Smartphones can be great tools for street photography. The one you have in your pocket is almost certainly good enough to get you started with, as most modern devices are pretty good now. However, if you’ve been looking for an excuse to upgrade to a new model, then we’ve also got some suggestions that might turn your head.
As always, we find that the iPhone is one of the most popular options on the market, with many on Instagram and the like using it for their street photography. Perhaps it’s the iPhone’s simplicity which makes it so appealing, but if you would like a bit more control then there’s a host of alternatives which you could consider – with even cheaper options proving to be great performers of late.
What is the best smartphone for street photography?
Street photography can be daunting, but by simplifying your gear down to your smartphone it can be a great way to give it a go and get out of your comfort zone. Check out this buyer’s guide for the best camera phones for photography.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
From $999 / £1,099
apple.com
- 3 x lenses, comprising ultra-wide, wide and telephoto
- iOS
- Portrait Mode, Night Mode, raw shooting available. No manual mode
iPhone 14 Pro
The latest flagship model from Apple has a lot of great features, but keeps the relatively simple native camera app. Still, if you’re primarily concerned with composition that might not be such a bad thing.
There are three lenses, with the main 48MP sensor putting in the best performance. Having so many pixels also facilitates a 2x digital zoom mode that produces excellent results and can be very useful for street shooting from a slight distance (it gives an equivalent of roughly 48mm).
Although there’s no Pro or Manual mode included in the native camera app, you can switch on Apple’s ProRAW format to give you scope for some editing down the line. There are also plenty of third-party apps that can offer you greater control if you crave it.
The price quoted here is for the iPhone 14 Pro, but if you fancy a bigger screen you can also pick up the iPhone 14 Pro Max for a little extra outlay – the cameras are the same between the two devices. If you want to save cash however, look at the previous generation iPhone 13 Pro which has many of the same features.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Review
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
From $1,683 / £1,249
samsung.com
- 4 x lenses, comprising ultra-wide, wide, two telephotos
- Android
- Portrait, Night, High resolution mode, raw shooting available
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra photo modes, Photo: Amy Davies
The big marketing selling point of this phone is its 200MP sensor. Do you need that? Probably not – but it does give you some flexible options when it comes to cropping and shooting with digital zoom.
Unlike all of the other smartphones mentioned here, it has four different lenses too, while the comprehensive native camera app offers up a host of shooting options. As well as a standard shooting mode, there’s also Portrait, Night and a Pro mode which gives you the option to record raw format files.
Night shooting performance is good, and you can also blend the Night and Portrait modes which might make for good low-light street photography. That said, the best results are generally from the main lens in good light, just as with most other smartphones.
The big downside of this phone is, of course, it’s very high asking price. If you’re tempted by it but don’t quite have the cash, then you could take a look at last year’s S22 Ultra model, or downgrade to the S23, which has much of the same set-up, and a smaller, more manageable screen size.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review
OnePlus 10 Pro
From $589 / £513
oneplus.com
- 3 lenses, comprising ultra-wide, wide and telephoto
- Android
- Portrait, Night, High resolution mode, raw shooting available
OnePlus 10 Pro Camera App
Co-developed with Hasselblad, the OnePlus 9 Pro has a lot of useful features for photographers. One of its standout features is the 48-million-pixel main camera which is ideal for picking out fine detail in street scenes.
An excellent optical zoom lens and a range of extensive features in the native camera app, along with a reasonable price, make the OnePlus a smart option for lots of reasons.
Sony Xperia 1 IV
From $1,398 / £1,299
sony.co.uk
- 3 x lenses, comprising ultra-wide, wide and optical zoom lens
- Android
- Bokeh, semi-automatic and manual modes, raw shooting available
Sony Xperia 1 IV image (lead, 820px)
An expensive proposition, but one which might appeal to enthusiast photographers thanks to the advanced native camera app which includes the same kind of modes found on ‘proper’ cameras. This includes shutter priority, program and manual. There’s no aperture priority as the lenses have fixed apertures.
This expert-level operation comes at the expense of other regular modes, such as Night or Portrait, but if street photography is your goal that might not be too much of a concern.
Other useful features include the ability to quickly start the camera app with a double tap of the volume button, plus three lenses to choose from. That said, the zoom lens gives less-than-favourable results, so we’d advise sticking with the wideangle option for most street shots.
Sony Xperia 1 IV Review
Google Pixel 7 Pro
From $879 / £849
store.google.com
- 3 x lenses, comprising ultra-wide, wide and telephoto
- Android
- Portrait, Night, Motion, raw shooting available. No manual mode
Google Pixel 7 Pro camera bar, photo: Joshua Waller / AP
The Pixel 7 Pro is a good option for those who like the simplicity of an iPhone, but either prefer the Android interface or want to save a decent amount of cash. Compared to the top-line iPhones and Samsung S-series models, this is relatively affordable. If you want to save even more cash, look at the Pixel 7 which includes a lot of the same functionality for an even better price – you’ll be sacrificing the zoom lens though.
You don’t get a Pro mode with Pixel phones, but you do get the ability to shoot in raw format along with a range of other shooting modes such as Portrait and Night – which both put in impressive performances thanks to computational photography. We’ve also been particularly impressed by the quality of skin tones rendered by the Pixel 7 Pro, which could make it the best choice for ‘street portraits’ in our group here.
The three lenses here all put in a decent performance, with the best results from the wideangle main sensor, but the zoom lens comes in handy if you want to keep your distance.
Oppo Reno8 Pro
oppostore.co.uk
- 2 x main lenses, comprising ultra-wide and wide
- Android
- Portrait, Night, Pro, raw shooting available
The mai and ultra-wide cameras are highlighted in the OPPO Reno 8 Pro’s cosmetic design. Image credit: OPPO
This mid-range option is good for those photographers on a more restricted budget, but who still want a good range of options from their smartphone. Oppo is becoming ever more popular in the UK, with plenty of devices available to suit different budgets and needs. With the Reno8 Pro, you get two main lenses, one of which is a 23mm (equivalent) and is backed by a 50MP sensor.
Other useful features include its long battery life and a wide array of shooting modes, which includes a ‘pro’ mode and raw format shooting. You can also shoot in monochrome directly in the camera app. Read our OPPO Reno8 Pro full review here.
If you’re set on using a proper camera, check out our guide to the best cameras for street photography.
Find out how to use your smartphone for street photography.
Be sure to stay up to date with the latest rules and guidance on how to be street smart as a photographer.
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Featured image: Annie Spratt, Unsplash
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