News

The best camera phone under $1200: four refurbished picks

If you want a phone that genuinely replaces a compact camera, you no longer need to spend two thousand dollars to get one. The best camera phone under $1200 in Australia right now is a refurbished flagship from the last couple of years, and four of them sit comfortably under that line at Mobile Federation today. Here is how the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and Galaxy S24 Ultra compare, and which one suits the way you actually take photos. The quick answer All four phones below have a dedicated 5x telephoto camera. That is the single biggest step up from an everyday phone, because it lets you zoom in on the kids' soccer game or a band on stage without the image turning to mush. Beyond that, they suit different people: Best for zoom: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5G, from $1,039. Best iPhone camera, and the best for video: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, from $1,049. Easiest great photos: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, from $849. Most camera for the money: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5G, from $759. Galaxy S25 Ultra: the best camera phone under $1200 for zoom Samsung built the S25 Ultra around range. Its rear system pairs a 200MP main camera with two telephotos, a 10MP 3x and a 50MP 5x, plus a 50MP ultra-wide. In Samsung's own launch announcement, that ultra-wide is described as "upgraded from the previous 12MP", and it is the part of this phone you will notice most in landscapes and group shots, where the extra detail holds up when you crop in. Having two telephotos matters more than the headline megapixel figure. The 3x lens covers portraits and food at a natural distance, while the 5x handles sport, wildlife and anything across a room. Video gets a clever extra too: Audio Eraser, which Samsung says "simplifies the removal of unwanted noise in videos", is handy when wind or a crowd drowns out what you were trying to record. The trade-off is size. The S25 Ultra has a 6.9-inch display, and it is a big phone in a pocket. If that does not bother you, it is the most versatile camera on this list. iPhone 15 Pro Max: the best refurbished iPhone camera The iPhone 15 Pro Max brings a proper 5x telephoto to the iPhone. Apple's technical specifications list a 48MP Main camera, a 12MP Ultra Wide and a 12MP 5x Telephoto at 120mm, plus a 2x option drawn from the main sensor, for what Apple calls a "10x optical zoom range". Where the 15 Pro Max pulls ahead is video. It records 4K at up to 60 frames per second, shoots ProRes up to 4K at 60fps with external recording, and supports Log video for anyone who wants to colour grade their footage later. If you film more than you photograph, or you already live in the Apple world with a Mac and iCloud Photos, this is the pick. It is also the only phone here that fits into an existing iPhone setup without any friction. It starts at $1,049 for 256GB, so you also get plenty of room for 4K video. Pixel 9 Pro XL: the easiest great photos Google's approach is to do the hard work in software so you do not have to. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 50MP wide camera, a 48MP ultrawide and a 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and Google lists Super Res Zoom up to 30x. Point it, press the shutter, and the result is usually the photo you wanted. It also has features that fix the moments cameras usually get wrong. Google describes Add Me, which lets the person taking a group photo appear in it, and Video Boost, which improves low-light video, alongside Super Res Zoom Video that records zoomed footage up to 20x. At $849 it undercuts the two flagships above by around $200, which makes it the strongest value for people who want great photos without learning settings. Galaxy S24 Ultra: the most camera for the money A year older and $280 cheaper than the S25 Ultra, the S24 Ultra keeps most of what makes its successor so capable. Samsung Australia describes its "200MP wide-angle and 50MP telephoto cameras", with a Quad Tele System that delivers "optical-quality images at 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x magnifications". The main difference you give up is the ultra-wide. The S24 Ultra uses the older 12MP ultra-wide that the S25 Ultra replaced, so wide landscape shots are a little less detailed. For zoom, portraits and everyday photos, it is remarkably close to the newer phone, and from $759 it is the cheapest way into a flagship telephoto camera we stock. What matters most in the best camera refurbished phones Telephoto hardware beats megapixels. A dedicated 5x lens will out-zoom a higher-megapixel main camera every time. All four phones here have one, which is why they made the list. Pick the processing style you like. Samsung, Apple and Google each process photos differently. If you can, look at sample photos from each before you decide, because the "best" camera is partly taste. Battery health matters more with a camera phone. Shooting video and using the screen as a viewfinder drain a battery quickly. Every phone we sell is tested to a minimum of 80% battery health, and replaced-battery options appear on the product page where we have them. Grade is cosmetic. Our grades describe how a phone looks, not how it works, and the cameras are tested the same way on every grade. If you would like more background on the process, read what a refurbished phone actually is. Where Mobile Federation fits We are Australian owned and every phone is inspected and dispatched from our facility in Sydney. Each is an Australian-compatible, unlocked model and travels free by express post. Whichever camera you choose, it comes with 24 months of warranty cover against manufacturing faults and hardware failures, double the 12 months that is common elsewhere. Drops and liquid damage are the only things outside it. The full terms are in our warranty and returns policy, next to the 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If your budget stops at a thousand dollars, our best refurbished flagship under $1000 guide narrows the field, and iPhone 15 vs iPhone 16 covers the standard iPhones. Frequently asked questions What is the best camera phone under $1200? For most people it is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, from $1,039, because its 3x and 5x telephotos cover the widest range. If you mainly want easy point-and-shoot photos, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL from $849 is better value. Is a refurbished phone camera as good as new? The camera hardware is the same. Our grades are cosmetic, and every phone's cameras are tested the same way whatever the grade. Every phone is also covered for 24 months against hardware faults. Which phone under $1200 has the best zoom? The Galaxy S25 Ultra, with dedicated 3x and 5x telephotos. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5x telephoto and Super Res Zoom up to 30x, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 10x optical zoom range. Which is the best phone for video under $1200? The iPhone 15 Pro Max. It records 4K at up to 60fps, supports ProRes up to 4K 60fps with external recording, and offers Log video for colour grading. Find your camera Every phone in this guide is in stock now with free express post and two years of cover. Have a look through all our refurbished phones and filter by brand to compare grades and prices side by side.