The best selfie camera phones you can buy

The term “selfie” has only been around for a few years, believe it or not. In that time, it’s become a phenomenon. But what are the best selfie phones you can get?

Nearly every smartphone on the market has a selfie camera, so you would need to wade through every device released over the past several years to determine the best phone for selfies. We’ve done all the hard work for you and rounded up the ten phones with the best camera hardware and software to take your self-portraits to the next level, while considering value for money too.

The best phones for selfies

Editor’s note: We’ll regularly update this list of the best phones for selfies as new devices launch.

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip

The ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip is one of the best selfie camera phones because it goes for more than a simple front-facing shooter. Instead, it utilizes the cameras in the rear with a mechanism that flips them around to point towards the front. This means the selfie photos will be as good as the standard ones because it literally uses the same cameras.

The camera system is very similar to what we had in the ASUS Zenfone 7 Pro. This includes a 64MP Sony IMX686 f/1.8 primary camera, a Sony IMX363 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and an 8MP 3x telephoto. The motor and flipping mechanism have also improved for smoother motion and more endurance.

This is also a worthy contender of a phone. It has impressive specs, a massive battery, and a gorgeous 6.67 AMOLED screen. The ASUS Zenfone 9 is also available, but that phone doesn’t have a reversible camera. It’s not as good a selfie phone.

Zenfone 8 Flip specs:

Samsung Galaxy S23 series

The new Samsung Galaxy S23 series includes the Galaxy S23, the Galaxy S23 Plus, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung continues its streak of putting great cameras on its flagships with the S23 series. It’s not a massive upgrade in terms of hardware, though, with all devices featuring a 12MP selfie shooter. That said, it’s the same one across the spectrum, and it’s a really good one, as found in our Galaxy S23 Ultra review.

Aside from taking great selfies, you’ll find all devices to be amazing. They come with a great design, inspired by the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. As flagship devices, Samsung didn’t skimp out on any specs. The devices feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, plenty of RAM, great Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels with a 120Hz refresh rate, and excellent battery life.

These are all but guaranteed to be some of the best devices of 2023. They’re also among the best phones for selfies, of course.

Galaxy S23 specs:

Galaxy S23 Plus specs:

Galaxy S23 Ultra specs:

Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

Google’s Pixel phones can’t be ignored when discussing smartphone cameras. These devices have surpassed all expectations for years, and their cameras are widely known as some of the best the industry offers.

What makes Pixel phones unique is mostly their computational photography, so these phones will do great regardless of the hardware. This is why the Google Pixel 7 series offers some of the best selfie camera phones, despite sporting average selfie cameras in terms of resolution.

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are also excellent phones, and the base version comes at a very reasonable price point. Specs compete with the best in the market, and Pixel devices are among the first to get upgrades. Not to mention they are among the few to offer a clean Android UI experience. It sounds like other Android phones will have a hard time competing!

Pixel 7 specs:

Pixel 7 Pro specs:

Google Pixel 7a

The Google Pixel line has had great cameras on the front and back for generations, but this isn’t necessarily because of hardware. Even the more affordable A-series Pixels, like the Pixel 7a, offer a fantastic camera experience for a fraction of the price. It’s one of the best selfie camera phones around, thanks to Google’s implementation of computational photography.

The selfie camera features a 13MP resolution, which is a step up from the 8MP shooter found in the Pixel 6a. It’s aided by Google’s photography magic, and it also offers a nice f/2.2 aperture and a 1.12 μm pixel size.

In our Pixel 7a review, we found results to be pretty good compared to most other smartphones. Additionally, it’s a pretty nice phone to get at a $499 MSRP. You get high-end specs like a Google Tensor G2 processor and 6GB of RAM. The display has finally been upgraded to 90Hz. It also has wireless charging, which Pixel A series fans have been begging for. We wish it were faster than 7.5W, but at least now it’s there. And while the Pixel 6a main camera was good enough, it’s been upgraded to a 64MP sensor this time.

There isn’t much to complain about with the Pixel 7a. We wish the construction was better, for sure. Wired charging could be faster than 18W, and wireless charging could also get an improvement. Regardless, it’s still a great value offering and is definitely one of the best selfie phones.

Pixel 7a specs:

Sony Xperia 1 IV

Sony phones have consistently been recognized as great camera smartphones. The newer Sony Xperia 1 IV is no exception, and it’s definitely one of the best selfie camera phones. The device has a 12 MP selfie shooter, featuring an f/2.0 aperture and a 1/2.9-inch sensor. The selfie camera can also record HDR content at 4K resolution. It also comes with 5-axis gyro-EIS stabilization.

Selfie camera aside, the device comes with a powerful triple camera setup and a depth sensor. Not to mention it’s a pretty capable handset with all the best features you can expect from a 2022 flagship. Specs include a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 12GB of RAM, and a 6.5-inch 4K OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Xperia 1 IV specs:

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has a pretty average front-facing camera, but it has a nifty trick around the back, making it one of the best selfie camera phones. The rear camera bump houses a tiny screen that can be used as a viewfinder. This means that much like the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra can use the rear cameras as selfie shooters!

The only downside is that the small rear screen doesn’t support video. However, this might be in the works and could easily be fixed with an OTA update. Regardless, photos will work perfectly, and this happens to be a hell of a phone in every other regard.

The Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 13 series have already launched, but none of these phones have that tiny screen on the back. They are still great selfie phones, but the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra’s nifty trick beats them.

Mi 11 Ultra specs:

OnePlus 11

In our OnePlus 11 review, we found that the phone takes really good selfies with the 16MP front-facing camera. We found images to be a bit on the softer side, but color reproduction was really good. It’s one of the best phones for selfies if you are looking for the most value you can get, though.

While it costs significantly less than the flagships, it comes with plenty of high-end specs and features. These include a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, up to 16GB of RAM, three powerful rear cameras, a large 5,000mAh battery, and a gorgeous 6.7-inch QHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Of course, there must be some sacrifices made. This is a pretty affordable high-end device, after all. The OnePlus 11 has an IP64 rating, which isn’t as good as IP68. Additionally, it has no wireless charging, but at least you get 100W fast charging, or 80W in the USA.

OnePlus 11 specs:

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Samsung continues bringing its mid-range offerings closer to flagship smartphone territory, and it’s gotten very close with the Galaxy A54 5G. This device is designed beautifully, featuring Gorilla Glass 5 and a plastic frame. We wish it was made of metal, but Samsung has to save money somewhere. And the phone still looks nearly as good as the premium Galaxy S23 series.

We loved the 120Hz refresh rate on the screen, a rare feature in the mid-range market. And we have no complaints about performance, which is rather solid for a $449 MSRP handset. We found the 5,000mAh battery good enough to last for a whole day, with 35% left right before bed.

It has no wireless charging, but does offer 25W charging. Even high-end devices often lack such charging speeds. You can also enjoy an IP67 rating.

As for the selfie camera, it has a 32MP shooter. It uses pixel binning, which reduces images to 8MP. We found the results to be really good. Selfies are crisp, and we especially enjoyed the selfie portrait performance. It’s definitely one of the best selfie camera phones around.

Galaxy A54 5G specs:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4

By now, the industry has established that rear-facing cameras are better. This is why the best selfie camera phones can actually use the rear shooters as the front ones. Such is the case for both the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4.

You can expand the Fold and use the outer screen as a viewfinder. In the case of the Z Flip 4, there’s a tiny screen next to the cameras when the device is flipped close. The only caveat is that these are foldable (and expensive) phones, which we know not everyone is a fan of.

If you can get past the foldable mechanisms and price points, this will take some mean selfie photos. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 features three cameras, while the Flip has two shooters. They both have dedicated selfie cameras too, but why use them?

Galaxy Z Fold 4 specs:

Galaxy Z Flip 4 specs:

Apple iPhone 14 series

We can’t ignore Apple’s cameras. The latest and greatest from the fruity company is the iPhone 14 series. This includes the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. While they all vary in size and specs, they have the selfie camera shooter in common.

All iPhone 14 devices come with a 12MP front-facing camera. It has an f/1.9 aperture, a 1/3.6-inch sensor, a 3D depth sensor, and 4K recording capabilities.

iPhone 14 devices are some of the best selfie camera phones. Not to mention the phones are well made, simple to use, and surprisingly, the starting price isn’t very high this time around. If these are a bit too expensive for you, though, you can also look into the iPhone SE. It actually has a pretty good camera system (including the selfie shooter) for a device of its price.

iPhone 14 specs:

iPhone 14 Plus specs:

iPhone 14 Pro specs:

iPhone 14 Pro Max specs:

Those who want to take their smartphone photography and selfie game to the next level might also need some extra accessories to supercharge their devices. We have some nifty smartphone photography accessory recommendations for you!