

Compact phones

Compact phones

Premium all-rounders

Premium all-rounders

Midrange all-rounders

Midrange all-rounders

Entry-level smartphones

Entry-level smartphones

Best phones of 2021 (US market edition)

US market smartphones


Reviews Best camera phones 2022 - buyer’s guide
  • Comments (108)
  • Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G
  • 12S Ultra

Best camera phones 2022 - buyer’s guide - Reader comments

?
  • Anonymous
  • 84G
  • 01 Jan 2023

I like goople pixel

  • Reply
C
  • Captain007
  • 6u7
  • 21 Dec 2022

Exactly!

  • Reply
S
  • Syuser
  • nDy
  • 16 Dec 2022

Same here but in my testings Xperia 1IV have some amazing results with some third party! So I would give a no 1 to Xperia 1!

  • Reply
  • Read all comments
  • Post your comment
Total reader comments: 108

Phone finder

  • Samsung
  • Apple
  • Huawei
  • Nokia
  • Sony
  • LG
  • HTC
  • Motorola
  • Lenovo
  • Xiaomi
  • Google
  • Honor
  • Oppo
  • Realme
  • OnePlus
  • vivo
  • Meizu
  • BlackBerry
  • Asus
  • Alcatel
  • ZTE
  • Microsoft
  • Vodafone
  • Energizer
  • Cat
  • Sharp
  • Micromax
  • Infinix
  • TCL
  • Ulefone
  • Tecno
  • Doogee
  • Blackview
  • BLU
  • Panasonic
  • Plum

All brands Rumor mill

ADVERTISEMENTS

Related articles

  • Our midrangers Buyer's Guide video for the 2021 Holidays
  • Our battery life champions Buyer’s Guide video for the 2021 Holiday season
  • Check out our video guide on how to choose the best phone for you
ADVERTISEMENTS

Popular reviews

Apple iOS 14 review

Apple iOS 14 review
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G review

Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G review

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Faraday Future to start FF91 production in March after securing funds Faraday Future to start FF91 production in March after securing funds Lexus RZ 450e gets priced in the USNio prepares to launch 2 more unannounced EVs in next few months
ADVERTISEMENTS

Home News Reviews Compare Coverage Glossary FAQ RSS feed Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram

© 2000-2023 GSMArena.com Mobile version Android app Tools Contact us Merch store Privacy Terms of use Change Ad Consent Do not sell my data