Best camera phone 2019

Best camera phone 2019: the top smartphone snappers around

Picking the best camera phone in 2019 has gotten harder, with new front-runners in recent months, including Google, Huawei and Samsung. Surprise, they're all better than iPhone when it comes to taking photos. Apple's competition has caught up.

Our testing doesn't come down to the latest iPhone or the camera with the most megapixels. So much of the camera unit's quality is determined by how well the smartphone has optimized its software to snap photos or record videos. 

Note: We're always updating this best camera phone list, and as new software tweaks happen and additional phones come out, we'll keep everything fresh and continue to test everything we get our hands on.

It's also important to consider which photos you'd want to capture, since some smartphone cameras can handle certain scenarios better than others.

We’ve tested all of the top camera phones in a multitude of lighting conditions, scenarios, and with a wide range of subjects. Knowing how each camera performs at different shooting tasks will help you determine which can capture the moments you want to save.

So, before you settle on the best camera phone for you, you’ll want to figure out your photographic needs. Great front-facing sensors with a wide-angle lens (or two) to snap better selfies? An array of different sensors on the back for versatile shooting? Knowing will help you decide which phone best suits your uses.

Want to know more about dual-cameras? Check out our video below.

Beyond the specs and capabilities of the camera itself, there are a number of aspects about the phone you’ll also want to consider. For example, getting a high-storage option or one that supports a microSD card will be helpful if you capture lots of 4K video. 

It's also worth thinking about battery size and screen quality - if you're going to be heading out all day and doing longer photography sessions, you'll need a battery that can keep up. 

And if you're mostly going to look at your photos on the phone, then a phone with OLED screen technology can really make your snaps pop - but if it's social media, or even printing out your photos, that's your plan then you've got a wider array of options.

We've listed all that information below, along with some of our top test snaps so you can make the right decision when it comes to choosing your next camera phone.

1. Huawei P30 Pro

The best camera phones you can buy

Release date: March 2019 

Rear camera: 40MP + 20MP + 8MP + ToF

Front camera: 32MP | OIS: Yes 

 Rear camera aperture: f/1.6, f/2.2, f/3.4 

| Weight: 192g 

 Dimensions: 158 x 73.4 x 8.4mm 

Battery size: 4,200mAh

The best camera phone in low-light

Mightiest telephoto capabilities

Has an ultra-wide lens, too

Google Pixel 3 is a very close rival

Not sold everywhere in the world

Touch detection can be off

The Huawei P30 Pro has been meticiously engineered to be the best cameras phone, narrowly passing the single-lens rear Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL cameras in terms of quality. How? Two ways: it's the best low-light performer we've tested and its 'periscope' telephoto lens takes astounding optically zoomed-in shots at a distance.

There were a lot of cameras to test on this phone, including four on the back: a 40MP main lens, an 8MP telephoto lens, a 20MP ultra-wide lens, and then a ToF (time-of-flight) camera to sense depth for portrait photos.

The Huawei P30 Pro camera also uses an RYYB (red yellow yellow blue) sensor instead of the industry standard  RGB (red green blue) sensor to capture more light, and it shows. The snaps we took for our review had more detail and less shadow than the competition, yet they didn't look completely overexposed. It's a fine balance that few phone manufacturers get right with their tiny cameras and limited software.

It's all amazing for a smartphone, but not entirely perfect. We did notice some purple fringing in areas, and the camera software controls aren't always responsive when switching between ultra-wide, 5x zoom, 10x zoom and digital 50x zoom. But the fact that you can get insanely close to objects with a 50x zoom and also shoot at night as if all of the lights were on really sets a new bar for camera phones in 2019.