Content creation is not just reserved for influencers! If you have a social media account— from Instagram to Tik Tok—you’re surely posting photos and videos of living your best life. Whether it’s beautiful vacation videos to silly weekend photos, having the right phone—with the right camera—is non-negotiable when it comes to capturing it all. No matter your vibe, from Reels to Boomerangs, Stories or stills, here’s the best phone for social media broken down by the three biggest platforms—Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Best Phones for Instagram
Although Instagram started out as a “photo scrolling” app, it continues shifting away from that model and leaning into an important mode of video creation on social media. That’s not to say photos aren’t still important on the ‘Gram which is why you need a smartphone with a camera to make your pictures and videos pop.
Best For Main Feed Photos
The iPhone 13 Pro takes the prize for the smartphone with a camera for capturing the photos that receive a permanent place of honor on your grid. Whether on vacation in Italy or date night at home, the artificial intelligence within the camera function guarantees the best shot by simply pointing the smartphone at your subject! Note that macro mode is best for up close details while night mode captures the best low-light photography.
Best Exposure
We all love an upgrade, and the latest Apple iPhone 14 is a great one if you’re looking to level up your Instagram game. With an improved 48-megapixel camera to work with, you’ll get the detail you’re looking for regardless of the environment for all your social media needs. For night, low-light photography, this iPhone's camera shines by combining multiple exposures for the best possible image.
You can easily take your photo, barely edit it, and drop it on your social media feed. Or, if you’re into motion, grab a few short videos to make a Reel quickly.
Best for Going Hands-Free
Instagram released a new hands-free feature aimed explicitly at flip phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. What’s better than an endorsement from the company itself? With your Galaxy Z Flip4, you can fold the phone and place it on a surface to record hand-free Stories or Reels without a tripod. A game-changer for on-the-spot content creation. The Flip4 is water-resistant and has a multi-camera system to help create the most engaging Reels.
Best Phones for TikTok
In 2021, TikTok was the most downloaded app in the United States with 656 million downloads. With an average of 650,000 new users joining daily (yes, that’s eight new users a second), you need every tool in your kit to gain and maintain followers on this important social media platform. These are the three best phones we recommend for TikTok content.
Best for Making Short Videos
If joining in on the latest TikTok trends is your thing, then you’ll love how the Google Pixel’s stereo speakers perfectly lip sync the next TikTok fad while you film yourself. The OLED display shows the richest, sharpest colors in your photos and videos, with a resolution of 2400x1080 pixels. It’s also water-resistant, perfect for short videos, even on vacation.
Best for Outdoor Filming
All good influencers know that to get views on vacation, you must show your followers every angle of your trip. The iPhone 13 Pro Max cinematic mode does just that with its 12MP primary camera sensor featuring large pixels—larger than previous iPhones. Plus, its ultra-wide sensor brings in more light for more detailed photos. As for videos, you can film in 4K, which is perfect for high-quality, quick videos.
Best Camera Angles
With a 6.6-inch bright screen, the Galaxy S22+ is all display—a TikTok essential for both browsing your feed and recording content to upload. The phone has three cameras: a wide camera, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. The powerful performance of this phone makes it easy to capture content and edit it on the spot.
Best Phones for YouTube
When it comes to video and vlogging, there’s a simple rule of thumb—the better the phone and its camera, the better the video quality to attract viewers. YouTube is the world’s second-most visited website, right after Google with visitors averaging almost 20 minutes daily on the site. Here are the best phones to keep viewers glued to your content as long as possible!
Best for Making Mini Movies
Two words: Cinematic Mode. This feature in the iPhone 13 Pro Max allows for smooth transitions, shallow depth of field, a soft blurred effect, and editing of your focus points. The phone successfully tracks multiple points of the scene you’re capturing. Review all of your editing on its Super Retina XDR display, ready to upload to YouTube.
Best for Video Editing on the Go
For creating videos on social media, bigger is always better and the Galaxy S22 Ultra has a nearly seven-inch screen and a light S pen that doubles as a stylus. The cameras offer high-quality optical and Space Zooms, perfect for unboxing videos or product reviews. This smartphone also comes with optical image stabilization and digital image stabilization for filming high-quality 4K video at 60fps and up to 8K at 24fps. But vloggers will be ecstatic over the phone’s ability to film, pause, and then continue shooting within the same file.
