To make your decision easier, we have compiled a list of the top 5 best camera phones in 2023, based on expert reviews and ratings. These phones offer the best combination of quality, versatility, and value for money. Whether you are a casual shooter or a professional content creator, you will find a phone that suits your needs.
1. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best camera phone overall in 2023. Nine out of ten experts recommend it and out of those, five list it first! “The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the reigning best camera phone because of its incredible versatility,” writes Tech Radar.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a quad-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 200MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and another 10MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom. It also has a laser autofocus system and an LED flash. On the front, it has a 12MP selfie camera.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra can capture stunning details and colors in all lighting conditions. It can also zoom up to 100x using a combination of optical and digital zoom, allowing you to get closer to distant subjects. It supports 8K video recording at 30fps and 4K video recording at 60fps, with optical image stabilization and HDR10+.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It is powered by an Exynos 2200 processor (or Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in some regions) and has 12GB or 16GB of RAM and 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 13. It has a 5000mAh battery that supports fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is not only the best camera phone but also one of the best smartphones in general. It has a premium design, a gorgeous display, a powerful performance, and a long-lasting battery. It also has features like IP68 water and dust resistance, an in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and support for S Pen stylus (sold separately).
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is not cheap though. It costs $999 for the base model with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you want more storage or RAM, you will have to pay more. It is also quite bulky and heavy, weighing 227 grams and measuring 8.9mm thick.
If you are looking for the ultimate camera phone that can do it all, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the one for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent cameras with versatile zoom | Expensive |
| Beautiful display with high refresh rate | Bulky and heavy |
| Powerful performance and battery life | No headphone jack or microSD slot |
| Premium design and features |
2. Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Google Pixel 7 Pro is the best Android camera phone overall in 2023. Eight out of ten experts recommend it and out of those, three list it first. “The Google Pixel 7 Pro is our favorite Android camera phone because it combines great hardware with smart software,” writes PCMag.
The Pixel 7 Pro has a triple-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 114-degree field of view, and a 48MP telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom and OIS. It also has a laser autofocus system and an LED flash. On the front, it has a 12MP selfie camera.
The Pixel 7 Pro can capture amazing photos and videos with natural colors and sharp details. It uses Google’s computational photography techniques to enhance the images, such as HDR+, Night Sight, Portrait Mode, Super Res Zoom, and Top Shot. It supports 4K video recording at 60fps and 1080p video recording at 240fps, with OIS and electronic image stabilization (EIS).
The Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels and a refresh rate of 90Hz. It is powered by a Google Tensor G2 (4 nm) chipset and has 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 13 with Pixel UI on top. It has a 5000mAh battery that supports fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
The Pixel 7 Pro is a sleek and elegant phone that offers a pure Android experience. It has features like IP68 water and dust resistance, an in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and support for Active Edge squeeze gesture. It also has exclusive features like Google Assistant Call Screen, Now Playing song recognition, and Live Caption for videos.
The Pixel 7 Pro is not as expensive as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it is still not cheap. It costs $899 for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you want more storage or RAM, you will have to pay more. It also lacks some features that the Galaxy S23 Ultra has, such as a microSD slot, an S Pen support, and a higher refresh rate.
If you are looking for a simple and smart camera phone that delivers consistent results, the Pixel 7 Pro is the one for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great cameras with smart software | No microSD slot or headphone jack |
| Smooth display with high resolution | Lower refresh rate than Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Fast performance and battery life | Expensive |
| Sleek design and pure Android experience |
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3. iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max
The iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max are the best Apple camera phones in 2023. Seven out of ten experts recommend them and out of those, two list them first. “The iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max are the best iPhones for photography and videography, thanks to their improved sensors, lenses, and software,” writes JUST Creative.
The iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max have a triple-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 48MP main camera with OIS and sensor-shift stabilization (SSS), a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view and autofocus (AF), and a 12MP telephoto camera with OIS and 3x optical zoom. They also have a LiDAR scanner for depth sensing and an LED flash. On the front, they have a 12MP selfie camera with AF.
The iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max can take stunning photos and videos with rich colors and fine details. They use Apple’s computational photography techniques to enhance the images, such as Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, Night Mode, Portrait Mode, ProRAW format, and Photographic Styles. They support up to 4K video recording at 60fps with Dolby Vision HDR10+, OIS, EIS, AF tracking, audio zoom, cinematic mode (bokeh effect), and ProRes format (up to 1080p at 30fps).
The iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max have a 6.1-inch or a 6.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels or 2778 x 1284 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. They are powered by an A16 Bionic processor and have 6GB of RAM and 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of internal storage. They run on iOS 16. They have a 3095mAh or a 4352mAh battery that supports fast charging, wireless charging, and MagSafe accessories.
The iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max are premium and powerful phones that offer a smooth and secure iOS experience. They have features like IP68 water and dust resistance, a Face ID system, stereo speakers, and support for Apple Pay and Apple Arcade. They also have exclusive features like Siri voice assistant, iMessage and FaceTime apps, AirDrop and AirPlay functions, and iCloud storage.
The iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max are expensive though. They cost $999 or $1099 for the base model with 128GB of storage. If you want more storage, you will have to pay more. They also lack some features that the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Pixel 7 Pro have, such as a microSD slot, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and a higher zoom range.
If you are looking for the best iPhones for photography and videography, the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max are the ones for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent cameras with improved sensors and lenses | Expensive |
| Smooth display with high resolution and refresh rate | No microSD slot or headphone jack |
| Powerful performance and battery life | Lower zoom range than Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Premium design and smooth iOS experience |
4. Google Pixel 6a
The Google Pixel 6a is the best value camera phone in 2023. Six out of ten experts recommend it and out of those, one lists it first. “The Google Pixel 6a is the best affordable Android camera phone because it offers the same camera quality as the Pixel 7 but at a much lower price,” writes PCMag.
The Pixel 6a has a dual-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 12.2MP main camera with OIS and EIS and a 16MP ultra-wide camera with a 107-degree field of view. It also has an LED flash. On the front, it has an 8MP selfie camera.
The Pixel 6a can take great photos and videos with natural colors and sharp details. It uses Google’s computational photography techniques to enhance the images, such as HDR+, Night Sight, Portrait Mode, Super Res Zoom, and Top Shot. It supports up to 4K video recording at 30fps and 1080p video recording at 120fps, with OIS and EIS.
The Pixel 6a has a 6.34-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 60Hz. It is powered by a Google Tensor 1 and has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 12 with Pixel UI on top. It has a 4680mAh battery that supports fast charging.
The Pixel 6a is a simple and elegant phone that offers a pure Android experience. It has features like IP67 water and dust resistance, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and support for Active Edge squeeze gesture. It also has exclusive features like Google Assistant Call Screen, Now Playing song recognition, and Live Caption for videos.
The Pixel 6a is very affordable though. It costs $349 for the only model available. It also offers some features that the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra lack, such as a headphone jack and a microSD slot.
The Pixel 6a is not as powerful or as smooth as the Pixel 7 Pro or the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max. It also has a lower resolution and refresh rate than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It also lacks some features that the other phones have, such as a telephoto camera, a LiDAR scanner, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and wireless charging.
If you are looking for a budget-friendly camera phone that delivers great results, the Pixel 6a is the one for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great cameras with smart software | No telephoto camera or LiDAR scanner |
| Affordable price | Lower resolution and refresh rate than Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Simple design and pure Android experience | Less powerful and smooth than Pixel 7 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max |
| Headphone jack and microSD slot | No in-display fingerprint scanner or wireless charging |
5. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best versatile camera phone in 2023. Five out of ten experts recommend it and out of those, one lists it first. “The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best versatile camera phone because it offers a wide range of lenses and modes to suit different scenarios,” writes JUST Creative.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a penta-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 108MP main camera with OIS and SSS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view and AF, a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS and 3x optical zoom, another 10MP telephoto camera with OIS and 10x optical zoom, and a 12MP periscope camera with OIS and 100x digital zoom. It also has a laser autofocus system and an LED flash. On the front, it has a 40MP selfie camera.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra can capture amazing photos and videos with vivid colors and crisp details. It can also zoom up to 100x using a combination of optical and digital zoom, allowing you to get closer to distant subjects. It supports up to 8K video recording at 30fps and 4K video recording at 60fps, with OIS, EIS, HDR10+, AF tracking, audio zoom, director’s view (switch between cameras), and pro video mode (manual controls).
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It is powered by an Exynos 2100 processor (or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in some regions) and has 12GB or 16GB of RAM and 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 12 with One UI 4.0 on top. It has a 5000mAh battery that supports fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is a premium and powerful phone that offers a lot of features and options. It has features like IP68 water and dust resistance, an in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and support for S Pen stylus (included). It also has features like Samsung Pay, Samsung DeX, Samsung Knox, and Bixby voice assistant.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is expensive though. It costs $799 for the base model with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you want more storage or RAM, you will have to pay more. It is also quite bulky and heavy, weighing 240 grams and measuring 8.9mm thick.
If you are looking for a versatile camera phone that can handle any situation, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the one for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Amazing cameras with wide zoom range | Expensive |
| Beautiful display with high resolution and refresh rate | Bulky and heavy |
| Powerful performance and battery life | No headphone jack or microSD slot |
| Premium design and features |
Conclusion
These are the top 5 best camera phones in 2023, based on expert reviews and ratings. They all offer excellent camera quality, performance, and features, but they also have different strengths and weaknesses. Depending on your budget, preference, and needs, you can choose the one that suits you best.
We hope this post has helped you find the best camera phone for you in 2023.
