What to look for in a phone camera (and which ones get it right).Blog
The dawn of digital technology transformed our day-to-day lives in countless ways—none more personal than how we capture and share memories. Mobile phone cameras have advanced at lightning speed, often outdoing traditional digital cameras. If you’re thinking of upgrading, here’s a closer look at what to consider in a phone camera—and which models currently lead the pack. What to look for in a phone camera. Today’s smartphones are built for photography. But picking the right one means knowing what really matters. The big three? Megapixels, lenses, and aperture. Megapixels: More than just a number. Megapixels are all about resolution. More pixels mean more detail—handy for cropping or printing. But don’t be fooled: the highest number doesn’t always win. A 12MP camera with a great sensor and smart image processing can beat a 200MP one that’s badly optimised. Aim for a phone that balances megapixel count with powerful software under the hood. Lenses: Covering all angles. The more lenses your phone has, the more photography styles it can handle. Wide-angle, ultra-wide, telephoto, macro—they each bring something different to the table. And it’s not just the number of lenses, but their quality, too. Glass lenses, image stabilisation, and optical zoom all make a big difference. Aperture: Let there be light. Aperture affects how much light your camera takes in. Wider apertures (smaller f-numbers like f/1.5) are great for low light and portraits with that soft, blurry background. Some phones even let you adjust aperture manually, giving you more creative control over how your shots look. AI Features: Your Built-In Photo Assistant It’s not just about the camera specs—AI now does a lot of the heavy lifting. From recognising scenes and adjusting settings to removing photo-bombers and improving low-light shots, smart features help you get great results with minimal effort. When picking a phone, look out for clever tools like object erasers, enhanced zoom, and AI video editing—they can make a big difference to your photos and videos. A look at the best camera phones in 2025. Now, let’s break down three of the top contenders this year—not just for their powerful camera hardware, but also the AI smarts that take your photos and videos to the next level. iPhone 16 Pro: Premium Performance and Apple’s New AI Tricks. Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro brings that signature balance of sleek design and powerhouse performance. On the hardware front, you’ve got a 48MP main camera, backed up by a 48MP ultra-wide and 12MP 5x telephoto lens. This combo is brilliant for just about any scenario—portraits, group shots, night scenes, you name it. But what really sets the iPhone 16 Pro apart this year is its dive into AI-driven photography. For the first time, iPhones come with a Magic Eraser-style tool, letting you remove unwanted objects from your photos with a tap. No more photo-bombers or bins ruining your holiday snaps. You’ll also notice upgrades to Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 5, which use machine learning to enhance colours, texture, and detail in every frame. Add to that a refined Night Mode across all cameras, and you’re looking at studio-quality results, day or night—no filter needed. Upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro on iD Mobile. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: All the Gear, All the Options. Samsung isn’t messing about with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It’s packing a serious camera setup: a massive 200MP main sensor, alongside ultra-wide, telephoto, and periscope lenses. You’ve got zoom for days—literally up to 100x—and loads of flexibility whether you’re snapping landscapes or close-ups. But it’s not just about raw specs. Samsung’s thrown in some clever AI, too. Scene Optimiser uses AI to recognise what you’re shooting—food, pets, people, sunsets—and adjusts the settings for the best result without you lifting a finger. Then there’s Nightography, which layers multiple shots together and uses AI to pull out colour and clarity in dark scenes. Single Take is still one of Samsung’s most fun features. Press the shutter once, and the phone uses AI to capture multiple photos and videos at once—then suggests the best ones. It’s perfect for parties or quick moments where you don’t want to miss the magic. Upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra on iD Mobile. Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Smart, Simple, and Seriously Impressive. Google’s Pixel phones have always been known for top-tier photography—and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the smartest yet. On paper, it’s got a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide with macro focus, and a 48MP 5x telephoto lens. But it’s the software where Google really shines. This phone is packed with AI wizardry. Magic Editor lets you move people or objects, tweak lighting, or even change the sky—directly in your photos. Zoom Enhance sharpens detail when you’re zoomed in, and Add Me cleverly inserts the person taking the photo into group shots (so no one’s left out!). Video gets an upgrade too. Video Boost sends your footage to the cloud for advanced AI processing—lighting, colour, stabilisation, and even 4K upscaling to 8K are all sorted for you. You can even extract sharp stills from your video—handy for those blink-and-you-miss-it moments. Upgrade to the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL on iD Mobile. So, which one’s for you? There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to phone cameras these days. Whether you’re all about creative control, effortless point-and-shoot, or AI-enhanced editing, there’s something here for everyone. Love a polished, pro feel? Go iPhone 16 Pro. Want maximum zoom and hardware power? Samsung S25 Ultra delivers. Prefer smart tools and hassle-free editing? The Pixel 9 Pro XL is your best bet. At the end of the day, your phone is more than just a camera. It’s your everyday companion, your creative tool, and your window to the world. So pick the one that suits your style—and start snapping.