Smartphone photography has become a big thing. Actually, it is the big thing in the world of cell phones. For a lot of people, camera quality has become the top ranking factor to determine whether a phone is worth buying. This list of the best smartphones for photography helps you see where the different top models stand.
List of the Top smartphones for photography in the USA
Google Pixel 7 Pro: At the top of the list is the $899-dollar Google Pixel 7 Pro. This is simply the best camera phone you can buy in 2023 – at least till the 2023 models start coming out. Released in October 2022, it is very much bang up-to-date.
The Pixel 7 Pro does not feel as premium as the iPhone 14 or Samsung S22 models, and is no match for them either in terms of raw power, but is a shoulder above the iPhone 14 models and comfortably leaves the Samsung S22 models in the dust. Samsung lovers, especially, won’t like to hear that. And though the Pixel 7 Pro camera is only marginally better than the iPhone 14 cameras, iPhone lovers won’t let this go without series of arguments either. But it is what it is.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max: The $1099 top iPhone premium flagship costs a lot more than the Pixel 7 Pro, but its camera is pipped to second spot by a hair’s breath. iPhone lovers will not swap their devices for the Pixel, still. It isn’t like they would swap it even if the iPhone 14 Pro Max camera was significantly worse and in the 7th or 10th or 20th spot. Thankfully, the 14 Pro Max camera is excellent and users are not missing out on anything that matters.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro: For a little less ($999), you can get the iPhone 14 Pro, whose camera matches the 14 Pro Max’s shooter. You get the same software, excellent hardware, and paltry fast charging speed, but we are talking about smartphones for photography here, so you are good.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: I am not sure why you would want the 13 Pro Max, considering that it carries the same price tag as the 14 Pro Max, was released in 2021, and has an inferior camera. But it is the next best smartphone for photography in the USA, and so I must include it on this list.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro: The dilemma here is the same as the 13 Pro Max. The iPhone 13 Pro costs the same as the 14 Pro, is a year older, and has an inferior camera. So why exactly would you want to buy it? Still, it is the 4th best smartphone for photography in the USA. Just saying.
Google Pixel 7: With an extremely pocket-friendlier price of $599 and released same time as the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel 7 has a solid camera and comes highly recommended as a smartphone for photography.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: And Samsung finally makes a showing on our list of the top smartphones for photography in the USA. It costs a pretty dollar – $1199 – but if you must have a Samsung, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best Samsung camera phone in 2023. It isn’t much of an improvement over the camera of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which shares this spot with it. If the S23 Ultra is too expensive for you, get the S22 Ultra.
Google Pixel 6 Pro: It costs the same as the Pixel 7 Pro, so it isn’t exactly attractive. The Pixel 6 Pro has a solid camera that puts many more expensive smartphones to shame. I just do not know why I would want to spend $899 on a 2021 phone when I can buy its replacement, a much better smartphone for photography, for the same price.
Apple iPhone 14 Plus: The Cupertino engineers are not done yet, and the iPhone 14 Plus makes a showing, too, on this list. It costs $100 less than the 14 Pro and $200 less than the 14 Pro Max while putting a top range camera in your hands.
Apple iPhone 14: Last on our list of the best smartphones for photography in the USA is the vanilla iPhone 14. Vanilla or not, it is an excellent camera phone to buy if you do not want to spend as much as its siblings cost. It costs just $799. Not as superb a deal as the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 models which offer much better photography for less damage to your pocket.
The above are currently the best smartphones for photography in the USA. Expect this list to change as 2023 models from Google, Apple, and Samsung are released and reviewed in the course of the year.