I took over 10,000 pictures on 13 totally different flagship telephones, and here is what I discovered

Over the previous 12 months, I’ve shot greater than 10,000 pictures throughout 13 totally different flagship smartphones, and having put every system by means of the complete spectrum of real-world use, I’ve had the possibility to take a look at the smartphone panorama past our typical evaluation interval home windows.

This may not be an exhaustive checklist, however these are the gadgets that caught my consideration and are price contemplating when you’re planning to purchase a telephone particularly for images.

My prime picks

Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely

The Galaxy S25 Ultra was one of the iterative telephones in 2025, and that was each its biggest energy and its most persistent limitation; the most important {hardware} change to the digicam system was the soar to a 50MP ultrawide sensor, which changed the growing old 12MP unit from its predecessor.

Carried over had been the 200MP most important sensor, 50MP 5x telephoto, and 10MP 3x telephoto, rounding out a system that, on paper, stays one of the versatile within the business. With its breadth of focal lengths and sensors, Samsung continues to tell apart itself in consistency throughout its cameras, rivaled solely by the iPhone.

Switching between the ultrawide, most important, and telephoto lenses produces photos with remarkably cohesive coloration science; the white stability and publicity not often shift in ways in which really feel jarring, an issue too many competing flagships nonetheless have not resolved.

Sharpness and element from the ultrawide and telephoto lenses are typically robust, and the general expertise of transferring between zoom ranges feels significantly smoother in comparison with the likes of Google, OnePlus, or Xiaomi.

The principle sensor

What makes the Galaxy S25 Extremely notably robust is its most important 200MP sensor, which, whereas technically spectacular, is finally carried by Samsung’s exceptionally constant computational images; for auto-mode reliability, it stays one of the reliable shooters I’ve examined. In very best lighting, the primary sensor produces richly detailed photographs with punchy distinction and vibrancy in heat tones, remaining pure with out getting too oversaturated.

It is not with out faults, nonetheless. The 200MP most important sensor carries ahead some irritating baggage corresponding to occasional focus looking, particularly in average and low-light situations the place center-frame topics nonetheless come again smooth and grainy. I skilled the same challenge on the Galaxy S24 Extremely, and the truth that Samsung has had a full product cycle to handle it makes its persistence more durable to forgive.

Shutter lag compounds this downside the place there is usually a noticeable delay between urgent the seize button and the precise picture being recorded, which implies any slight hand motion in that half-second hole can produce undesirable blur.This has improved throughout software program updates, however it stays an annoyance, notably when capturing at 50MP or greater on the primary sensor.

Regardless, the 200MP most important sensor paired with Samsung’s processing has made the Galaxy S25 Extremely one of the dependable gadgets to shoot on, and this profit additionally extends to the Galaxy S25 Edge and the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which carry these significant implications over for his or her respective digicam techniques.

The principle digicam on the Galaxy S25 Edge and Z Fold7 look a lot better over the bottom Galaxy S25 and S25+, and is a big improve over the Z Fold 6, although the supporting focal lengths diminished noticeably in high quality. For those who’re out there for both and do not typically depend on the ultrawide or telephoto, you will discover the primary sensor on these telephones greater than satisfying.

Total, the Galaxy S25 Extremely stays a superb images bundle, and with the launch of the Galaxy S26 series, I sit up for seeing if Samsung maintains the identical match and end with the digicam.

Xiaomi 15 Extremely

If Xiaomi bought this telephone in North America, it could simply take the highest suggestion throughout the board for images efficiency; the 15 Extremely carries what’s, in my evaluation, one of the succesful digicam techniques out there on any smartphone, anchored by its 1-inch Sony LYT-900 most important sensor that captures photos with a depth and authenticity that the majority flagships merely can not replicate.

The place Google and Samsung lean closely on computational processing to provide photos which can be technically flawless, with frames sharpened edge to edge, vibrant, and evenly uncovered, Xiaomi leans into what the {hardware} naturally captures, and that differentiation produces outcomes in contrast to the rest on this class.

Shadows keep deep and darkish, and the distinction is punchy with out feeling over-processed. The pure depth-of-field from that huge sensor produces photographs that seem like they got here from a devoted digicam, freed from the fringing or focus irregularities that enormous sensors typically introduce.

Xiaomi layers in Leica coloration profiles that reinforce the photographs’ character additional, and the handbook Professional mode produces RAW recordsdata that maintain up in opposition to Apple’s ProRAW in each constancy and editability. That stated, I do discover the Leica presets is usually a little jarring on occasion, and would a lot favor a daily capturing mode outdoors of Professional mode to take pictures that lets the {hardware} communicate for itself.

The telephoto system is equally spectacular, consisting of a 200MP periscope sensor that handles the lengthy vary whereas a 3x telephoto handles macro photographs right down to 10cm, filling the mid-range very nicely. The periscope unit pulls in considerably extra mild than its predecessor, and whereas Xiaomi sacrificed the mechanical aperture from the 14 Extremely to accommodate the bigger sensor, the trade-off is nicely price it; the telephoto is sharper, extra versatile, and much more sensible for on a regular basis capturing than what got here earlier than. Xiaomi’s processing just isn’t flawless.

My most important gripe with this digicam system is the white stability shifting unexpectedly between photographs and between lenses. Moreover, edge detection sometimes falters in ways in which Google’s or Samsung’s computational pipeline doesn’t. These inconsistencies stop the 15 Extremely from matching the shot-to-shot reliability of a Pixel or Galaxy or iPhone, however they’re minor blemishes on a system that produces probably the most visually compelling photos of any telephone I examined. For anybody who values how a photograph appears to be like and feels over how technically exact its processing is, the Xiaomi 15 Extremely is in a category of its personal.

Apple iPhone 17 Professional

The iPhone 17 Pro is the telephone I spent probably the most time with, and that point has made the case for what Apple has been quietly constructing towards. Apple has spent years making very conservative and incremental refinements to its digicam system, and the iPhone 17 Professional is the system the place all of these particular person enhancements converge into one thing that feels genuinely full.

The numerous new improve is the brand new 48MP telephoto lens, which replaces the 12MP sensor from the 16 Professional, and this essentially modifications what this telephone can do at distance. The 16 Professional’s telephoto photos would visibly degrade when cropped and reveal aggressive computational work making an attempt to compensate for a smaller sensor; the 17 Professional’s bigger sensor means much less processing intervention is required, and the distinction exhibits.

Zoom photographs are cleaner and extra natural-looking, notably on the full 8x attain the place lens compression creates outstanding depth separation between foreground and background. At evening, the distinction is dramatic; the 17 Professional’s telephoto pulls in sufficient mild to provide genuinely usable low-light zoom photographs that the 16 Professional merely couldn’t handle.

The brand new digicam does have a pair quirks although. The iPhone will allow you to activate 8x zoom at any distance, but when your topic is nearer than roughly a foot and a half, it silently switches to a crop from the primary sensor relatively than utilizing the telephoto. The standard distinction is seen, and it may be complicated when you’re not conscious of it, however extra stark is the change in compression, which can’t be faked as simply. Stepping again barely solves the problem, however it’s the sort of unintuitive habits Apple ought to floor extra clearly.

The principle and ultrawide sensors haven’t modified dramatically in {hardware}, however Apple’s up to date processing pipeline handles difficult lighting eventualities with noticeably extra finesse this technology.

My favourite side of the Professional iPhones is the sleek enhancing pipeline that ProRAW allows, and it is solely stronger now that every one three sensors are of comparable decision. The iPhone 17 Professional constantly holds up higher by means of post-editing due to the complete 48MP information throughout all three lenses. ProRAW produces photos which can be remarkably versatile in post-processing, providing a degree of latitude in publicity restoration and element preservation that no different telephone matches as seamlessly.

If enhancing is a part of your images workflow, that is the telephone that makes the enhancing workflow really feel like an actual digicam. The digicam system has lastly reached some extent the place each lens contributes meaningfully, and the result’s probably the most balanced, most edit-friendly cell digicam I’ve used.

Finest AI suite: Google Pixel 10 Professional

Google’s digicam {hardware} has at all times performed second fiddle to its computational capabilities, and the Pixel 10 Pro doubles down on that philosophy with probably the most complete AI-powered images suite out there on any telephone.

Options like Digital camera Coach can learn the scene in actual time and supply composition solutions, lighting changes, and mode suggestions earlier than you even take the shot. These nudges, whereas sounding gimmicky, may be genuinely helpful in apply, notably for much less skilled photographers who wish to enhance their eye with out having to suppose too deeply about it.

The Pixel 10 Professional is maybe finest identified for Auto Finest Take, which refines an already sensible characteristic by routinely combining a number of group photographs right into a single picture the place everybody appears to be like their finest. Add Me has additionally been expanded to work with bigger teams, guaranteeing the photographer would not need to sacrifice their place within the body; this was notably helpful throughout my journeys with a big group of mates.

Whereas these aren’t flashy {hardware} upgrades like on a number of the different flagships, they tackle the sorts of real-world frustrations that the majority digicam techniques ignore totally. There’s additionally the plethora of further software program options inside Google Images and Pixel Studios, with instruments like Magic Eraser, Transfer, and Zoom Improve extending the enhancing pipeline significantly.

The principle frustration with these options, nonetheless, is how dependent the telephone may be on the post-processing; many photographs carry a noticeable processing delay as a result of the post-processing is offloaded to Google’s servers, which requires an energetic Wi-Fi or information connection.

Finest evening digicam: Honor Magic8 Professional

The Honor Magic8 Pro is one other standout shock of this check, and it makes the case for why North America wants higher competitors within the flagship area. Its digicam stands above the remainder particularly for telephoto efficiency, and nowhere does that benefit present extra clearly than in low-light environments.

The mixture of a big 1/1.4-inch sensor, 3.7x optical zoom, and CIPA 5.5-rated stabilization produces outcomes that genuinely outperform extra established flagships, just like the Samsung Galaxy, iPhone, and Pixel.

The place the Galaxy S25 Extremely and iPhone 17 Professional each lean on noise discount that tends to smear fantastic texture at prolonged zoom ranges, the Magic8 Professional retains a degree of element and pure coloration that’s instantly seen in side-by-side comparisons. Honor’s AI Adaptive Stabilization system permits for handheld long-exposure captures that different telephones would wish a tripod to copy, and the ensuing photos carry a texture and constancy that caught me off guard given how little consideration this telephone has obtained relative to its competitors.

Xiaomi’s 15 Extremely presents a comparable {hardware} profile, with its 200MP telephoto representing the opposite critical contender on this class, however Honor is delivering this caliber of zoom efficiency in a tool that doesn’t place itself solely as a digicam telephone. For photographers who care about telephoto attain and low-light zoom above all else, the Magic8 Professional deserves critical consideration.

Finest selfie digicam: Apple iPhone 17 sequence

Your complete iPhone 17 lineup obtained a big front-facing digicam improve, and it is the sort of enchancment that modifications how you employ the telephone relatively than merely making selfies marginally sharper. The brand new 18MP entrance digicam makes use of an ultrawide, that means you possibly can seize wider framing with out bodily transferring the telephone additional away.

This additionally allows the iPhones to vary the orientation of the selfie itself, so that you needn’t rotate the system to vary the composition. Additionally, it goes with out saying, Apple continues to be among the best when it comes to dealing with pores and skin tones in powerful lighting conditions.

The ensuing versatility of this new selfie digicam makes it considerably extra helpful. Even for individuals who not often take selfies, that is the place the improve issues most, as a result of the broader discipline of view and compositional flexibility open up the entrance digicam for different issues like video calls, and informal images in conditions the place flipping to the rear digicam is impractical.

The one I would like improved: Nothing Cellphone (3)

Painful as it’s, the Nothing Phone (3) is a superb system that stumbles within the digicam division. Whereas the remainder of the telephone feels polished and aggressive, almost indistinguishable from costlier flagships in each day use, the digicam system is the weakest hyperlink in an in any other case cohesive expertise.

The principle 50MP sensor performs fairly nicely and produces detailed photos that maintain up nicely in good mild with strong distinction, tone, and coloration science. The 3x optical zoom telephoto follows shut behind, sustaining affordable sharpness and element in vibrant scenes with a usable in-sensor crop to 6x, although it trails noticeably behind the Galaxy S25 and falls additional nonetheless from the Pixel 10.

The ultrawide, nonetheless, is probably the most disappointing of the three. Photographs look fantastic at full view, however any try and zoom in reveals a scarcity of element and noticeable warping on the body edges. The bigger challenge, although, is consistency. Switching between the three rear cameras produces seen shifts in coloration stability and tonal character, and indoor capturing is especially unreliable; some photographs land completely whereas the subsequent comes out flat with no change in situations.

This inconsistency makes it not possible to belief the digicam in the way in which you possibly can belief the iPhone 17 at the same or lower cost level. Nothing constructed an distinctive telephone round a digicam system that merely can not preserve tempo with the iPhone 17, Galaxy S25, and Pixel 10 at comparable or lower cost factors, and that hole defines the expertise.

Ultimate ideas

2025, and the early half of 2026, has been one of the aggressive years for smartphone images in latest reminiscence. The hole between the most effective and worst cameras on this checklist is narrower than ever, which makes the variations that do exist extra significant. Samsung’s versatility, Xiaomi’s uncooked imaging character, and Apple’s editing-first strategy every symbolize genuinely totally different philosophies about what a digicam telephone ought to prioritize, and none of them is flawed.

What capturing 10,000-plus photos throughout these gadgets makes clear is that the computational processes utilized by every of those gadgets matter far more than particular person {hardware} specs, however higher {hardware} with the appropriate software program nonetheless yields these total outcomes. The Xiaomi 15 Extremely and the Google Pixel 10 Professional sit at reverse ends of that spectrum; one trusts its {hardware} extra to ship genuine photos whereas the opposite trusts its software program extra to good each shot, and each produce glorious outcomes by means of essentially totally different means.

The telephones that struggled most this 12 months had been those that might not decide to both strategy with sufficient conviction. If I had to decide on one telephone as my solely digicam for the subsequent 12 months, the Xiaomi 15 Extremely can be it, restricted availability and all. For these of us shopping for telephones by means of standard North American channels, the iPhone 17 Professional’s mixture of {hardware} completeness and post-editing flexibility makes it probably the most sensible alternative, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely stays the most secure wager for versatility.