I think these are the 6 best camera phones in India right now (2026)

These are the best camera-centric smartphones you can buy in India across various price points.

2026 is here, and the year has begun with no shortage of camera-centric smartphones in the Indian market. The best part is that you no longer need to spend a bomb to get an excellent camera experience on a phone. At the same time, there are premium options for those willing to splurge a little extra, especially if you are looking for the best portraits, top-tier video capabilities, and a phone that delivers the complete package.

iPhone 17 Pro is a phone that you can depend on for both your photo and video needs. (Shaurya Sharma/ HT Photo)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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If you are wondering which are some of the best camera phones you can buy in India right now, we have curated a detailed list with options priced above ₹1 lakh, under ₹75,000, and under ₹50,000, giving you solid choices across multiple price points. Read on for the full list.

Phones over ₹1 lakh

1. iPhone 17 Pro 256 GB: 15.93 cm (6.3″) Display with Promotion up to 120Hz, A19 Pro Chip, Breakthrough Battery Life, Pro Fusion Camera System with Center Stage Front Camera; Silver

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If you want the best of both worlds, photos as well as videos, the iPhone 17 Pro is hard to beat. Features like Apple Pro RAW video and the new telephoto lens make a noticeable difference to image quality. Overall, it is a highly reliable camera system in the over- ₹1 lakh segment, and it is difficult to go wrong with it.

It also helps that the new front-facing camera is excellent for vlogging, with the ability to change orientation simply by tapping on the screen. This makes it a great option over ₹1 lakh, especially if video is your priority.

2. vivo X300 Pro 5G (Dune Gold, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage) with No Cost EMI/Additional Exchange Offers

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The Vivo X300 Pro is a quintessential recommendation if you are looking for a camera-centric smartphone over ₹1 lakh. It comes with powerful Zeiss cameras and an outstanding 200-megapixel telephoto lens that produces some of the best-looking portraits and zoom shots in the smartphone world.

It also features telephoto macro capabilities, allowing you to get close to subjects and capture unique perspectives. Overall, it delivers an exceptional camera system that is truly hard to beat. Vivo has also put in a lot of work on the video side, with support for shooting log video at 4K 60fps directly on the phone, without the need for an external SSD, unlike the iPhone 17 series.

Phones under ₹50,000

Vivo X200 FE

The 256GB variant of the Vivo X200 FE is available at around ₹58,000 after card offers, and it brings the same Zeiss camera tuning found on top-end Vivo phones like the X300 Pro and X300. The good part is that the phone is quite compact, with a 6.3-inch display.

It comes with powerful internals and a proper triple camera setup tuned by Zeiss, delivering flagship-level portraits. Overall, it shapes up to be a very capable camera package. It also helps that the rest of the phone is equally strong, with features such as a 6,500mAh battery.

3. Samsung Galaxy S24 5G AI Smartphone (Onyx Black, 8GB, 256GB Storage)

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The Galaxy S24 may not blow you away with its camera quality, but it offers consistency with its proper triple camera setup. You get a wide camera, a 3x telephoto camera, and an ultra-wide shooter. Samsung is known for delivering consistent results for both photos and videos.

If you want a balanced, camera-centric phone under ₹50,000, this is a solid option.

Phones under ₹75,000

Realme GT 8 Pro

The Realme GT 8 Pro has a really fun-to-use camera system. It comes with a Ricoh GR collaboration, and in the Ricoh GR mode, you get various film stocks to choose from, including positive film, negative film, and high-contrast black and white, among others. It is genuinely a fun phone to shoot with, allowing you to make your photos look truly artistic.

The phone also brings significantly improved hardware compared to the Realme GT 7 Pro, including a sharp 200-megapixel telephoto shooter. Overall, the phone is also balanced with a 7,000mAh battery and the top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.

Oppo Find X9

The Oppo Find X9 is another strong option under ₹75,000. It comes with Hasselblad branding, features a proper triple camera setup, and is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset. This makes it very fast in day-to-day use. Overall, the phone feels premium, offers polished software with Oppo’s ColorOS, and works as a really solid all-round package.