Why would you be interested in the best budget camera phones? The best camera phones are found among premium flagships, for a clear reason: advanced camera technology is expensive. It costs a lot to develop a fantastic camera. And this is why almost no cheap smartphone in the history of mobile phones, has been known for great photography. Thankfully, that does not mean that good photography cannot be found at lower price ranges.
In this article, I list a number of best budget camera phones you can buy today. As we are looking at budget smartphones, the phones considered all cost between $300 and $500 US dollars. This is the price range in which you can still find some really good phone cameras outside of the category of premium flagship phones.
Table of Contents
Xiaomi 12 Lite
If you have wanted autofocus on a selfie camera, the Xiaomi 12 Lite has one. The shooter is a 32-megapixels affair as well, and produces solid quality selfies. At the back, the 108MP wide angle and 8MP ultrawide angle shooters produce great photo and video quality (up to 4k) as well.
If it is top notch photography you want at a quarter of the price of premium flagships, I doubt you can do better than the Xiaomi 12 Lite right now. This is still one of the very best budget camera phones that you can buy today.
Other features of the 12 Lite include a 6.55″ 120Hz AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 5, 5000mAh battery, and 67W fast charging. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset coupled with 8GB RAM. Storage options include 128GB and 256GB.
How much does it cost? Xiaomi 12 Lite is available from $340 in the United States, C$408 in Canada, and €287 in Germany and other European Union markets.
Google Pixel 7a
In the budget smartphone market, there are few cameras that can touch what Google does with its budget models. And in 2023, the Pixel 7a delivers very good photography, and at a more pocket-friendly price than premium flagships. If you want one of the best budget camera phones available today for a little above $400, buy a Google Pixel 7a. It will set you back by just $449.
Apple iPhone SE (2022)
Apple’s latest budget model is next in line. It isn’t quite close to the Pixel 6a in terms of actual photography and video recording, if we are being honest. But if you won’t use anything other than an iPhone and you are on a budget, this is the best budget camera phone for you. How much it it? Just a little less expensive than the Pixel 6a: $429. Unfortunately for iPhone lovers, there are no other budget iPhone models from Apple. If you want budget, this is all there is.
OnePlus Nord 2 5G and OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
Were you expecting to see a OnePlus smartphone as a top budget option? You weren’t? Too bad. The OnePlus Nord 2 5G is widely acclaimed for being a well-rounded mid-range smartphone, and one of the best phones you can buy for around $400. It also has solid cameras that deliver really good photos (for the price). And it takes its place as one of the best budget camera phones available in 2023. It will set you back by just $399.
Its slightly upgraded variant, the Nord 2T 5G, has a better processor and faster charging, and it maintains the good photography that the Nord 2 is known for. if you can find the Nord 2T, it is the better of both models, and it costs a little less than, or the same as, its older sibling.
Google Pixel 6a
Last on this list is the Pixel 6a, a solid camera phone that will cost you just about $400. It is well built and delivers the pure Google experience that Pixel loyalist swear by. Just be ready to deal with some of the issues that have plagued Pixel phones for some years now, especially that overheating problem. You shoot a few photographs or capture a few minutes of video, and the phone warms up significantly. I know that first-hand, because I have used one. If you live in a cold/temperate climate, you might have little to worry about concerning the overheating. But if you live in tropical climes, give it some thought.
The Best Budget Camera Phone To Buy In 2023: Mister Mobility’s Choice
if you really are into mobile phone photography and do not want to spend premium money, these are the best budget camera phones you can buy in 2023. If I had to pick one device, my choice as the nest budget camera phones to buy today in 2023 is the Xiaomi 12 Lite. It is a fantastic camera phone that doesn’t get talked about much.
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