We all take selfies from time to time (some far more than others, as we can all see on social media), and there’s nothing wrong with wanting the very best front-facing camera to take them with. Of course, sheer image quality isn’t always the only thing that matters; wide-angle lenses and software tricks can help liven up your selfie game, too. We think the Pixel 4 XL is the best overall phone for taking selfies, but there are plenty of other great options to choose from with different features and price points.
Best overall
Google Pixel 4 XL
Staff pick
The Pixel 4 XL is known for its amazing rear camera quality, but those high marks extend to the front-facing camera too. Google opted for a single sensor rather than the pair on the Pixel 3 XL, but you’re getting a nice in-between wide field-of-view with the same great processing. Portait mode and Night Sight shots just take it to another level.
$900 at Amazon
Rear cameras come up front
ASUS Zenfone 6
Rather than use a smaller and lower-quality front-facing camera setup, ASUS has a smart solution: flip the rear cameras to the front when you need them. The Zenfone 6 lets you take selfies with both rear-facing cameras: a 48-megapixel primary shooter that produces excellent shots by front-facing camera standards, and an ultra-wide 13-megapixel camera that’s wider than the Pixel 4 XL.
$550 at Amazon
Consistent quality
Samsung Galaxy S10+
The S10+ is another flagship phone with two front cameras, though the secondary sensor is just for measuring depth to improve portrait mode selfies, rather than giving a noticeably wider shot. The S10+ takes great-looking selfies consistently though and has autofocus, which isn’t as common with front-facing cameras as you might expect.
$950 at Amazon
Good on a budget
Nokia 7.2
If you don’t want to spend a lot but want to take solid selfies, the Nokia 7.2 is your jam. On top of being a tremendous overall budget phone with Android One, its 20-megapixel front camera is reliable for selfies even with multiple people. You can also use the “Bothie” mode in the camera to take a picture from the front and rear cameras at the same time.
$349 at Amazon
Pixel selfies for less
Google Pixel 3a
The Pixel 4 XL takes fantastic selfies, but it’s also expensive. For hundreds less, you can get most of that selfie experience in the Pixel 3a. It may not be the exact same sensor and glass, but the resulting shots — including Night Sight — are still excellent, particularly for this price.
$400 at Amazon
Good resolution and flash for less
Moto G7 Play
The Moto G7 Play isn’t going to blow away any of the other phones on this list. It still gets the job done with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera accompanied by an LED flash to help it out in darker scenes. For less than $200, that’s a good pair to have for selfies.
$180 at Amazon
Get the best selfies
For consistently great selfies, it used to be Samsung, Samsung, Samsung every year. But these days, even though Samsung still has a solid setup with the Galaxy S10+, Google owns the selfie game.
The combination of a good wide-angle lens, software correction against distortion, Portrait Mode, and Night Sight make the Pixel 4 XL our favorite selfie-taking phone to date. Better yet, you can get nearly the same selfie quality from the Pixel 3a for hundreds less, which makes it even more appealing on the whole.
On the budget side, the Nokia 7.2 has a lot going for it at an affordable price, and the selfie camera, while not as good as the Pixel 3a, holds its own.
