Let’s rank all the Android phone camera apps from worst to best

There’s extra to a great camera phone than {hardware}. Positive, digital camera sensors, focal lengths, and the chipset all have a serious function to play. Nonetheless, a telephone’s digital camera app could make or break the expertise. So with this in thoughts, we determined to rank each main Android telephone maker’s pre-installed digital camera app from worst to finest!

We took a number of components into consideration, specifically picture high quality, the amount and high quality of options (not together with gallery options), and the digital camera app’s design. I relied on some colleagues to rank the digital camera apps, but in addition used my very own discretion in a number of locations. Both approach, that is only for enjoyable, however you may give us your individual record within the feedback!

We thought TECNO’s HiOS was the worst Android skin out of all the key producers, and the digital camera app isn’t a lot better. The excellent news is that the app has a strong, if generic, UI. That’s the place the positives typically finish.

My time with 2023’s Phantom V Flip and Phantom V Fold gadgets confirmed that TECNO’s digital camera app didn’t threaten rivals for picture high quality. Daytime snaps are dealt with properly sufficient, however low-light efficiency is inconsistent to outright poor. You’d higher allow the Tremendous Night time mode in these eventualities. The digital camera app additionally tends to undergo from poor zoom high quality, even when the telephone has a telephoto digital camera.

TECNO’s digital camera app doesn’t have many standout options, though primary choices like an ultra-steady video mode, evening mode, and full-resolution seize can be found. There are additionally loads of beautification options if that’s your factor, together with a plump butt filter (critically). Simply don’t count on options like Samsung’s Single Take or Google’s Add Me. At the very least the model beat Google to the punch by a number of years in providing higher help for darker pores and skin tones.

HONOR routinely provides some improbable digital camera {hardware}, as seen on its Magic 7 Professional and foldable telephones. Nonetheless, the corporate may do a greater job with the digital camera app. For starters, the digital camera UI isn’t dangerous, but it surely lags properly behind big-name rivals. There’s nothing right here that actually screams “HONOR.”

The digital camera app typically delivers strong picture high quality. Colleague C Scott Brown praised the consistency throughout all three rear cameras on the Magic V3 foldable, whereas Rob Triggs praised the HDR efficiency in our Magic 7 Pro review. Nonetheless, Rob sharply criticized the telephone’s AI-assisted zoom, which added apparent AI-generated imagery at 30x or increased, in addition to the AI-enhanced portrait mode. Scott additionally took challenge with the oversaturated colours basically.

The digital camera app additionally has loads of modes and options. These embrace three coloration profiles, LUT help, quite a lot of filters, a stage mode, an evening video mode, and a “Falcon Seize” choice for fast-moving topics. It clearly retains up with different manufacturers on this regard however doesn’t pull forward.

I relied on our US writers to offer me their opinions on Motorola’s digital camera app owing to the model’s prepared availability there. In the meantime, my final expertise with a Motorola telephone was in all probability 2016’s Moto Z Play. Oof. In any occasion, the digital camera app UI is a bit of generic at first look, but it surely evokes the Pixel digital camera app because of that acquainted digital camera mode carousel. At the very least you’ll be able to’t accuse Motorola of copying the iPhone digital camera app.

Motorola’s picture high quality hasn’t traditionally been nice. Our reviewer complaints through the years embrace over-sharpened and/or over-saturated photos in the course of the day and darkish, blurry snaps at evening. The digital camera scenario has improved in latest instances, however good low-light photos aren’t a assure on its funds telephones or the Razr series.

The Moto digital camera app doesn’t have essentially the most methods, both. We’ve bought anticipated options like portrait mode and evening mode, in addition to cool additions like horizon-locked stabilization and the ever-fun coloration pop function. Happily, the most recent flagships additionally supply nifty choices like Motion Shot, Group Shot, and a Signature Model function that learns your required picture model. Fairly cool.

Sony is arguably the king of digital camera software program for pictures lovers. The corporate has traditionally supplied loads of pro-level options in its digital camera app, together with eye-tracking autofocus, a number of video profiles (e.g., S-Cinetone), and a smorgasbord of guide photograph/video controls. The Sony app even allows you to pair your telephone with a Sony Alpha digital camera — how cool is that? Sony’s app doesn’t have loads of conventional smartphone instruments, although, however you continue to have strong livestream help, portrait mode, quite a lot of coloration profiles, full-resolution photograph seize, and bokeh video.

Sony beforehand had a number of digital camera apps on its telephones, making for a messy expertise. Fortunately, the corporate has since built-in all these apps into one digital camera app. The precise UI design isn’t something to write down dwelling about, but it surely’s not dangerous.

We additionally thought that latest Sony flagship telephones, just like the Xperia 1 VI, took nice photos that didn’t look over-processed. Nonetheless, colleague Rob Triggs beforehand opined that the Xperia 1 V wasn’t as constant as rival handsets, and consistency is essential for a fantastic digital camera app. We haven’t reviewed a mid-range Xperia telephone in a few years, however colleague Adam Birney beforehand described the Xperia 10 IV’s cameras as “under common.” In different phrases, there’s no assure that primary picture high quality holds up throughout varied value factors.

Nothing’s digital camera app could be ranked decrease on the record, however our US reviewers all ranked it of their high 5. I can see why, primarily based on the digital camera app UI, which provides a particular design. You actually aren’t going to mistake this for a Pixel or iPhone.

The corporate is ranging from scratch, so it may well’t lean on legacy options, however there are a number of cool capabilities value figuring out. For one, the Nothing Telephone 3a sequence provides customized digital camera filters that may be shared with different Nothing Telephone homeowners. These telephones additionally supply an honest number of neat filters, together with Log video help and the flexibility to add customized LUTs for photos. In truth, colleague Ryan Haines praised the latter feature final month. You even have the anticipated portrait and evening modes, however that’s about it. So that you’ll must look elsewhere if you would like a great deal of digital camera modes and instruments.

We thought Nothing gadgets took some strong photographs over the previous few years utilizing this digital camera app, though we lamented points like shutter lag and poor low-light high quality on earlier telephones. However the Nothing Phone 3a series exhibits the model has deal with on hybrid zoom.

Xiaomi has delivered some glorious digital camera telephones in recent times, such because the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Extremely. These telephones have spectacular {hardware}, however the Xiaomi digital camera app additionally delivers good picture high quality. Even the corporate’s low-cost Android telephones typically supply strong to good 1x photographs, though they do are likely to lag behind the Pixel A series.

The Xiaomi digital camera app is packed filled with options. Choices discovered on flagships embrace adjustable coloration profiles on Leica-branded handsets, an AI Zoom toggle for long-range zoom, Log video, a movement seize mode for fast-moving topics, and extra. Cheaper Xiaomi telephones lag far behind when it comes to modes, however you continue to have choices like a long-exposure suite of modes, a movement seize function for fast-moving topics, and a teleprompter mode.

I’d argue that Xiaomi’s app nonetheless doesn’t have its personal visible identification in spite of everything this time. I can take a split-second look at Samsung or Google’s digital camera app and know what I’m taking a look at, however the identical can’t be stated for the Xiaomi app.

The vivo digital camera app simply misses out on a podium spot, however that is nonetheless exhibiting. Vivo telephones typically supply good photograph high quality, though over-processing may be a difficulty in some eventualities (e.g., low mild). So, those that favor extra natural-looking photos could be a bit of upset at instances.

Simply the very best factor in regards to the vivo digital camera app is the variety of options and modes. The corporate provides quite a lot of portrait choices (e.g. loads of bokeh kinds), some coloration profiles, LOG video, SuperRaw photographs, a cinematic video mode on latest mid-rangers and flagships, handheld astrophotography, a teleprompter mode, perspective correction for buildings, and a street photography mode. The latter mode may be activated with an upward swipe and provides you a camera-like UI and customized taking pictures profiles.

The app isn’t going to win any awards so far as appears are involved. The black, yellow, and white coloration scheme jogs my memory of Apple, and there’s additionally the standard overflow menu on the high of the display screen. I really like how vivo handles zoom controls, although. It allows you to faucet the preset zoom buttons a number of extra instances to cycle by means of extra zoom ranges (e.g. tapping 1x will provide you with 1.2x and 1.4x choices). So whereas it’s not the best-looking app right here, it makes up for this draw back in different areas.

The Samsung digital camera app has simply undergone a serious overhaul as a part of the corporate’s One UI 7 replace. This redesigned digital camera app definitely appears and feels contemporary in comparison with rival digital camera apps whereas being optimized for one-handed utilization.

Samsung’s app additionally has variety of options, together with cool choices like Single Take, Director’s View, and custom filters. Samsung additionally provides the Skilled Uncooked app to broaden the performance of the inventory digital camera app, however a number of rival manufacturers supply a few of these options without having an additional digital camera app.

Samsung’s app has additionally lengthy had a repute for delivering arguably the very best video high quality on Android, however photograph high quality isn’t as clear-cut. Photographs typically look nice, however issues like shutter lag on the Extremely and A sequence telephones have made for a irritating expertise. Samsung’s cheaper telephones additionally typically seize extraordinarily over-saturated snaps, as I came upon on the Galaxy A55 5G final yr.

Are you shocked to see the OnePlus/OPPO digital camera app within the number-two spot? OnePlus flagships, specifically, used to lag behind the competitors when it comes to picture processing, however the firm has made main enhancements over the previous couple of years. In truth, we stated the OnePlus 13 makes our shortlist for the very best Android digital camera telephone. You can even seize good-quality 1x photographs on not too long ago launched mid-tier gadgets. That doesn’t sound like an enormous deal, but it surely’s noteworthy because the agency’s cheaper telephones used to supply a disappointing taking pictures expertise.

Maybe the digital camera app’s largest energy is the breadth of options, at the very least on high-end telephones. Flagship gadgets get pleasure from Hasselblad coloration profiles, a neat XPAN taking pictures mode, a Grasp Mode, and quite a lot of sensible scenes (e.g. stage, fireworks). Cheaper OnePlus and OPPO telephones undoubtedly get the very brief finish of the stick, however you continue to have notable options like high-resolution taking pictures, long-exposure performance, portrait photograph/video seize, and tilt-shift.

Is that this the best Android OEM digital camera app ever made? It’s arduous to argue from a historic perspective, because the Pixel digital camera app was the gold customary for nearly a decade. It says lots about your digital camera app when lovers proceed to unofficially port it to different smartphones in 2025. Google’s digital camera app definitely appears the enterprise, providing a easy, distinctive UI. I’m nonetheless not a fan of the professional settings icon within the backside proper nook, although, as I typically confuse it for the primary settings menu.

Nonetheless, the Pixel digital camera app’s recognition stems from its picture high quality. Google’s HDR+ imaging algorithms have been a minimize above virtually each different model’s image-processing software program within the 2010s, as unofficial ports of the app delivered improbable photographs on even $200 telephones. Just a few producers have caught and arguably surpassed Google in 2025, however Pixel telephones nonetheless typically take improbable, natural-looking photos. Google’s app continues to ship class-leading hybrid zoom, too, due to its Tremendous Res Zoom tech. Which means telephones just like the Pixel 9 Pro can take nice 10x photographs whereas mid-range Pixels and not using a telephoto digital camera nonetheless do an honest job out to 3x or 4x.

Google’s digital camera app provides standout options like Add Me, Video Enhance, a shadow slider, and an astrophotography mode. Nonetheless, the app is lacking options seen on rival gadgets like user-selectable coloration profiles, Log video mode, native 8K seize, 4K/120fps video, and multi-camera seize. Regardless of the function hole, the Pixel digital camera app remains to be our choose for the highest digital camera app amongst Android manufacturers.