Best Camera Phone Of 2022

The Samsung S22 Ultra 5G should be first-pick for the amateur and professional photographer alike.

In addition to its 40MP selfie lens, the premium flagship phone sports a wide lens with an impressive 108MP resolution, as well as 10MP periscope telephoto and telephoto lenses and a 12MP ultrawide lens.

It has a maximum 100x zoom when you combine its optical and digital technology, plus an impressive f-stop range that allows for a variety of effects through manipulation of light. But, by far its strongest point is the ability to film in ground-breaking 8K resolution for super sharp footage from a camera phone.

Finally, the S22 range brings ‘nightography’ making night mode available for videos as well as stills for the first time.

• Price: £1,149
• f-stop range: 1.8-4.9
• Max RAM: 12GB
• Max storage capacity: 1TB
• Screen size: 6.8″
• Screen resolution: 1440 x 3088
• Screen PPI: 500
• CPU speed: 120Hz
• Battery capacity: 5,000mAh

Huawei has packed a lot into its P40 Pro+ model, specifically a 32MP selfie lens, a 50MP wide lens, 8MP periscope telephoto and telephoto lenses and a 40MP ultrawide lens.

And that’s not to mention the front and rear TOF (time-of-flight) 3D lenses, which work to produce similar results to the iPhone’s LiDAR (light detection and ranging) scanner – accurate mapping of surroundings and 3D objects for more true-to-life photos.

It has a maximum 10x optical zoom, and an f-stop range that allows for creativity, such as enhancing your portraits with ‘bokeh’ blurring effects.

Filming in 4K resolution may seem unadvanced compared to Samsung’s smartphones, but still delivers outstandingly sharp detail, and is the next best thing to shooting in 8K resolution.

• Price: £999.99
• f-stop range: 1.8 – 4.4
• Max RAM: 8GB
• Max storage capacity: 512GB
• Screen size: 6.58″
• Screen resolution: 1200 x 2640
• Screen PPI: 441
• CPU speed: 2×2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.95 GHz Cortex-A55
• Battery capacity: 4200mAh

There’s not much between the Samsung Galaxy S22 5G and its premier version, the S22+ 5G, when it comes to camera technology.

If your smartphone checklist is centred on camera quality alone, choosing the standard S22 5G should save you a few pounds.

You’ll get a 10MP selfie lens,12MP wide lens, 50MP telephoto lens and 12MP ultrawide lens to play with, impressive zoom and the capability to shoot video in first-class 8K resolution.

• Price: £949
• f-stop range: 1.8 – 2.2
• Max RAM: 8GB
• Max storage capacity: 256GB
• Screen size: 6.6″
• Screen resolution: 1080 x 2340
• Screen PPI: 425/393
• CPU speed: 120Hz
• Battery capacity: 4,500mAh

A hybrid smartphone/tablet, the latest Samsung Galaxy Note’s camera system consists of a 10MP selfie lens and a whopping 108MP wide lens at the rear, teamed with 12MP periscope telephoto and ultrawide lenses.

Although the f-stop range is limited, 50x digital zoom and 8K recording quality still make this device a handy asset for photography enthusiasts.

• Price: £999
• f-stop range: 1.8 – 2.2
• Max RAM: 12GB
• Max storage capacity: 512GB
• Screen size: 6.9″
• Screen resolution: 3088 x 1440
• Screen PPI: 496
• CPU speed: 2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55
• Battery capacity: 4,500mAh

The 13 Pro Max’s camera system, for the most part, is refined with three rear lenses (telephoto, wide and ultrawide) and one selfie lens, all with 12MP resolution.

Expect 15x maximum digital zoom, but the ability to shoot video in 4K resolution.

The wow factor comes in the form of the device’s LiDAR (light detection and ranging) scanner at its rear and SL (structured-light) 3D scanner at the front, which measure 3D objects, and map out their depth and distance to precision, for more accurate photos. The LiDAR scanner can also be used with augmented reality (AR) apps.

Usefully, a large 1TB of storage comes with the device which can be used on videos and photos.

• Price: £1,549
• f-stop range: f1.6 – 2.4
• Max RAM: 6GB
• Max storage capacity: 1TB
• Screen size: 6.7″
• Screen resolution: 1284 x 2778
• Screen PPI: 458
• CPU speed: Avalanche: 2 x 3.22GHz/Blizzard: 4 x X.XGHz
• Battery Capacity: 4352mAh

OnePlus is a lesser-known brand, but its 9 Pro model is well worth considering.

The device is equipped with five lenses – a 16MP selfie lens, 48MP wide lens, 8MP telephoto lens, 50MP ultrawide lens and 2MP monochrome lens.

It only has a 3.3x maximum optical zoom and can produce video in Full HD, which is decent in quality, although not as cutting-edge as 4K or 8K resolution.

• Price: Only 8GB RAM & 128GB ROM currently available for £829
• f-stop range: f1.8 – 2.4
• Max RAM: 8GB
• Max storage capacity: 128GB
• Screen size: 6.7″
• Screen resolution: 1440 x 3216
• Screen PPI: 525
• CPU speed:1 x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 & 3 x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 & 4 x 1.80GHz Kryo
• Battery capacity:4500mAh

The Huawei Mate 40 Pro has a 13MP selfie lens and 50MP wide lens, 12MP periscope telephoto lens and 20MP ultrawide lens at the rear.

Its mid-range camera offering includes a limited 5x maximum optical zoom but a decent f-range to produce a variety of bokeh effects and 4K resolution for video recording.

You’ll also benefit from TOF technology which improves the focus and clarity of objects in photos.

• Price: £1099.99
• f-stop range: f1.8 – 3.4
• Max RAM: 8GB
• Max storage capacity: 512GB
• Screen size: 6.76″
• Screen resolution: 1344 x 2772
• Screen PPI: 456
• CPU speed: 1×3.13 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3×2.54 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4×2.05 GHz Cortex-A55
• Battery capacity: 4400mAh

For £100 less than its Max equivalent, the iPhone 12 Pro underperforms on zoom capability – only reaching a maximum of 9x digital zoom, but otherwise boasts many of the same camera features, with three rear lenses (telephoto, wide and ultra-wide) and one selfie lens, all with 12MP resolution.

There’s a LiDAR scanner at the rear of the phone and a front-facing SL 3D scanner, which measure the depth and distance of objects to take more accurate photos. The LiDAR scanner can also be used in AR apps.

This device comes with a maximum 1TB of storage – ideal for storing photos and footage, so is well worth considering.

• Price: £1,449
• f-stop range: f1.6 – 2.4
• Max RAM: 6GB
• Max storage capacity: 1TB
• Screen size: 6.1″
• Screen resolution: 1170 x 2532
• Screen PPI: 460
• CPU speed: Avalanche: 2 x 3.22GHz/Blizzard: 4 x X.XGHz
• Battery Capacity: 3095mAh

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini sport 12MP camera systems with a selfie lens, and wide and ultrawide rear lenses. Their standard and base model status mean they don’t have a LiDAR lens or a telephoto lens like their premium versions, and they’re only capable of a maximum 5x digital zoom.

As for video, these models are capable of shooting in 4K resolution.

• Price: £1079/ £979
• f-stop range: f1.6/2.4
• Max RAM: 4GB
• Max storage capacity: 512GB
• Screen size: 6.1″/5.4″
• Screen resolution: 1170 x 2532/1080 x 2340
• Screen PPI: 460/ 476
• CPU speed Firestorm: Avalanche: 2 x 3.22GHz/Blizzard: 4 x X.XGHz
• Battery capacity: 3240mAh/2438mAh

The Google Pixel 6 Pro balances camera quality with affordability.

It sits middle of the range for a flagship camera phone, with an 11MP selfie lens, and 50MP rear lens that can shoot video in 4K resolution.

The device has a limited f-stop range for producing lighting effects, and offers a maximum 20x digital zoom.

While its performance is boosted by 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, may be too little for videographers storing large video files.

• Price: £849
• f-stop range: f1.7/2.2
• Max RAM: 12GB
• Max storage capacity: 256GB
• Screen size: 6.7″”
• Screen resolution: 1440 x 3120
• Screen PPI: 512
• CPU speed: 2.8GHz
• Battery capacity: 5003mAh