Best Phone for Photography on a Budget UK

Camera-first

Google Pixel 9a

from £348.00

Strongest camera path with long software support.

Screen: 6.3" OLED 120Hz
Battery: 5100 mAh · 23W · 7W qi
Camera: 48 MP + 13 MP wide
Chip: Tensor G4
Memory: 8 GB / 128 GB
Updates: 7 years
Durability: IP68

Camera focus means other specs are not class-leading.

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Battery-first

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

from £246.00

Best battery endurance.

Screen: 6.6" Super AMOLED 120Hz
Battery: 5000 mAh · 25W
Camera: 50 MP + 12 MP wide
Chip: Exynos 1480
Memory: 8 GB / 128 GB
Updates: 5 years
Durability: IP67

Camera is not the strongest in this set.

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Value-first

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G

from £281.00

Strongest value per pound with solid battery life.

Screen: 6.7" Super AMOLED 120Hz
Battery: 5000 mAh · 25W
Camera: 50 MP + 12 MP wide
Chip: Exynos 1580
Memory: 8 GB / 128 GB
Updates: 6 years
Durability: IP67

Value pricing means some compromises on build or display.

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Balanced-best

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

from £251.00

Fewest weak points across camera, battery, performance, and support.

Screen: 6.6" Super AMOLED 120Hz
Battery: 5000 mAh · 25W
Camera: 50 MP + 8 MP wide
Chip: Snapdragon 6 Gen 3
Memory: 6 GB / 128 GB
Updates: 6 years
Durability: IP67

Does not spike as hard as the specialist picks on any single axis.

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Key trade-offs

camera performance: Google Pixel 9a leads by 1.1 points over Samsung Galaxy A55 5G.

battery endurance: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G leads by 1.0 points over Google Pixel 9a.

raw performance: Google Pixel 9a leads by 1.0 points over Samsung Galaxy A36 5G.

value: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G leads by 1.2 points over Google Pixel 9a.

How we chose these

Products are scored across camera, battery, performance, design, longevity, and value using BELTRANK — our regret-minimizing ranking system. We select four meaningfully different options so each pick represents a distinct path rather than a minor variant. Commission does not influence which products appear.