Google announced its latest affordable A-series smartphone, the Google Pixel 9a. The new phone promises many of the same features as Google's standard 9-series smartphones and an upgraded main camera.
Expanding on our efforts we started last year, we're again taking a look at the best smartphones for photography available in 2025. We have four phones to look at this time: the Apple iPhone 16 Pro, Google Pixel 9 Pro, Samsung S25 Ultra, and a newcomer in the OnePlus 13. I intend to provide some education on what situations some of these phones might excel in versus the other so you can select which is best suited for you.
Tusk and ShiftCam teamed up to create the Cinema Series: the world's first commercial-grade mobile lens and filter system.
The Retro DMF Photography Kit from Fotogear is a multi-part case that not only looks the part of a vintage camera but also adds control dials and a shutter that make it function like one, too.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is designed and engineered to be the best in the business for mobile photographers, though tighter competition and a key drawback may make it harder to stake that claim.
Nothing, known for its aesthetically-stripped-down smartphones announced the Nothing Phone 3a and Nothing Phone 3a Pro, successors to 2023's Nothing Phone 2.
Realme unveiled a surprise concept phone dubbed “Ultra” at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona as part of a broader interchangeable lens system that would come bundled with two lenses influenced by Leica’s M-mount.
Shure announced the MoveMic 88+ wireless stereo microphone, a first-of-its-kind mobile audio capture solution that connects with mobile devices and has four selectable polar patterns.
Just before Mobile World Congress 2025 opens up in Barcelona, Xiaomi presented a concept it’s calling the “Modular Optical System”, which is basically an external lens that can attach to one of its phones.
Xiaomi unveiled its 15 Series smartphones with the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra on the eve of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, championing them as “the ultimate professional imagery flagship” mobile photography and video devices.
Photographer and app developer Drew Mylrea released Range Camera, a new iPhone camera app that promises more natural-looking photos and streamlined RAW image editing.
Earlier this month, United Kingdom security officials reportedly issued a secret order to Apple to require the company to create backdoor access to users' encrypted iCloud data. In response, Apple has removed its most secure end-to-end encryption from iCloud in the United Kingdom.
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo announced the Find N5, the world's thinnest foldable smartphone. However, as is often the case with Chinese phones, American consumers are out of luck.
DJI announced the RS 4 Mini, its latest gimbal for smartphones and cameras. This new gimbal promises professional-level stabilization in a small and budget-friendly package.
After months of rumors, Apple's newest "affordable" iPhone model has arrived. It's not the iPhone SE 4 people expected, but instead the iPhone 16e, unifying growing Apple's iPhone family.
DJI announced the Osmo Mobile 7 and Osmo Mobile 7P, a phone gimbal with the company's seventh-generation three-axis stabilization system as well as intelligent tracking via ActiveTrack 7.0.
Insta360's Flow 2 Pro, announced in January, enables the best tracking with an iPhone gimbal that PetaPixel has tested, but it was limited to iPhones only. That changes today with the optional AI Tracker add-on.
PetaPixel's Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake aren't the norm: one of them presents while the other one operates the camera. Modern content creators typically work alone, and that includes me. That means the same number of tasks that are enough of a burden for two full-time jobs is somehow supposed to be crammed into one person.
Last month, Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 series of devices. During the keynote presentation in San Jose, it revealed that it was bolstering its AI disclosure over the S24 series by integrating C2PA content authenticity. It did, but only on AI images and that feels incomplete and backward.
The Planck SSD is the world's smallest SSD with a smartphone-first design. First previewed at CES in January, the Planck SSD is now on Kickstarter. It offers up to 2TB in capacity, speeds up to 10Gbps, and promises uninterrupted Apple ProRes 4K recording at up to 120p frame rates on the latest iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.
In Mount Kaputar National Park in New South Wales, Australia, an extinct volcano is home to unique wildlife, including an incredible pink slug.
"The Colours of China" by travel filmmaker Denis Barbas showcases the vivo X200 Pro’s capabilities as a professional tool for filmmakers and travel photographers.
Dbrand announced a new Apple Vision Pro protective skin called Aperture which it admits is probably "the ugliest thing" it has ever made.
The Honor Magic 7 Pro has the potential to revolutionize mobile photography, but its image sensors and software computation may be holding it back.
There is yet another interesting smartphone that Americans cannot purchase, at least through the usual channels. This time, it's the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra, a tweaked ROG phone.
Last June, Leica announced Leica Lux, an iPhone camera app with a Leica-inspired user interface, carefully crafted Leica lens simulations, and unique Leica Looks photo styles. Today, Leica unveiled the Leica Lux Grip, a magnetic camera grip for iPhone that gives photographers Leica-inspired physical controls for their mobile photography.
Digital camera sales reached a nadir a few years ago but recent trends have proven there's still life in the old dog yet.
A new app called Unpro Camera says it strips away all of the processing typically applied by an iPhone to produce unprocessed-looking photos that the developer says look "astonishingly natural."
The Vivo X200 Pro sets the benchmark for what a telephoto lens can do on a smartphone.
The PetaPixel team flew back to San Jose, California for 2025's Samsung Unpacked event ready to review the new Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone as a tool for creators. Although all the new S25 phones feature a brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm processor and similar AI-based tools, it is the $1,299 Ultra which has the latest camera hardware that we want to focus on.
Audiio launched the Pro App for iOS and Android which allows subscribers to access the platform's entire music library on the go as well as download tracks directly to a phone at a moment's notice.
Luminar Mobile version 2.2 is available now, adding comprehensive RAW image editing support and iCloud syncing to the iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro photo editing application.
The PetaPixel team is in San Jose, California for the Samsung Unpacked event and is working hard on our review of the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra for photographers. However, we did get an early briefing and first look at the latest high-end phone from Samsung and we have some thoughts about the most exciting features.
Samsung announced a trio of new Galaxy S25 series smartphones, including the base Galaxy S25, the large S25+, and the flagship S25 Ultra.
You could be forgiven for looking at Samsung’s latest crop of flagship devices in the S25 series and wonder what the silver lining is. It’s all about AI -- Galaxy AI, that is -- and in doubling down on these features, the company is betting that it has a leg up on what could be the next big thing for mobile devices.
OK Go, an American rock band known for making innovative music videos, have released yet another mind-bending video for their latest single A Stone Only Rolls Downhill involving 64 videos shot on 64 iPhones.
Fujifilm announced the Instax Wide Evo Hybrid Instant Camera which combines the company's Instax line of instant cameras with its smartphone printers in one package.
Canon Inc. announced Live Switcher Mobile, a new iOS and iPadOS application that delivers multi-device integration and switching for live streamers, including content creators and gamers.
Backers of ShiftCam's SnapSeries Indiegogo campaign claim they were being sidelined so that ShiftCam could double-dip by taking money raised in the campaign and spend it on delivering orders to both retailers and consumers.
With TikTok expected to be banned in the United States on Sunday leaving 170 million users locked out, Americans on the app have been poking fun with "Thank you to my Chinese spy" videos.
In North America, the number 13 is hardly lucky, but the OnePlus 13 may be the one that finally pays off for the brand. Coming off a solid predecessor in the OnePlus 12, the 13 takes several parallel steps in the right direction to make it a serious contender for one of the best of 2025.
A new photo sharing app called Flashes is about to be rolled out and it is closely linked with the Twitter alternative Bluesky.
Quickly following up the Flow Pro's release from last July, Insta360 is back with the Flow 2 Pro that makes notable changes to the design of the pocket-sized gimbal and also significantly improves it tracking capability when paired with an iPhone.
The Honor Magic 7 Pro smartphone arrives today in Europe, sporting Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset and a novel 200-megapixel 3x periscopic telephoto camera.
Instagram alternative Pixelfed launched a mobile app last week on Android and landed on iOS today. The decentralized, ad-free, and open-source platform, which aims to offer "a fresh take on photo sharing," has surged in popularity and even run afoul of Meta moderation.
Reliable Apple insider Mark Gurman laid out Apple's plans for 2025, including a new ultra-thin iPhone and a bunch of new Macs.
Tilta announced an improved version of its Khronos ecosystem for iPhone filmmakers. Designed for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, the revised system combines a protective case, modular design, and enhanced physical controls.
The OnePlus 13 got its reveal, but perhaps even more revealing is how much the company is trying to make its flagship more accessible. To do it, it’s embracing MagSafe (albeit only with its phone cases) and including a software feature in OxygenOS to enable sharing with iPhone users. Even faster wired and wireless charging, plus a demonstration of heavy water resistance involving a dishwasher. All that is on top of a focus on improving action photography.
Godox announced the MA5R, a pocket-sized magnetic device for smartphones that combines a full-color LED and a wireless power bank.
Alongside the flagship OnePlus 13, OnePlus also unveiled the 13R smartphone, a more affordable alternative that offers many impressive features but compromises in some areas to keep the price down.