Cameras are an increasingly important part of smartphones, and as specs start to level out they’re one of the main ways that manufacturers try to make their handsets stand out.
That can mean more lenses, as with the quad-lens Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus and Huawei P30 Pro, higher megapixel counts, unusual features and gimmicks, or just a focus on making the best single or dual-lens snapper possible, like has been done with the Google Pixel 4.
All of these and more can be found on our list below, highlighting the very best smartphone cameras available in 2019. And note also that while this guide focuses on their camera credentials, all of these handsets are great phones in other ways too.
The Pixel 3 range seriously impressed us with what it could do with just a single rear camera, and the Google Pixel 4 range slightly improves that 12.2MP main lens with a new f/1.7 aperture, while adding a secondary 16MP f/2.4 telephoto one, allowing for 2x optical zoom.
While this still leaves the phone with fewer lenses than most flagships, this is definitely a case of quality over quantity, with both the Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL able to take superb snaps.
They even have some clever additional features, such as Astrophotography, which lets you take impressively detailed photos of the night sky. Even without activating that mode though, low light shots are better (and brighter) than most from the competition.
The relative lack of lenses does still hurt the Pixel 4 range, leaving them less versatile than some snappers, but they remain great point and shoot options that excel in most environments.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max both have three rear lenses – which is one more than the iPhone XS range offered.
These include a 12MP f/1.8 main lens, a 12MP f/2.0 telephoto one (with 2x optical zoom), and a 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide lens.
As with the Pixel 4 range, these cameras excel at simply pointing and shooting – while there are various modes and shooting options, you can generally get great results without digging into them, and these phones have the edge over the Pixel 4 range thanks to their third lens, allowing for wider angle shots than you can take with Google’s phones.
The iPhone 11 Pro range also does a great job in low light, just like the Pixel 4 range, but it does a better job of portrait shots – in fact it’s better for those than the vast majority of phones.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is a bit older than most phones on this list, but it remains one of the best phones you can buy – for camera and just about everything else.
It has a triple-lens rear camera, consisting of a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP lens that can cleverly switch between apertures of f/1.5 and f/2.4. That combination ensures that the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus has an arguably even more versatile camera than the iPhone 11 Pro.
It has AI smarts, works reasonably well in low light, and in good light photos are usually vibrant and striking. The camera also supports 2x optical zoom.
But it’s not just the rear cameras that impress, as the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus also has two front cameras, making for five lenses overall. You get both a 10MP f/1.9 lens and an 8MP f/2.2 one on the front, with the dual lenses helping with depth sensing for improved portrait shots.
As good as the S10 Plus’s camera is, the Huawei P30 Pro just edges it out as it has not three but four lenses on the back.
And these are good lenses. You get a 40MP f/1.6 main lens, a 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one (capable of 5x optical zoom), an 8MP f/3.4 telephoto one and a Time of Flight (ToF) depth-sensing one.
It’s an immensely capable and versatile camera, helped by the fact that the main lens is designed to let in more light than most rivals, making it an exceptional night-time shooter as well. And that zoom lens can go beyond 5x, as it also offers a 10x near lossless zoom and a 50x ‘Super Zoom’, so you can get closer than ever to what you’re shooting.
You even get a high-quality 32MP camera on the front, so whatever you’re trying to take photos of, the Huawei P30 Pro has you covered.
With the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, the company took just about everything good about the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus and built on it, delivering a stunning all-round handset.
Of course, it’s the camera that we’re here for and that doesn’t disappoint. The phone has a quad-lens rear one with a 12MP variable aperture lens, a 12MP f/2.1 telephoto one (with 2x optical zoom), a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one, and a Time of Flight 3D depth sensing lens.
With four lenses, one of which has a variable aperture, this is a camera fit for almost any circumstance, and arguably the most versatile snapper in this list – though notably it can’t zoom in as close as the Huawei P30 Pro and its night shots aren’t quite as good as the Pixel 4 range.
But as an all-rounder it has them both beat. It also has a better-than-it-sounds 10MP f/2.2 front-facing camera and generally top-tier specs.
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The above phones are easily among the very best camera phones you can get at the time of writing. In our view, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the very best, but it has got some steep competition and it’s not the winner in every category.
The Pixel 4 and iPhone 11 Pro excel if you just want to point and shoot for example, or if you’re taking night shots, while if you need to get in close you’ll get better shots from the Huawei P30 Pro. So consider what you want to use the camera for before picking one. But for its sheer versatility the Note 10 Plus is arguably the best all-rounder.
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