Everyone loves taking photos, and if you’re on the hunt for a new mobile that will help you capture better images, you’ve come to the right place. You don’t need to break the bank to get a brilliant camera phone. With one of the best budget camera phones, you can have a device that takes great photos wherever you go, without costing a fortune.
While the prices of flagship phones continue to rise, the market for affordable phones remains strong. Fortunately, many of these budget-friendly options boast impressive camera systems. The key is knowing where to look. This guide is designed to help you find the perfect budget camera phone. The phones listed here have been thoroughly reviewed and rated, ensuring that you can trust the recommendations.
When working with a tight budget, a good strategy is to consider either an older flagship model from a major manufacturer or a phone from a lesser-known brand. This list includes both options, featuring familiar names like Apple, Samsung, and Google, as well as excellent alternatives from companies like Motorola, Xiaomi, Honor, Oppo, and Tecno (depending on their availability in your region). As new models are released, expect the prices of last year’s phones to drop, making them even more attractive bargains.
If you’re unsure about the technical specifications of a phone’s camera, this guide will explain what to look for when choosing the best budget camera phone.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the best budget and mid-range camera phones:
- Best budget phone overall: Google Pixel 9a
- Best cheap iPhone: Apple iPhone 12
- Best budget Samsung: Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
- Best for video and vlogging: Samsung Galaxy S23
- Best budget Leica phone: Xiaomi 13T Pro
- Best budget phone for low light: Motorola Edge 50 Neo
- Cheapest Samsung camera phone: Samsung Galaxy A35
- Best mid-range Honor phone: Honor 90
- Best budget phone for battery life: OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite
- Best under £450: Google Pixel 8a
- A good all-rounder: OPPO Reno10
- Best value Tecno camera phone: Tecno Camon 40 Pro
Not only will you find the best budget camera phones, but you’ll also find some of the best deals.
Continue reading to discover more about these phones, along with sample photos taken with each device.
Best Budget Phone Overall: Google Pixel 9a
The Google Pixel 9a offers a solid camera system, fun photography options, and a great overall feature set, making it a top contender in the mid-range category.
Pros:
- Good price
- Macro capabilities added to the ultra-wide lens
- AI editing and shooting tools
Cons:
- Limited memory at the base price
- No telephoto lens
The Pixel 9a features a new design, a larger screen, and an updated camera system. It includes a brighter main camera lens with an f/1.7 aperture, as well as an updated ultra-wide-angle camera with autofocus, enabling close-up macro shots. Users can enjoy features like Best Take, Magic Editor, and Audio Magic Eraser, in addition to traditional modes such as Night Sight and long exposure.
The cameras may seem standard, but they deliver high-quality images with excellent detail and natural colours. The various shooting modes work well, and with a smartphone support like a mini-tripod, you can take advantage of specialised modes like the long-exposure astrophotography function.
While the Google Pixel 7a offers similar results at a lower price, the Pixel 9a remains a top choice for its balance of features and performance. It’s also an excellent option for astrophotography, thanks to its advanced night modes and astrophotography mode, which enhances slow shutter speed photography when used with a tripod.
Best Budget iPhone: Apple iPhone 12
Finding a cheap iPhone is a rare occurrence, but the iPhone 12, a few generations old, can be found used and refurbished for around £250, making it a great value proposition.
Pros:
- Terrific value for an iPhone
- Still receives the latest software updates
- Excellent camera system
Cons:
- No manual mode
- No telephoto camera
Previously, this guide focused solely on Android phones due to their affordability. However, the iPhone 12, released in 2020, has seen its refurbished price drop, making it a worthy addition to this list.
For the price, you get a capable dual-camera setup with a 12MP f/1.6 wide-angle camera and a 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera. The ultra-wide camera has a fixed focus, so it cannot be used for close-ups, and there is no optical zoom or telephoto lens. While it may feel a bit dated compared to newer phones, the iPhone 12 still produces excellent images with accurate colour reproduction and wide dynamic range.
While there is no dedicated macro mode, you can achieve decent close-up results with the main camera. The phone also offers portrait mode for blurring backgrounds, a night mode that activates automatically in low light, and exposure compensation controls.
Despite its age, the iPhone 12 continues to receive software updates and offers the smooth operation that iPhones are known for. Its video quality is also impressive, with effective image stabilisation and 4K video recording.
Avoid the iPhone 16e, as Apple’s cheapest new phone has limited camera capabilities, including just one main camera, no telephoto lens, and no wide-angle lens, at a price twice that of the iPhone 12.
Best Budget Samsung: Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G feels like using one of Samsung’s premium ‘S’ phones, but at a fraction of the cost. It’s a solid mid-range camera phone with several improvements.
Pros:
- Robust build quality
- Impressive main camera
- Good ultra-wide camera
- Excellent value for money
Cons:
- The 5MP macro camera isn’t great
- No wireless charging
The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G, the latest in Samsung’s Galaxy A line, offers an improved screen, faster (45W) charging, and AI features compared to the A55. While the recommended retail price is £499 (with 256GB as standard in the UK), discounts are often available.
The triple-camera setup includes a 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle main camera with optical stabilisation, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP macro camera with fixed focus. The main camera produces consistently good images with pleasing detail, while the ultra-wide camera matches it in detail and colour reproduction. The macro camera, however, is less impressive, and a telephoto lens would have been preferable.
The phone offers a smooth user experience, an intuitive photo app, and a generous 5000mAh battery. While it lacks wireless charging, the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G remains a reliable mid-range camera phone that consistently captures high-quality images and videos.
Best for Video and Vlogging: Samsung Galaxy S23
Yesterday’s flagship is today’s bargain, and that’s certainly the case with the Samsung Galaxy S23. While its original retail price was £769, it can now be found for around £349, making it a substantial saving.
Pros:
- Price has dropped significantly
- Compact size with a premium feel
- Excellent and consistent image quality
Cons:
- No dedicated macro mode
- Battery life isn’t as good as some competitors
The Galaxy S23 features a 50MP main camera with optical stabilisation, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera that’s also stabilised.
As a flagship phone, the Galaxy S23 feels premium and includes features like wireless charging, an in-screen fingerprint reader, and IP68 waterproofing.
The imaging performance of the Galaxy S23 is consistently impressive, delivering vibrant colours and good consistency between the different camera modules. There’s no dedicated macro mode, but telephoto performance is generally very good in sufficient light.
This is also an excellent budget camera phone for vlogging, thanks to its impressive selfie camera with autofocus and 4K video recording. You can even record 8K video at 24p, although most users will find the excellent 4K quality more than sufficient.
Best Budget Leica Phone: Xiaomi 13T Pro
With the release of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the price of the Xiaomi 13T Pro has decreased, making it an appealing option for photography enthusiasts. It boasts a triple-camera array and Leica-branded optics.
Pros:
- Leica-made camera lenses
- 8K video recording
- Significant improvement over the 12T Pro
Cons:
- The telephoto camera is 2x, not 3x
- No dedicated macro camera
- More expensive than other options on this list
The Xiaomi 13T Pro offers a choice of picture styles: Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic. The 50MP wide-angle main camera with its 24mm equivalent lens delivers the best results. There’s also a 2x telephoto camera and an ultra-wide camera, as well as a 20MP selfie camera on the front.
The Xiaomi 13T Pro is a reliable phone for photography, with features like IP68 weatherproof rating. It’s also a good choice for video, with effective stabilisation for footage captured while walking.
Best Budget Camera Phone for Low Light: Motorola Edge 50 Neo
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo boasts a camera system that performs above its price range. It excels in low light and includes a telephoto camera, which is rare at this price point.
Pros:
- Good low light and portrait capabilities
- Great value for money
- Decent telephoto camera
Cons:
- Photos can sometimes have oversaturated colours
- Poor ultrawide camera
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo’s camera system includes a 50MP main camera with OIS and f/1.8 aperture, a 13MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, a 32MP selfie camera, and a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS, a f/2.0 aperture, 3x optical zoom, and 30x superzoom.
The phone performs well in low light and is an impressive option for shooting portraits, with 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm options available. The 13MP ultra-wide camera, however, lacks detail.
The 32MP selfie camera does a good enough job, although it doesn’t feature autofocus, and the phone also produces decent-looking 4K video. The phone has an IP68 water and dust proof rating, rare for a budget phone.
Cheapest Samsung Phone: Samsung Galaxy A35
The Samsung Galaxy A35 is one of Samsung’s most affordable phones and can often be found on sale for around £300.
Pros:
- Main and ultra-wide cameras work well
- Decent selfie camera
- Nice large screen
Cons:
- No telephoto camera
- Poor digital zoom
The Galaxy A35 features a 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a fixed-focus 5MP macro camera, and a 13MP front-facing selfie camera.
These modules deliver credible results, producing vibrant images with great colours and detail. The phone performs best in sunny conditions, and the 50MP main camera, which bins pixels to produce 12MP images, delivers the best results.
The ultra-wide camera also performs well, producing images that are almost on par with those of the main camera. The 5MP macro camera is fairly run-of-the-mill, and the Galaxy A35 isn’t particularly strong in low light.
Best Mid-Range Honor Phone: Honor 90
The Honor 90 is ideal if you’re looking for a phone that can handle various shooting situations reasonably well, without all the extra advanced features.
Pros:
- Main camera consistently impresses
- Lovely high-quality display
- Battery lasts well
Cons:
- No telephoto module
- Macro mode isn’t the best
The Honor 90 packs a 200MP main camera, with an upgraded 1/1.4 inch sensor. It also includes an ultra-wide 12MP module with a 16mm equivalent lens, and a 2MP ‘depth’ camera for creating images with a shallow depth of field.
The Honor 90 is a pleasant and capable camera phone that can cope with a wide variety of shooting situations. It can’t shoot 8K video, and 4K tops out at 30fps, but the bigger omission is the lack of a telephoto camera. The close-up Super Macro mode is fairly lacklustre.
The display on the Honor 90 is gorgeous, and the battery life is impressive.
Best Battery Life Budget Camera Phone: OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite
With a 5110mAh battery, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite boasts the longest battery life on this list.
Pros:
- Cheap price
- Fun colours
- Long battery life
- Expandable storage
- Great screen
Cons:
- Only one lens
- Zoom is digital, so not great
- Competitors offer more
The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite has only one camera backed by a 50MP sensor. In good light, it produces images with nicely saturated colours and a good level of detail. There’s a portrait mode on the main camera as well as on the selfie-camera, with a shallow depth of field effect. There is a 2x sensor crop option for zooming and a 10x digital zoom, however the latter is best avoided.
The Full HD video created by it has decent colours, detail and is reasonably stable too. At 6.7”, the CE4 Lite is on the larger side, but surprisingly despite the low cost, the OLED display is actually pretty good – especially when it comes to brightness. It is rated as IP54, which should see it resist dust fairly well, as well as splashes and so on.
Best Under £450: Google Pixel 8a
The Pixel 8a is a top-tier phone at a budget price, with a range of useful features and excellent camera quality.
Pros:
- Powerful AI photo tools
- Excellent display quality
- Long battery life
Cons:
- Pixel 7a is cheaper
- Rivals have larger screens
The Pixel 8a packs a dual-camera setup largely unchanged from the previous Pixel 7a. The upgrades and differences are largely internal, as the Pixel 8a inherits the latest AI tech. Users of the Pixel 8a now have Best Take, Magic Editor, and Audio Magic Eraser to play with, in addition to the more conventional photographic modes that have appeared on previous generations, such as Night Sight and long exposure.
The cameras are a 64MP wide-angle f/1.9 main camera, which produces 16MP images via pixel binning, and a 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with fixed focus.
Results are much more consistent from the main camera. The ultra-wide module does produce noticeably more noise, especially evident when you inspect your images up close. However, raw shooting is available, and 4K video produces good results.
A Good All-Rounder: OPPO Reno10
The Reno10 features a triple-lens set-up with good overall picture quality, ColorOS 13.1 operating system (based on Android 13) and a large 5000mAh battery.
Pros:
- Good price
- 2x telephoto lens
- Performs well in good light
Cons:
- Low resolution ultra-wide camera
- 4K only goes up to 30fps
- No RAW shooting
The main 64MP camera performs best with a good amount of detail and well-saturated colours. The 2x telephoto also gives great results, the weakest 8MP ultrawide camera presents acceptable quality especially if you’ll only view images on your phone.
Night and Portrait modes work well but there is no dedicated macro mode. Instead, there is a Pro mode which allows you to control ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation, making it more enticing for photographers, although there is still no option to shoot in raw format.
4K video recording now seems to become standard in the budget range, but with the Reno10 it only goes up to 30fps. The ‘Super Steady’ stabilisation is a welcome new addition available in Full HD video mode.
Best Value Tecno Phone: Tecno Camon 40 Pro
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro offers a lot for the price, with a stylish design.
Pros:
- Great price
- 50MP main camera with OIS
- 50MP selfie camera with AF
Cons:
- Not available in all markets
- Ultrawide lens only 8MP
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro offers a dual camera setup on the rear, and a 50MP selfie camera with auto-focus.
There’s a good 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), an 8MP ultra-wide angle camera, and on the front you’ll find a 50MP f/2.4 selfie camera with auto-focus! The phone can also record 4K video at 60fps, has a generous 5200mAh battery, with fast charging, but unfortunately wireless charging isn’t included.
What to Look for in a Budget Camera Phone
Focus on the photography features, particularly the phone’s camera array. These days, even budget camera phones come with more than one camera, each with its own sensor.
The main camera typically has the best sensor and widest-aperture lens, but you can also expect an ultra-wide camera. These typically have a lower resolution and don’t usually match the main camera for quality, though they will be fine for most users. You may also get a ‘macro’ camera for ultra-close-ups, though in this price range, they sometimes have very low resolution.
Telephoto cameras are rare even in the best budget and mid-range camera phones. Instead, you have to rely on a digital zoom, which will be effective but won’t provide the same quality.
The front ‘selfie’ camera is also worth considering. The specs vary, and if you film or photograph yourself a lot, a front camera with a good sensor and autofocus is definitely worth having.
Other features to consider include the size of the screen, whether the phone uses toughened ‘Gorilla Glass’ or plastic, and how much memory and/or storage comes with the phone.
Camera phones will often come with an IP rating that tells you how resistant it is to dust and moisture. IP64, for example, means the phone is resistant to splashes, while IP68 means the phone can withstand full immersion in water for a limited time.
How Many Megapixels is Good for a Phone Camera?
Don’t be too swayed by the camera resolution. The best budget camera phones may have ‘resolutions’ of 50MP, 108MP or 200MP, but this doesn’t mean the same as it would in a regular camera. These resolutions are ‘pixel-binned’ down to around 12 megapixels for actual shooting, and while there are modes that use the full resolution, the quality can be quite disappointing.
How We Test Budget Smartphones
Budget smartphones are reviewed from the perspective of choosing a smartphone for its photography and camera performance. Every phone is tested by looking at what it offers in terms of the cameras and what features are included for photography and video, and how it performs in real world use in a variety of different shooting situations.
Each camera on the phone is tested, whether that’s the ultra-wide angle, the main camera, telephoto camera(s) if available, and selfie camera. The phone is used for photography in a range of lighting conditions, including low-light, where camera phones can struggle. Specialist shooting modes on offer, whether that’s the portrait modes or AI features, are also assessed, as well as the overall phone in terms of battery life, screen, build quality and value for money.