Preview data: all rankings, scores, votes, refresh labels, methodology, testing and editorial-process statements in Top 49 are illustrative demo content, not live measurements or documented reviews.
#14 in Camera Phones
of 16 ranked entries
Xiaomi · dual telephoto
Last year’s Leica flagship still runs dual telephoto lenses at 3.2x and 5x that outrange most 2025 rivals — the newer 15 Ultra improves dynamic range but not the core zoom hardware by much. Recorded specifics: price 999, main sensor 50 MP, optical zoom 5 x. Panel highlighted dual telephoto setup still competitive a generation later and leica colour tuning still holds up well. The reservation on record is superseded by the 15 Ultra on processing speed.
Score breakdown
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Camera Phones.
On the record
| Price | $999 |
|---|---|
| Main sensor | 50 MP |
| Optical zoom | 5 x |
| Rating | 7.6 |
Panel verdict
What it gets right
Where it gives ground
1 appearance
From the same list
Apple · A18 Pro · 2024
The titanium frame and A18 Pro are the only combination in this bracket that does not throttle during a sustained 4K export. Seven-plus years of guaranteed updates is a commitment nothing on Android currently matches.
Samsung · Snapdragon 8 Elite · 2025
Samsung finally softened the titanium chassis edges without shrinking the built-in S Pen, and the 200MP sensor pulls real detail rather than pixel-binned noise. Sits a hair behind the iPhone only on thermal consistency during long recording sessions.
Google · Tensor G4 · 2024
Tensor G4 still trails Apple and Qualcomm on raw silicon, and Google does not pretend otherwise — the point of this phone is what the chip enables, not what it benchmarks. Night Sight and Magic Editor remain a full generation ahead of Samsung.
Xiaomi · Snapdragon 8 Elite · 2025
The Leica-tuned quad-camera system with a genuine variable aperture is the most ambitious hardware on this entire list, but Xiaomi’s update policy still lags the names above it.
Huawei · retractable telephoto
Huawei’s telephoto physically extends for the long end of its zoom range, a mechanical solution nobody else still attempts. The elephant in the room is a phone that ships without Google’s app ecosystem.
OPPO · dual telephoto, Hasselblad tuning
OPPO’s dual telephoto setup — 3x and 6x — covers the exact range event and wedding photographers actually shoot, with Hasselblad tuning that avoids the oversaturated look OPPO used to lean on.
Vivo · Zeiss optics
Vivo’s Zeiss partnership shows up most in how it handles flare against direct light, a scenario that still trips up half this list. The 200mm-equivalent zoom is genuinely usable, not a crop gimmick.
Sony · Alpha-derived manual controls
The only phone here built by the company that makes the sensors everyone else buys, and it shows in a manual camera app real photographers can use — the tradeoff is a phone Sony barely markets outside Japan.
Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.