Upgrading Your Phone to Take Great Vacation Photos

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When going on vacation you probably want to take a lot of pictures, but don’t want to haul a hefty camera around with you wherever you go. There is a solution: upgrade your phone. You might be surprised to find that the following phones can take professional looking vacation photos that are about as good as a high quality camera.

Upgrading Your Phone to Take Great Vacation Photos

Samsung Galaxy S8
The company is known for making high quality phones. The camera on the Galaxy S8 is one of the top reasons why people buy this phone. The Optical Image Stabilization is great for those that are trying to take pictures in windy conditions or who just don’t have the steadiest of hands. It also has the ability to take great pictures in locations where there just isn’t a lot of light. So want to catch that sunset in Maui? No problem with this phone! If you are a selfie taker, there is an autofocus system as well as an 8MP sensor so you’ll be left with a picture perfect selfie that’s fit to post on any of your social media pages.

Google Pixel
If you are looking for a less expensive phone that can take quality pictures, this is a great option. You can easily take sharp pictures that have rich colors. The phone is able to autofocus quickly as well so you’ll have no problem taking that picture out of a tour bus window in London while in transit. If you do plan on taking pictures at night, you’ll notice that you will be able to get quality images even when there’s not a lot of light available. Despite all of it’s features, one of the best things about this phone is that you will have unlimited storage thanks to Google Photos. This means that you will no longer have to deal with not having enough space in your phone when it comes time to take a one of a kind photo.

Apple iPhone
No matter what iPhone you choose you will probably be able to take a great picture. The iPhone 7 Plus has both a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. There is also a Photo app that photo takers can use to blur the background so that the main focus of the picture will actually be the person or object that’s at the forefront. The iPhone 8 and iPhone X has similar features as well. However, many amateur photographers love the iPhone’s X zoom as it accurately allows users to take great pictures of objects, even from a distance that’s far away. What this means is that if you find yourself on a jungle safari in Costa Rica and spot an animal that you want to snap a picture of, but it’s far away, you can still take a high quality picture of it with this phone.

Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom
Some versions of the iPhone can set you back around a grand. If you are looking for a comparable option that’s a lot less, consider the Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom. It actually has a longer telephoto less that an iPhone so you can easily capture shots that are far away. It also has a pretty long battery life of around 16 hours. Photos are rich and full of color thanks to this model’s dedicated sensor. This makes it a great choice for those beach shots in Maui.

Great vacation photos preserve memories of the world’s most magnificent places. Let our advisors’ Bucket List Worthy Destinations guide show you exactly which places are worth the upgrade.

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Sue Lobo
Sue Lobo is a four-time Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist (2023, 2024, 2025 & 2026) and Senior Travel Advisor at Atlas Travel Center, one of the most decorated travel agencies in the United States. With more than 35 years of experience in the travel industry, Sue has planned, booked, and personally accompanied trips for thousands of clients — from first-time cruisers to seasoned luxury travelers who have circled the globe multiple times. Sue's areas of deep expertise include ocean and river cruising, European tours, group travel coordination, luxury travel, honeymoon planning, and family vacation design. She is a CLIA-certified cruise specialist and works within an agency that holds IATA and ARC accreditation and maintains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Over her career, Sue has been involved in more than 30,000 bookings and has personally coordinated over 200 travel groups — from faith-based group cruises and HBCU alumni trips to women's retreats, family reunions, and corporate incentive travel. What sets Sue apart is not just the credentials — it is the firsthand experience behind them. Sue has personally traveled to more than 20 countries across three continents, including Cuba, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and throughout Europe. She has sailed on dozens of cruise ships across nearly every major line, walked the river cruise routes she recommends, and eaten at the restaurants she suggests to clients. Her recommendations come from personal experience, not brochures. In addition to advising clients, Sue writes extensively about travel for The Traveler's Atlas blog — covering everything from cruise line comparisons and overtourism trends to destination guides and practical travel tips. Her writing is grounded in the same expertise she brings to every client conversation: honest, specific, and built on decades of real-world travel experience. Sue is based in the United States and available to help travelers plan cruises, European tours, group trips, river cruises, honeymoons, family vacations, and more. To work with Sue, contact Atlas Travel Center at atlastravelweb.com.