Camera quality is an important factor for smartphone shoppers, which is why smartphone cameras just keep getting better. Screens are getting larger, processors are getting faster, and image resolutions keep growing sharper. Now AI is taking smartphone photography to the next level, making choosing your next smartphone an even tougher decision.
Figuring out which phone has the best camera is a difficult task because smartphone cameras come with different strengths. Some are excellent at capturing images in low light, while others have top-of-the-line zoom or cinematic-quality video. Finding the refurbished phone with the best camera is a whole new level of challenge if you decide to do your smartphone shopping second-hand.
Smartphone brands like Apple, Samsung and Google continually strive to produce better cameras and photography features. 2025’s models have been no exception, with a range of excellent flagship offerings to choose from. Whether you’re seeking the perfect content creation tool or just want to capture life’s special moments in the clearest possible detail, OzMobiles can help. Here is our guide to finding the best camera phone of 2025.
How AI Is Transforming Phone Camera Tech
Thanks to artificial intelligence, your smartphone is now not just a camera but a pocket-sized suite of photographic tools. These new software tools help flagship smartphones compete with much more expensive cameras when it comes to capturing the perfect picture.
While it’s hard to pin down when machine learning made its first appearance on smartphones, 2017 is a strong contender. That’s the year when Google released the Pixel 2 and Apple launched the iPhone 8 range, both of which featured machine learning-enhanced processing. These models improved photo quality, such as autofocus and colour balancing.
Generative AI burst onto the scene in late 2022, shifting the focus from machine learning to creating from scratch. Generative AI creates content that fits into the picture based on existing context, allowing you to seamlessly fill in the gaps when moving or removing objects from photos.
The biggest changes that AI has brought to smartphone camera tech include:
Enhanced computational photography
Computational photography is when a camera uses digital computation to process images rather than just optical processes. This has progressed over time from simple techniques such as colour adjustments to full-scale image generation and manipulation.
Better low-light conditions
Traditionally, capturing quality images at night or in dimly lit conditions has always been a challenge. AI can enhance detail and visibility in low-light conditions by taking multiple photos, examining each image and choosing the best parts from each.
Professional-quality editing
AI has made editing tools of the quality usually reserved for professionals available on smartphones. You can easily adjust your photo to your standards, making precise tweaks or significant sweeping changes, without needing a paid subscription to access tools.
Key Features to Look For in a Camera Phone
Your smartphone will inevitably become the camera you reach for the most to capture images in the spur of the moment. So what should you look for in a smartphone camera? When you’re trying to pick the best camera phone of 2025, the most important features include:
Camera resolution
It’s a common misconception that more pixels always mean better photos, but sensor size and pixel quality are important too. While more megapixels generally translate to sharper, better photos, bigger pixels and a quality sensor mean more detail where it matters. A 12MP camera with an excellent sensor will outperform a 108MP camera that lacks other design aspects, and 12MP is the minimum resolution you should choose.
Optical image stabilisation
Optical image stabilisation (OIS) protects the quality of your photos from the effects of a shaky hand. It works by moving the camera to compensate for any shakes, making for sharper-looking shots. This feature helps with low-light recording, zoom close-ups and video.
Multiple lenses
A good smartphone camera has multiple lenses, but it’s not a simple formula of more lenses = better camera. Some essential lenses to look for include a main lens for most of the hard work, an ultra-wide lens of 12MP or more for landscapes, and a telephoto lens for portraits and optical zoom.
Zoom capabilities
Your camera’s zoom function greatly impacts the kinds of images you can snap from a distance. There are two kinds of zoom: digital and optical. Optical zoom is the better option as it uses the camera’s lenses to zoom in, while digital zoom crops the image and increases the size of the cropped portion.
Night mode support
Sometimes the best photo opportunities come up at night, and you want to make sure you capture them well. Indoors or outdoors, night mode means photos taken at night won’t be grainy or underexposed. Computational photography uses AI and other software to improve night mode further, combining data from multiple shots in order to piece together the perfect night picture.
The Best Camera Phone of 2025: Ranked
2025 has been a huge year for quality smartphones, with new line-ups from all the leading brands. So which phone has the best camera? Here’s where it gets tricky, as a lot depends on what you’re using your camera for. Tech experts like the team at TechRadar have spent some time seeking the best camera phones of 2025, and the strongest contenders include:
1. iPhone 11 Pro Max
While all the biggest smartphone cameras have their benefits, the iPhone 17 Pro Max comes the closest to having the all-around best camera phone of 2025. With main camera resolution, superzoom camera resolution, and ultra-wide resolution all at 48MP, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a smartphone camera setup that barely needs AI editing tools because it takes clear, lifelike, balanced, and visually alluring photos instantly.
2. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
It’s hard to beat the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for stunning social media pictures. It comes with a world-class 200MP wide camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens, making for vivid, impressive colours.
3. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
Smartphones today are universally embracing AI, but none as skilfully as the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. The Pixel helps banish blurry backgrounds by providing just the right amount of focus in portrait shots. Tools like the Camera Coach offer suggestions for improving the quality of your photo while you’re taking it, with tips on positioning, framing, and settings.
4. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 simply offers the best camera you’ll find on a foldable phone. With a wide-angle 200MP shooter, an ultra-wide lens, and a zoom lens, it takes clear, impressive photos. The Z Fold 7 also has a screen that’s as large as an iPad Mini when fully opened, making it easy to see the subject of your photo in the clearest detail.
The Refurbishing Process Impact on the Phone’s Camera
Refurbishing is the process of taking a second-hand smartphone and restoring it to full functionality. Apart from some cosmetic imperfections like chips or dents, a refurbished smartphone typically works just as well as a store-bought one.
When a professional carries it out properly, the refurbishing process has no negative effect on the smartphone’s camera. In fact, the results are beneficial. The refurbisher will test all components, including the camera, and repair or replace any faulty components while maintaining performance.
If you’re looking for the refurbished phone with the best camera, the most reliable place to find it is right here on the OzMobiles website.
Buy Refurbished Phones with the Best Cameras at OzMobiles
Here at OzMobiles, you can find the latest and best refurbished smartphones sourced in Australia and available with 12-month warranties.
Buy quality versions of the latest iPhones second-hand, including iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models, plus hot deals on older iPhones.
Our refurbished Samsung Galaxy phones include flagships like the Galaxy S24, S23 and S22 and their Ultra equivalents, as well as Z Flip and Z Fold models.
You can also buy refurbished Google Pixel phones through OzMobiles, scoring hot deals on models like the Pixel 7, 8 and 9 as well as their Pro and Pro XL models.
Every device OzMobiles sells has undergone a 72-point inspection to ensure it meets high Australian standards, including a battery health rating of at least 80%.
If you have any questions, get in touch with the OzMobiles team online.
