Which iPhone has the best camera?

Every year without fail, the new iPhone delivers one of the best cameras on any smartphone. Basically, any iPhone you buy—even the previous year’s model—will snap excellent photos and record videos in stellar quality.

It’s that consistency, along with the popularity of Macs among photo and video professionals, that makes the iPhone so popular among photographers and videographers (read: How Oscar-winning ‘Anora’ director got his start shooting on an iPhone). Whether you’re a pro or just an enthusiast, the iPhone that is best for photography is almost always the newest one—but that also tends to be the most expensive option, so is that the model you should buy?

While the top of the range iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max both offer advanced cameras and impressive technologies that will result in professional-looking photographs, the other iPhones still take excellent photos and are worthy of consideration.

We will run through the current iPhones that Apple is selling now to advise on the best iPhone for photography that fits within your budget. 

You may also like to read our iPhone buying guide and our iPhone comparison.

iPhone Cameras overview

We’ll begin with an overview of the camera specs for the current iPhone models, before running through what’s new and what’s the same on the current iPhones. Then we’ll look in more detail at the camera features that Apple has introduced over the years. 

iPhoneMain cameraUltra WideTele-photoOptical ZoomStabilis
-ationPortraits & stylesFeaturesiPhone 16 Pro (Max)48MP, f/1.7848MP, f/2.212MP, f/2.80.5, 1, 2, 5xSecond-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisationNext-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with six effects, Latest-generation Photo­graphic Styles, Night mode portraitsAdaptive True Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night mode, 48MP macro photography, Apple ProRAWiPhone 16 (Plus)48MP, f/1.612MP, f/2.2n/a0.5, 1, 2xSensor-shift optical image stabilisationNext-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with six effects, Latest-generation Photo­graphic StylesTrue Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night mode, Macro photographyiPhone 15 (Plus)48MP, f/1.612MP, f/2.4n/a0.5, 1, 2xSensor-shift optical image stabilisationPortrait mode with Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with six effects, Photo­graphic StylesTrue Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night modeiPhone 16e48MP, ƒ/1.6n/an/a1x, 2xOptical image stabilisationPortrait mode with Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with six effects, Photo­graphic StylesTrue Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night mode

Best iPhone Camera

The best iPhone camera is always going to be the one in the top of the range iPhone for each year, so right now the best iPhone camera is the one in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. That wasn’t always the case: in the past the Pro Max model has offered a better camera than that in the Pro model – for example the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a 5x zoom that that iPhone 15 Pro didn’t. Currently though, there is no difference, other than how the iPhone feels in your hand.

How the iPhone cameras compare

Every year, with each new iPhone, Apple improves the camera and video features of its iPhones.

With the iPhone 16 line, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have the same camera hardware, while the iPhone 15 Pro models that launched a year earlier in 2023 (since discontinued) had different telephoto cameras. The Pro models differentiate themselves from the non-Pro models with the third camera – telephoto – and a sharper 48 megapixel ultra-wide camera.

iPhoneMain cameraUltra WideTelephotoOptical ZoomiPhone 16 Pro (Max)48MP, f/1.7848MP, f/2.212MP, f/2.80.5, 1, 2, 5xiPhone 16 (Plus)48MP, f/1.612MP, f/2.2n/a0.5, 1, 2xiPhone 15 Pro Max*48MP, f/1.7812MP, f/2.212MP f/2.80.5, 1, 2, 5xiPhone 15 Pro*48MP, f/1.7812MP, f/2.212MP f/2.80.5, 1, 2, 3xiPhone 15 (Plus)48MP, f/1.612MP, f/2.4n/a0.5, 1, 2xiPhone 16e 48MP, ƒ/1.6n/an/a1x, 2x*Handsets that are no longer sold by Apple are shown in italics, you may still be able to buy one of these models.

Looking at the specs sheet you wouldn’t think the iPhone 16 offered an improvement over the iPhone 15, but its Ultra Wide camera now supports macro photography.

The iPhone 16e only offers the single 48MP Fusion lens on the rear, which likens it to the discontinued iPhone SE, but the 2-in-1 camera system in the iPhone 16e is much better than the 12MP single-camera system in the iPhone SE. The single camera on the rear of the iPhone 16e is also better than the 12MP Main camera of the discontinued iPhone 14. The compromise with the iPhone 16e comes down to whether or not you want the ultra wide lens or the macro photography offered by the iPhone 16 and above. Those cameras can also shoot spatial photos and video for the Vision Pro, too, but we don’t think that is something a iPhone 16e user will really miss.

The apertures are also a variation across iPhones, changing with practically every generation as Apple tries to design an iPhone capable of even better low-light photography. The iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16e and iPhone 15 and 15 Plus all offer a ƒ/1.6 aperture on the main camera, while the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max offer an ƒ/1.78 aperture on the main camera.

Another difference is that the iPhone 16 and Plus (and 15 and 15 Plus) offer sensor-shift optical image stabilization, the iPhone 16e offers just optical image stabilization, and the 16 Pro and Max offer superior second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization.

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max share a 5x zoom (which first appeared in the iPhone 15 Pro Max). This makes a huge difference in telephoto shots. The iPhone 16, Plus and 16e can up to 2x and the 48MB camera helps achieve this.

Photo gallery: Photo comparisons

Below are a selection of photos taken with the iPhones mentioned above.

iPhone 16 Pro

The 16 Pro is as great in bright outdoor scenarios as it if on grey, dreary days. Low-light shots look realistic and noise is kept to a minimum. The iPhone 16 Pro took some of our best close-up shots ever.

iPhone 16

Below are a selection of photos taken with the iPhone 16.

The iPhone 16 gives a well-rounded mix of detail, color and exposure.

What features do iPhone cameras have? 

The iPhones 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max share a new Camera Control button. Tap once lightly for Camera Control functions (zoom by default) and adjust by swiping back and forth or dragging the control on the display. You can also double-tap lightly for a list of different functions that can be adjusted in this way: exposure, depth, camera selection, photographic styles, or tone. It does a lot—and it’s not always obvious what to press to do something.

All iPhones can take good photographs thanks to Apple’s innovations in photography software and the processing that runs in the background. The Photonic Engine (which arrived with the iPhone 14 range) is a computational photography technology that can make low-light photos look better, among other things. 

The Photonic Engine builds on the Deep Fusion software, which arrived with the iPhone 11. The Deep Fusion process involves the camera taking multiple shots with different exposures and combining them using AI to produce better images that the tiny sensors in a smartphone would otherwise be capable of. 

Photographic Styles arrived with the iPhone 13. These are preset styles that are applied when you take a photograph, rather than adding a filter after the photo is taken. The benefit is that adjustments are applied to the right elements of an image—maintaining skin tones, etc—rather than to the whole image. The five presets are Standard, Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm and Cool and you can adjust Tone and Warmth for each. If you find a Photographic Styles you are happy with you can set it so your iPhone always uses it, saving you editing time later. You can of course edit your photos later using the filters in the Photos app. The iPhone 16e and iPhone 15 range offer Photographic Styles.

New to the iPhone 16 line are second-generation Photographic Styles, which offer greater control over color and tone mapping with an easier interface. They can also be applied non-destructively after the shot is taken, and even changed, while the first Photographic Styles had to be applied as you took the photo. It’s a really big deal—proper application of the new Photographic Styles can allow you to produce iPhone shots let look a little more natural, contrast-y, and less over-saturated.

With every generation, Apple seeks to improve low-light photography. This is no more apparent than in the automatic Night Mode settings that arrived in the iPhone 11 and have improved over the generations since. A Night Mode Portrait setting arrived with the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, and is available in all Pro models since.

Speaking of portraits, Portrait Mode and a Portrait Lighting feature allows you to select effects to ‘light’ your portrait. You can adjust the depth of field for these portraits to create more or less background blur. A next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control was introduced with the iPhone 15 range, and features in the iPhone 16 range with the exception of the iPhone 16e, which offers Portrait Mode with Depth Control.

The Portrait Mode also inspires Cinematic Mode for making videos on the iPhone. With this setting the camera can record video with a shallow depth of field, so that there is more focus on the subject. Cinematic Mode is available on the iPhone 13-series and later, but is missing from the iPhone 16e.

Another fun video mode is Action Mode. A feature that arrived with the iPhone 14-series, Action Mode lets you capture smooth video when you’re moving. This is another feature missing from the iPhone 16e.

Smart HDR has been around since the iPhone XS and XR in 2018, but, since the 15th-generation iPhone, it’s now Smart HDR 5.

Those are some of the standout features that have arrived in recent years, but there is so much more. For example, Live Photos let you take 3-second captures with each picture so you can pick the still image you want, create a Gif-like effect, or just keep the short clip. You can make a QuickTake video by holding the shutter button on the iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later. And, of course, every iPhone can shoot time-laps and slo-mo videos as well as square, Portrait, and pano photographs. 

Are iPhones good for video?

All iPhones currently sold offer 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps and Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps. New to the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max is 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 120fps. Only the iPhone 16 Pro and Max offer 100 fps and 120 fps 4K video recording and ProRes video recording at 120 fps in 4K and 4K slow-mo video.

The differences relate to features like Cinematic mode on the iPhone 13 and 14-series (but on only in 4K HDR on the iPhone 14-series and up), ProRes and Macro video recording (only available on the Pro and Max iPhones, and HDR video recording, which is not available on the iPhone SE.

The video recording features of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are superior to the previous generation, with the addition of Log video recording and the Academy Color Encoding System. ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording equipment for these models too.

All current iPhones offer Audio Zoom and Wind noise reduction, which can help reduce background noise when recording. Only the iPhone 16 Pro and Max offer a studio-quality four-mic array.

Features like Action Mode and Cinematic mode, mentioned above, will no doubt prove useful to anyone making video with an iPhone. 

Further reading:

iPhone camera tips to take better photos

How to disable the camera shutter sound on an iPhone or iPad

How to remotely control your iPhone’s camera