Top 10 Best Phones With Powerful Zoom and Ultra-Wide Cameras in 2025

Top 10 best Phones With Powerful Zoom and Ultra-Wide Cameras in 2025

In 2025, smartphone cameras continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, offering stunning image quality and advanced features.

Among the most exciting innovations are powerful zoom and ultra-wide lenses, enabling users to capture everything from distant subjects to vast landscapes with incredible detail.

Whether you're a photography enthusiast or just someone who loves taking exceptional photos on the go, these top 10 smartphones are equipped with cutting-edge camera technologies that will elevate your mobile photography experience.

10. Google Pixel 9a

The Budget Champion

Proving that excellent camera performance doesn't require a flagship price, the Pixel 9a delivers remarkable results for under $500.

Zoom Excellence: The upgraded 48MP main camera handles 2x zoom duties effectively, while Google's computational photography extends usable zoom range beyond what the hardware suggests.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The updated ultra-wide camera now includes auto-focus, enabling impressive macro photography capabilities that rival phones costing twice as much.

Why It's Remarkable: The Pixel 9a demonstrates Google's software prowess by delivering flagship-quality photos using mid-range hardware. Features like Night Sight, Magic Eraser, and astrophotography mode are all included.

Best For: Budget-conscious users who refuse to compromise on camera quality, students, and anyone seeking flagship photography features at an accessible price.

9. Sony Xperia 1 VI

The Professional's Choice

Sony brings its decades of camera expertise to smartphone photography, offering features and controls that mirror professional photography equipment.

Zoom Excellence: The unique continuous optical zoom between 3.5x to 5.2x uses a moving lens assembly – the only phone offering true continuous zoom. This provides unprecedented flexibility in framing and composition.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The professional-grade ultra-wide camera system delivers consistent color accuracy and excellent corner-to-corner sharpness that professionals demand.

Why It's Unique: Sony's approach focuses on giving photographers manual control and professional features rather than AI automation. The camera app offers the same controls found on Sony's professional camera systems.

Best For: Professional photographers, videographers who need manual controls, and users who prefer traditional photography approaches over AI-assisted shooting.

8. Honor Magic 7 Pro

The AI Photography Pioneer

Honor integrates artificial intelligence into practically every aspect of its camera system, creating an intelligent photography assistant that adapts to any situation.

Zoom Excellence: The innovative 180MP periscope delivers tack-sharp 2.5x to 5x shots without any digital loss. The AI Falcon capture technology can grab fast action in just 0.2-second bursts, perfect for sports and wildlife.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The 50MP ultra-wide sensor works seamlessly with the AI system to automatically optimize settings for landscape photography, architecture, and group photos.

Why It's Revolutionary: The AI integration goes beyond simple scene detection. The Magic OS harsh-backlight algorithm can recover blown skies automatically, while the advanced HDR processing maintains detail in extreme lighting conditions.

Best For: Users who want intelligent automation, action photographers, and anyone who frequently shoots in challenging lighting conditions.

7. OnePlus 13

The Hasselblad Partnership

OnePlus continues its collaboration with Hasselblad to deliver distinctive color science and professional-grade features at a more accessible price point.

Zoom Excellence: The 73mm triprism lens provides approximately 3x optical zoom with a large 50MP sensor, ensuring excellent detail and low-light performance. The Hasselblad Color Calibration delivers accurate, pleasing colors.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The 15mm ultra-wide angle with 50MP sensor captures expansive scenes with excellent detail retention. The consistent sensor size across all three cameras ensures uniform image quality.

Why It Delivers: The Hasselblad partnership brings professional portrait modes that emulate the look of traditional Hasselblad camera lenses, giving smartphone photography a distinctive, premium aesthetic.

Best For: Photography enthusiasts seeking professional features at a more accessible price, portrait photographers, and users who appreciate Hasselblad's color science.

6. Vivo X200 Pro

The Telephoto Specialist

Vivo's latest flagship focuses intensely on telephoto performance, delivering some of the best long-range photography capabilities available in a smartphone.

Zoom Excellence: The massive 200MP 1/1.4-inch sensor with f/2.3, 85mm periscope lens provides exceptional 3.7x optical zoom with impressive detail retention up to 10x. The large sensor size means excellent low-light performance even at telephoto ranges.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The high-quality ultra-wide system complements the telephoto prowess, ensuring versatility across all focal lengths.

Why It Excels: For users who prioritize telephoto photography above all else, the X200 Pro is unmatched. The combination of sensor size and optical quality produces professional-grade results that challenge dedicated telephoto lenses.

Best For: Wildlife photographers, sports photography enthusiasts, and users who frequently need serious telephoto reach with professional quality.

5. OPPO Find X8 Pro

The Dual Periscope Innovation

OPPO's flagship brings a unique dual periscope system that offers unmatched flexibility in telephoto photography.

Zoom Excellence: The revolutionary dual periscope setup includes both 3x and 6x telephoto cameras, providing the longest optical zoom range available in 2025. This system allows for optimal image quality at multiple zoom levels rather than relying on digital interpolation.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The superb ultrawide camera includes autofocus capabilities, making it incredibly versatile for both landscape photography and extreme close-up macro work.

Why It's Special: The HyperTone Camera System with its dual periscope approach means you're never compromising on zoom quality. Whether you need 3x for portraits or 6x for distant subjects, you're always using a dedicated optical system.

Best For: Professional photographers who need maximum zoom flexibility, travel photographers, and users who frequently shoot at multiple focal lengths.

4. Google Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL

The Computational Photography Master

Google continues to leverage its AI expertise to deliver outstanding photography results, often exceeding what the hardware specifications suggest should be possible.

Zoom Excellence: The 5x telephoto camera with OIS provides excellent optical zoom, while Google's Super Resolution technology delivers surprisingly good 10x zoom results that maintain optical-like quality. The computational photography algorithms work magic in challenging lighting conditions.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The updated ultra-wide camera features a brighter f/1.7 aperture and autofocus capabilities, enabling impressive macro photography. The improved light gathering makes it particularly effective for indoor and evening photography.

Why It Stands Out: Google's strength lies in its software processing. Features like Night Sight, Magic Eraser, and Best Take use AI to create photos that often surpass what traditional cameras can achieve. The seven years of software support also ensures your investment remains current.

Best For: Users who want point-and-shoot simplicity with professional results, night photography enthusiasts, and anyone who values Google's unique computational photography features.

3. Xiaomi 15 Ultra

The Leica-Engineered Powerhouse

Xiaomi's partnership with Leica has produced one of the most impressive camera phones of 2025, offering professional-grade features with distinctive photographic character.

Zoom Excellence: The standout 200MP 4.3x periscope telephoto (100mm) offers exceptional long-range capabilities that extend effectively to 400mm equivalent. This massive sensor captures incredible detail even in challenging lighting conditions, making it a serious tool for distance photography.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The 50MP ultra-wide (14mm) provides a generous 115° field of view, perfect for architectural photography and expansive landscapes. The large sensor ensures excellent detail retention even at the frame edges.

Why It Impresses: The Leica co-engineering brings two distinct image profiles – Leica Vibrant for rich, saturated colors and Leica Authentic for more natural, subdued tones. This gives photographers creative control over their aesthetic, something rarely seen in smartphone photography.

Best For: Photography enthusiasts who appreciate Leica's distinctive look, professional users needing maximum zoom range, and anyone seeking a truly comprehensive camera system.

2. iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max

The Consistency King

Apple's latest Pro models represent a refined approach to mobile photography, focusing on reliable performance across all conditions rather than headline-grabbing specifications.

Zoom Excellence: The improved 12MP 5x tetraprism telephoto system delivers sharp, detailed images with excellent color accuracy. Apple's advanced stabilization system ensures crisp shots even at full zoom, while the Smart HDR 6 technology maintains natural skin tones and realistic colors.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The updated 12MP ultra-wide camera now includes autofocus capabilities, enabling true macro photography for the first time. The improved aperture and enhanced processing deliver consistent results that match the main camera's color profile.

Why It Excels: Where the iPhone 16 Pro truly shines is consistency. Every photo maintains Apple's signature natural color rendering, and the seamless integration between all three cameras means you can switch between focal lengths without worrying about dramatic color shifts.

Best For: Content creators, iOS enthusiasts, and photographers who prioritize consistent, natural-looking results over maximum zoom range.

1. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Zoom Photography Champion

Samsung's latest flagship continues to dominate the zoom photography space with an unparalleled camera system that puts professional-grade capabilities in your pocket.

Zoom Excellence: The S25 Ultra features a remarkable dual telephoto setup with a 200MP main camera, 10MP 3x telephoto, and a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto offering up to 10x optical zoom. What sets this phone apart is its ability to maintain exceptional detail even at 30x zoom levels, making it perfect for wildlife photography, concerts, and distant architectural shots.

Ultra-Wide Performance: The upgraded 50MP ultra-wide camera (f/1.9) represents a significant improvement over its predecessor, delivering enhanced low-light performance and reduced distortion at the edges. The wider aperture means better light gathering in challenging conditions.

Why It Leads: The S25 Ultra's versatility is unmatched – it excels in every photographic scenario from macro close-ups to extreme telephoto shots. The AI ProVisual Engine enhances every photo, while Galaxy AI tools provide intelligent editing capabilities that make professional-quality results accessible to everyone.

Best For: Professional photographers, wildlife enthusiasts, and users who demand the absolute best zoom performance available in a smartphone.

What Makes a Great Camera Phone in 2025?

Before diving into our rankings, it's essential to understand what separates good camera phones from exceptional ones.

Optical zoom capabilities trump digital zoom every time – look for phones offering 3x, 5x, or even 10x optical zoom rather than being swayed by marketing claims of 30x or 100x digital zoom.

For ultra-wide cameras, autofocus capabilities are crucial as they enable macro photography and more flexible focusing options.

The best camera phones of 2025 combine multiple sensor systems with advanced computational photography, offering everything from ultra-wide landscape shots to detailed telephoto captures without compromising image quality.

Buying Guide: What to Look For?

Zoom Considerations

• Optical vs Digital: Always prioritize optical zoom capabilities over digital zoom marketing claims
• Multiple Telephoto Systems: Phones with multiple telephoto cameras offer better quality at various zoom levels
• Stabilization: Optical image stabilization is crucial for telephoto photography

Ultra-Wide Features

• Autofocus Capability: Essential for macro photography and creative control
• Aperture Size: Wider apertures (lower f-numbers) perform better in low light
• Field of View: Look for 110° or wider for truly expansive shots

Overall Camera Systems

• Consistent Color Science: Ensure all cameras produce similar color profiles
• Low-Light Performance: Test night photography capabilities across all lenses
• Processing Speed: Fast capture and processing reduce missed photo opportunities

Disclaimer:

The information provided regarding the top smartphones with powerful zoom and ultra-wide cameras in 2025 is based on available details and expert analysis. Features, specifications, release dates, and prices may vary and are subject to change as new devices are announced or released. All trademarks, product names, and brand names mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The rankings and descriptions are for informational purposes only and do not reflect any official endorsement or recommendation. Always verify details from official sources before making any purchasing decisions.