Snapchat has taken the social media world by storm, and if you want to get the most out of it, you’re going to need a phone that has great cameras on both the front and back, and ideally a good screen too, so you can see other people’s snaps in all their glory.
That can be a big ask, but there are a number of handsets that fit the bill and we’ve listed the best options below.
These include everything from the flagship iPhone 13 Pro Max to the super-premium Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, the slightly more niche Honor Magic 4 Pro, and more besides. So read on, see which phone you most like the sound of, and get Snapchatting.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is the company’s top flagship for 2022, so of course its cameras impress. These include a trio of 50MP sensors on the rear – one wide, one ultra-wide, and one a 2x telephoto. Then there’s also a pixel-packed 32MP camera on the front. And the rear cameras can record video in up to 8K quality at 24fps
So whatever types of photo or video you’re taking for Snapchat, the Xiaomi 12 Pro can handle them well, though notably its selfie camera and telephoto snapper aren’t as good as some rivals, which is why it doesn’t rank higher.
Cameras are only one part of the Snapchat equation though – you also want a good screen to view Snapchat content on, and the Xiaomi 12 Pro has that too, with a 6.73-inch 1440 x 3200 AMOLED screen that has a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s in line with the absolute best smartphone displays, so no compromises are being made here.
Read our Xiaomi 12 Pro review
Honor isn’t the biggest name in smartphones, but you shouldn’t ignore the Honor Magic 4 Pro, as it’s packed full of tech making it a strong choice for Snapchat fans and just about everyone else.
On the camera front it has a 50MP wide snapper, a 50MP ultra-wide one, and a 64MP telephoto one offering 3.5x optical zoom. That setup then is a match for most flagships – though not quite all.
The Honor Magic 4 Pro has most flagships beat when it comes to the front-facing camera though, as it has a 12MP ultra-wide one, offering a 100-degree field-of-view, so you can fit more people in your shots. And that’s paired with a depth sensor, for improved portrait photography.
With respectable video skills too (recording in up to 4K quality at up to 60fps), plus a big and high-resolution 6.81-inch 1312 x 2848 OLED screen, the Honor Magic 4 Pro is a top Snapchat choice.
Read our Honor Magic 4 Pro review
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Google’s smartphones almost always excel on the camera front, as while they don’t always have the most cameras, the quality of the hardware – and even more so the software – is exceptional.
Such is the case with the Google Pixel 6 Pro, which has a 50MP main sensor, a 48MP telephoto one (with 4x optical zoom), and a 12MP ultra-wide one. All perform exceptionally, and video can be recorded in 4K quality at 60fps.
Then around the front there’s an 11.1MP camera, which might not sound like much, but this is also an ultra-wide snapper, so you can fit a lot in your shots. Plus, this too can record video in 4K quality, albeit topping out at 30fps.
In terms of viewing Snapchat content, you’ve got a 6.71-inch 1440 x 3120 AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, so no concerns there.
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The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is Samsung’s ultimate smartphone, at least until you get into the realm of foldables. But it’s also a phone that really seems to put the camera first.
That’s because the Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 108MP main camera, a 10MP periscope one (with 10x optical zoom), a 10MP telephoto one (with 3x optical zoom), and a 12MP ultra-wide one. Its front camera impresses too, as it’s a whopping 40MP here, allowing for incredibly detailed shots.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra also has a superb 6.8-inch 1440 x 3088 Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, so Snapchat content is displayed at its best. It’s very, very expensive, but if you want the best of everything then – for the most part – this has it.
Read our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review
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The iPhone 13 Pro Max is the latest flagship from Apple, and it’s the very best of the iPhone 13 range, although only marginally better than the iPhone 13 Pro, which is worth considering instead if you want a slightly cheaper phone with a smaller screen.
Speaking of the screen, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch 1284 x 2778 one, coming in at a crisp 458 pixels per inch. It also uses OLED, supports HDR10, and has Apple’s clever True Tone tech for automatically adjusting the white balance to suit your surroundings.
Perhaps more importantly it also has a super camera setup, with four rear cameras, offering a 12MP main lens, a 12MP telephoto one, a 12MP ultra-wide one, and a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanner for judging depth.
But the iPhone 13 Pro Max also has two sensors on the front, with both a 12MP main lens and a 3D depth sensor. Combined this makes for a setup comparable to the best that Samsung can offer, or arguably even slightly better on the selfie front, so iOS fans aren’t missing out on the best phones for Snapchat.
You won’t go wrong with any of these phones if Snapchat is your priority, as they all have great cameras on both the front and back and good screens.
They’re also all strong phones for general use, making them great options even when you’re not snapping, though both in and out of Snapchat some are better than others.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro comes in fifth – it’s a brilliant phone, but just doesn’t quite match the others for Snapchat use. Then there’s the Honor Magic 4 Pro, which excels for its selfie cameras but doesn’t quite reach the same heights on the rear, followed by the Google Pixel 6 Pro, which combines good hardware with great camera software.
Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in second place, which – if money is no object – is a superb pick.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max though is first, offering a spectacular range of cameras on both the front and back.
