Long gone are the days where you need ten thousand dollars of equipment to be a professional photographer. In this day and age, all you need is about $1,000 to get an amazing camera device⁠—and it’ll make phone calls too. Smartphones have taken the world by storm over these past couple of years and now are more of a personal computer than your actual PC. Five years ago the iPhone had far and away the best camera compared to any smartphone.

However, this might not still be the case with other phone manufacturers like Google and Samsung quickly catching up, and in some cases, surpassing what the iPhone has the offer. So which smartphone should you go with for photography? At the end that will probably come down to personal preference. Nevertheless, here is a list of the best camera smartphones to come out in 2019: 

1. Google Pixel 3 / Pixel 3a 

Google’s flagship for 2019 didn’t change much from its 2018 version, which can be seen as a negative in some ways – other than in the camera. Google left the single-camera setup on the back of this phone and to this day it still outperforms smartphones with 3 cameras instead of 1. Google’s camera software AI learns and progressively takes better pictures over time the more often you use it. Its image quality might be best in class, but that’s not the only thing that makes a great camera. The pixel lacks the versatility given by other phones with more cameras, and the video quality isn’t as good as an iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. With that said, this is still one of the best camera smartphones to be released this year. 

2. iPhone XS / XS Max 

For years the iPhone has been synonymous with great image quality, and this year’s iPhone XS does not disappoint. With a dual-camera layout on the back of the iPhone, one wide-angle and one telephoto, it can capture shots in a variety of scenarios that a Google pixel just could not. Not only that, but the iPhone arguably has the best video recording of any smartphone. Pair that great camera with the fastest, most capable iPhone ever made and you’re looking at a pretty sweet deal. 

3. Sony Xperia 1 

Sony technically never left the smartphone game, but for a lot of people this is Sony’s first big flagship in years. With a 6.5 inch 4K display and a 21:9 aspect ratio, this phone was made for filmmakers. It has 3 cameras on the back, with the main sensor being based on the tech that’s in Sony’s professional Alpha Cameras, this phone is nothing to play with. 

4. Samsung Galaxy S10 / Galaxy S10+ 

For the 10th edition of the Galaxy S, Samsung didn’t pull any punches. Not only is this one of the best looking phones of 2019, but it has one of, if not the most versatile camera setup of any flagship right now. With 4 cameras on the S10, 5 cameras on the S10 Plus, and 6 cameras on the S10 Plus 5G, alongside some of the best image and video recording of any smartphone out. This one is the whole package.