Best Samsung Phone for Photography in India (2026), by Budget

On 5 November 2026, Samsung India’s website listed around 30 Galaxy phones, ranging from the Galaxy A07 at ₹13,499 to the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra at ₹199,999.

Since memory chip prices have increased this year, Samsung has hiked phone prices several times, meaning some Samsung phones that were previously available for under ₹20,000 now cost more.

We’ve used GSMArena’s specs and comments from reviewers (mentioned alongside) on each phone’s cameras and image quality to put together a list of the best Samsung phones for photography across four price brackets as per Samsung India’s prices. Note that we haven’t tested these phones ourselves.

The picks at a glance

Prices are also likely to continue to fluctuate because memory prices have been on the rise recently, and SamMobile counted as many as seven price increases from Samsung India by July 2026.

Also note that several of Samsung’s M- and F-series handsets use the same cameras as their A-series cousins, so we’ve lumped them together where appropriate. Each pick here has the best camera hardware in its price range, checked against reviewers’ findings (in cases where reviews were available).

Under ₹20,000, the Galaxy M17 5G

The Galaxy M17 5G packs a 50MP f/1.8 main camera (with a 1/2.76-inch sensor) and OIS, and it’s the only sub-₹20,000 Samsung phone with that feature. The Galaxy M17 5G is priced at ₹19,999 (4GB RAM + 128GB storage).

OIS (optical image stabilisation) physically moves the camera lens to counteract minor hand movements, enabling longer shutter speeds (useful in low light and indoors) without introducing blur. According to GSMArena, the Galaxy M17 5G also sports a 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro camera. The Galaxy A17 5G and F70 5G also feature the same set of cameras.

Editorji’s December 2025 review found that the M17 5G’s main camera keeps colours natural in daylight instead of pushing saturation, and it singled out OIS for keeping handheld low-light shots usable. The ultrawide is weaker: once the light drops, its noise becomes obvious. According to FoneArena’s review of the A17 5G (same camera setup), Night mode helped bring out more details, but it takes anywhere between two and three seconds to process an image, so you’d have to keep the phone steady.

As far as video goes, both Samsung India and GSMArena list a max of Full HD (1080p) on all of the above phones. The M17e and F70e don’t offer an ultrawide; instead there’s a 2MP depth sensor for a bokeh effect in portraits. GSMArena also noted that on the A17 5G, Night mode is only available on the primary rear camera. The site also felt that the 2MP macro camera didn’t do justice to close-up shots, so the primary camera’s 2x crop is the better option. One guide to rule them all: Samsung has one combined user guide for the Galaxy A17, M17 5G and F70 5G, and our Galaxy A17 settings guide applies to all three too.

₹20,000 to ₹40,000, the Galaxy A36 5G

Spending a few thousand rupees more doesn’t mean a camera upgrade until about ₹30,000. Samsung’s Galaxy A17 5G (₹27,999) and Galaxy F70 5G (₹21,999) feature the same cameras as the Galaxy M17 5G, with the extra money going on a bump in RAM or a design change.

The first significant camera upgrade is on the Galaxy A36 5G (₹31,999), which has a 50MP primary camera on a 1/1.96-inch sensor (the largest main sensor GSMArena lists for a new Samsung under ₹40,000), optical image stabilisation (OIS), an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 5MP macro camera. It can record 4K video at 30fps.

GSMArena's spec sheets list identical cameras for the A27, M47 5G and F70 Pro 5G, so your choice between these three should come down to price and design.

Daylight shots from the A27's main camera had good detail and dynamic range according to FoneArena's review, although low-light images from its 5MP ultrawide weren't as good. Video stabilisation is also limited to 30fps clips.

Digit's Ayushi Jain found that the A36's Night mode kept detail and natural colour after dark, and that the main camera captured plenty of detail in good light. Portrait mode's edge detection sometimes slipped, though, which could make a shot look artificial. As with any Night mode photo, hold the phone still until the capture finishes, or the shot can blur.

The A37 has a bigger 1/1.56-inch main camera sensor than the A36. Samsung's Certified Re-Newed offer is one to consider if you're happy with a refurbished handset at a price of ₹32,129 because it's only marginally more expensive than the A36.

All the phones in this price range lack a telephoto camera, so any 2x zoom option will use a digital crop from the main camera.

Samsung's A37 launched in March 2026 as the A36's successor, so supplies of the latter may dwindle.

₹40,000 to ₹80,000, the Galaxy S25 FE

Samsung has made sure to include a telephoto camera in the S25 FE so that it can take advantage of optical zoom. The 8MP 3x telephoto camera also gets OIS support.

Priced at ₹60,999 for the 8GB+256GB variant, the Galaxy S25 FE is currently the most affordable new Galaxy phone with a telephoto camera on Samsung India’s website. It also sports a 50MP primary camera with a 1/1.57-inch sensor and a 12MP ultrawide camera. Video recording support includes 8K at 30fps and 4K at 120fps, as per GSMArena.

According to GSMArena’s S26 FE vs S25 FE comparison, the same rear cameras on both devices produce near-identical results, and the latter is a better buy in the US. In India, however, you’re looking at a ₹19,000 difference on Samsung’s website. The Galaxy A57 uses the same camera setup as its predecessor, the Galaxy A56, and GSMArena mentions that in some shots its Night mode made the situation worse by increasing the harshness of the highlights. Our Galaxy A57 and A37 guide and S26 FE camera guide cover those phones in detail.

That said, it’s worth mentioning that Expert RAW won’t install on the Galaxy S25 FE according to SamMobile’s findings, which means that you can only shoot in Pro mode if you want to take control of the exposure. If RAW photography is important to you, you might want to consider the pricier Galaxy S25 instead, which is on Samsung’s Expert RAW list. Its price in India starts at ₹74,999, and you also get a 10MP 3x telephoto camera. On the other hand, according to GSMArena, the main camera of the Galaxy S25 isn’t the sharpest optically, so you’re paying a premium for RAW support and a faster chip, not necessarily better pictures.

Flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra

Zoom is king above ₹80,000, and if that’s what you’re after, then the S26 Ultra will suit you just fine.

It has four cameras on the back, including a 200MP f/1.4 main camera, 10MP 3x telephoto camera, 50MP 5x telephoto (f/2.9) camera and a 50MP ultrawide camera.

DXOMARK noted a significant improvement in low-light photography compared to other Samsung flagships of the past, even as the phone continues to trail the camera leaders from other brands.

GSMArena measured the closest focusing distance of the 5x on the Galaxy S25 Ultra to be around 26cm, which is around half that of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s ~52cm. This can make a difference in use cases like shooting flowers or food. At ₹114,999 (and even ₹87,749 as a Certified Re-Newed phone from Samsung India), the Galaxy S25 Ultra with its dimmer but same-ranged zoom lenses makes sense. Other differences are explained in our S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra comparison, and our ranking of every current Galaxy provides a more detailed analysis of foldables.

What you give up at each price

Low-light photography is where the Galaxy’s cameras shine brightest, or not so bright, depending on how much you paid for the phone.

With less light available, smaller sensors need to compensate with longer exposures and more aggressive noise reduction algorithms, leading to blur from camera shake and lost fine detail.

Pro mode is another limitation to look out for, and on the A17 family it can only save files as JPEGs. Samsung doesn’t say what the shutter speed limits are, but on some budget Galaxy phones they top out at 10 seconds. Our Pro mode guide explains each control, and the Night mode guide shows how to keep a budget phone steady through a long capture.

Frequently asked questions