Buying a new camera phone this Black Friday? Megapixels aren’t the only important spec

For some phone users, the best phones must be the best camera phones – those smartphones that come equipped with a selection of high-quality cameras to help you take photos and videos of key memories, capture artsy landscapes, or even just make your Instagram stories look nicer.

The best camera phones on the market come equipped with high-resolution sensors, but resolution isn't everything. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has three 48MP cameras, all of which support Apple’s Fusion Camera tech (which we’ve explained in another piece). The rival Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, however, has a 200MP main camera – that’s more than four times the pixels than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Logic dictates that a higher resolution sensor makes for a more detailed image – but this isn’t always the case and, in fact, I’d argue there’s another factor at play that should be higher up on your list of camera phone buying considerations.

I’m talking about sensor size, which is exactly what it sounds like – how big the sensor actually is.

Let’s consider the iPhone 17 Pro Max again. It has a 48MP main camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor. That's a measure of the sensor diagonally. If you want an easier measurement, you can divide that fraction to find the iPhone has a sensor that measures 0.78-inches.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 200MP main camera, with a slightly smaller 1/1.3-inch sensor. Dividing that fraction again, we see the Ultra's main sensor is 0.77-inches diagonally. The Ultra divides that sensor into more pixels, but it's almost the same size as the iPhone's 48MP sensor.

Despite the Galaxy S25 Ultra's higher resolution, the iPhone 17 Pro Max holds the title of TechRadar’s best camera phone.

That’s not to say that the main camera sensor size is the be all and end all of camera phone performance, or that this is exclusively why the iPhone 17 Pro Max holds the lead spot in our list. The iPhone also has higher-resolution ultra-wide and telephoto cameras than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, both with larger or comparable sensors.

So, how does this relate to Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

During the sales season, we’re likely to see numerous discounts on a wide range of cheap and mid-range phones, some of which will sport high-resolution sensors.

Some of these high-resolution, mid-tier camera phones – like the Honor 400 – take great photos, but some, like the Samsung Galaxy A35, can leave something to be desired in certain conditions.

That’s why you should try to determine the main camera sensor size if possible – to paint as good a picture as possible before making a purchase. Of course, you could also try to get a look at some sample photos and videos, but this isn’t always possible.

Are you looking for a new camera phone this Black Friday? Let us know which models or early deals are catching your eye in the comments below.

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