SmartphoneAwards

MKBHD Award

Best camera smartphone 2025: Best Camera

Awarded to the smartphone with the best overall camera system — considering photo quality, video, night mode, and versatility.

12 Years
4 Brands
7× Apple

2025 Champion — Best camera smartphone

⭐ Featured Winner 2025
OPPO Find X9 Pro

MKBHD's Best Camera of 2025. Consistent excellence across main, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses — the first non-Apple/Google camera champion in years.

Display 6.82-inch AMOLED, 120Hz
Camera Triple 50MP (main, ultrawide, 3x telephoto)
Battery 5,600 mAh
Launch Price $1099
🛒 Check price on Amazon

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Compare Best Camera Winners

How does the 2025 best camera smartphone stack up against previous champions? Key camera specs side by side.

Current
2025
OPPO Find X9 Pro
Camera
Triple 50MP (main, ultrawide, 3x telephoto)
Consistent quality across main, ultrawide, and telephoto. The first non-Apple/Google camera champion in years.
2024
iPhone 16 Pro
Camera
48MP main + 48MP ultrawide + 12MP 5x telephoto
48MP triple camera, 4K 120fps ProRes, and camera control button. Apple's best camera system ever.
2023
iPhone 15 Pro
Camera
48MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 12MP 3x telephoto
The 48MP triple camera system and 4K 60fps ProRes recording made it a content creator's dream.
2022
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Camera
48MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 12MP 3x telephoto
Dynamic Island, 48MP main sensor, and Action Mode video. Apple's biggest camera leap in years.
2021
iPhone 13 Pro
Camera
12MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 12MP 3x telephoto
ProRes video, macro mode, and cinematic mode made the 13 Pro a filmmaker's phone.

Showing last 5 winners with available data. Specs from manufacturer listings.

Which Brand Dominates Best Camera?

Apple
7 wins (58%)
Google
3 wins (25%)
OPPO
1 win (8%)
Samsung
1 win (8%)

All-Time Best Camera Winners (2014–2025)

Year Winner
2025 OPPO Find X9 Pro — OPPO
2024 iPhone 16 Pro — Apple
2023 iPhone 15 Pro — Apple
2022 iPhone 14 Pro Max — Apple
2021 iPhone 13 Pro — Apple
2020 iPhone 12 Pro Max — Apple
2019 iPhone 11 Pro — Apple
2018 Google Pixel 3 — Google
2017 Google Pixel 2 — Google
2016 Google Pixel XL — Google
2015 Samsung Galaxy S6 — Samsung
2014 iPhone 6 Plus — Apple

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best camera smartphone in 2025? ▼

According to MKBHD's 2025 Smartphone Awards, the best camera smartphone is the OPPO Find X9 Pro by OPPO. Consistent quality across main, ultrawide, and telephoto. The first non-Apple/Google camera champion in years. MKBHD's Best Camera of 2025. Consistent excellence across main, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses — the first non-Apple/Google camera champion in years.

Who won MKBHD Best Camera in 2025? ▼

The MKBHD Best Camera winner for 2025 is the OPPO Find X9 Pro by OPPO. Consistent quality across main, ultrawide, and telephoto. The first non-Apple/Google camera champion in years.

What phone won MKBHD Best Camera in 2024? ▼

The 2024 MKBHD Best Camera went to the iPhone 16 Pro by Apple. 48MP triple camera, 4K 120fps ProRes, and camera control button. Apple's best camera system ever.

Which brand makes the best camera smartphone? ▼

Apple has won the MKBHD Best Camera award 7 times — more than any other brand. 4 different brands have won this award since 2014.

What is the MKBHD Best Camera award? ▼

Awarded to the smartphone with the best overall camera system — considering photo quality, video, night mode, and versatility. It is one of several annual awards given by Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) in his yearly Smartphone Awards video, which he has published on YouTube since 2014.

Has any phone won MKBHD Best Camera more than once? ▼

No single phone model has won the MKBHD Best Camera award more than once. However, Apple have had multiple winning devices across different years.

Other MKBHD Award Categories

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