Best Smartphone for underwater Video, Photo & Macro (2025)

[Nando Diver]

 

The last couple years the smartphone market has exploded and manufacturers compete between them to implement the best cameras/sensor in portable devices.

With the recent implementation of easy to use underwater cases it's a new era for underwater photography and filming.

 

Lets try to understand whats the best feature a smartphone camera can have for underwater use, together with the best app for video & Photography.

 

In Random order in terms of importance for underwater we should look for: 

 

• Stabilisation 
• Image quality (Noise, Texture, exposure, color, artifacts) 
• Field of View
• Slow Motion
• RAW files output 
• Zoom 
• AI integration
• Auto Focus
• Bonus Feature (underwater mode) 

 

Edited January 9 by Nando Diver

[Nando Diver]

The DXOMARK website can be a good starting point to understand the real capabilities of each smartphone 

 

heres some top rating smartphones currently on the market 

 

Iphone 16 Pro & Max 

Iphone 15 pro 

Vivo X200 pro 

Huwaei Pure 70 ultra 

Google Pixel 9 pro &  XL 

Xiaomi 14 Ultra 

Oppo Find X8 pro 

Honor magic 6 pro 

samsung galaxy S24

 

Heres a review of the new VIVOX200 

 

https://www.dxomark.com/putting-the-vivo-x200-pro-to-the-test-in-china/

Edited January 9 by Nando Diver

[Nando Diver]

Pixel pro 7 with the new "underwater mode" from android 

https://store.google.com/intl/en/ideas/articles/pixel-underwater-photography/

 

and here some guy doing snorkeling with pixel 9 pro 

https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-underwater-mode-3496935/

 

 

[Maria Munn]

Hey @Nando Diver

 

Thanks so much for sharing these links.  It's always great to see what other underwater photographers are achieving using their phones.   The Kraken Housing operates in a very similar way to the Sealife Housing, I'm not sure if their App has the ability to control ISO, Apertures and the Exposure too.  I'd love to know if it does.

 

I absolutely adore capturing images with my phone.  I shoot with an iPhone 13 Pro Max and was stunned that it captured this image at Devils Den in Florida better than my Olympus TG.  I haven't edited it either.

 

Look forward to seeing more images from others taken using phone systems.

 

Cheers,

 

Maria 

 

[Nando Diver]

@Maria Munn

These divers are from my dive center, some of their pictures is with smartphones

 

iphone 15

https://www.instagram.com/filomenasapinto_oficial/ 

 

xiomi (dont know the model) 

https://www.instagram.com/rui_palma_photography/

 

samsung s24 ultra

https://www.instagram.com/pedroavasco/

 

 

 

 

[Maria Munn]

46 minutes ago, Maria Munn said:

Hey @Nando Diver

 

Thanks so much for sharing these links.  It's always great to see what other underwater photographers are achieving using their phones.   The Kraken Housing operates in a very similar way to the Sealife Housing, I'm not sure if their App has the ability to control ISO, Apertures and the Exposure too.  I'd love to know if it does.

 

I absolutely adore capturing images with my phone.  I shoot with an iPhone 13 Pro Max and was stunned that it captured this image at Devils Den in Florida better than my Olympus TG.  I haven't edited it either.

 

Look forward to seeing more images from others taken using phone systems.

 

Cheers,

 

Maria 

 

 

Thanks @Nando Diver

 

Never get bored looking at other people's photos and travels 🙂.  Make me feel like I'm diving sitting here at the computer writing 🙂

 

Keep posting the smartphone photo love.

 

Maria 

[Nando Diver]

Anyone using Android the best app at the moment it seems to be the motion cam pro (29€) with ability to export RAW on Android smartphone, theres a support discord group for more information 

 

https://www.motioncamapp.com

 

Regarding the IOS the most popular for video its seems to be the blackmagic camera app specifically optimised for the iPhone and with inclusion of LUT.

 

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagiccamera

 

For photography Photon or Halide for IOS seems to be good options

 

https://halide.cam

 

https://photon.cam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by Nando Diver

[Nando Diver]

I want to share this info about Motioncam pro 

 

Motioncampro for android is a unique app that work on android smartphones that capture the RAW FEED from camera sensor and everything is converted "on the fly" to log process into video. 

 

Motioncam > image signal processor > Raw image file > encoding 

 

While other stock apps

Stock app > Image signal processor > post processed > encoding 

 

This means that whats inside the Raw file is whats the sensor sees.

 

Ive being watching few youtube videos that are very impressive, like this for example  Mirrorless 5000€ camera  VS  1200€  smartphone 

 

Canon R5 MARK ll   VS  Xiaomi ultra 14 

8K RAW 12 BIT               8K RAW 10 BIT Motioncam 

 

 

 

Or Iphone 15 PRO VS old Android Smartphones with motioncam

 

 

 

 

Motioncam pro FAQ 

 

What means "RAW_SENSOR" in advanced settings? "RAW_SENSOR" is a 16bit container with 10bit worth of data! Most sensors capture data in 10bit!

 

MotionCam cam write on external ssd? Yes it can is important to have an USB 3.0 connection

 

For what is used "Split Raw" from settings? The biggest challenge in order to capture raw data, is to have the the speed to write it so on older devices you can try to imbue the speed by allowing a secondary write thread (for example you can write in dual mode 1. internal 2 external SD card, or 1 internal 2 external drive), this should improve overall capture time

 

Why i cannot see all the lenses in MotionCam? Unfortunately on some devices access to Raw Camera Api is limited by the manufacturer eg: Samsung Tele lens Also sometimes is limited trough android version eg: Oneplus 8 Pro Android 11 has access to all lenses, while in Android 12 only main camera

 

How to capture RAW data on SSD or any custom folder? MotionCam captures by default on a private internal folder were data cannot be accessed by "File Explorer". If you want to capture on SSD (or any custom folder) select PHOTO mode then click on Options Wheel , there click on " Select Video Storage Folder" button

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nando Diver]

Ive dig a little more into MotionCam discord and its seems the App is going in right direction with RAW output very fragmented android market doesn't help.

 

Not all lens available in the smartphone work with the app 

Not all available resolutions are available in the app, especially 4K60

Not all Android versions give the same access to the app 

Not all smartphone manufacturers give API access to the app 

Some smartphone need to have customised android version

RAW output is very task intensive.

 

The developers seem to be very knowledgeable in what they doing but im same cases their hands are tied due the reasons above.

 

So ive turn my attention to the Iphone 16 Pro and 16 Pro max

The Blackmagic camera seems to be the best app for filming and now it's possible to choose different type of bitrate.

 

For HEVC (H.265) the max bitrate is 81Mps in 4K60 

For Apple ProRes 422HQ 4K60 the minimal write speed is 220Mbps

For Apple ProRes 422 HQ 4K120 the minimal write speed is 440Mbps

 

Apple ProRes 422 HQ: A higher-data-rate version of Apple ProRes 422 

that preserves visual quality at the same high level as Apple ProRes 4444, 

but for 4:2:2 image sources. With widespread adoption across the video 

post‑production industry, Apple ProRes 422 HQ offers visually lossless 

preservation of the highest-quality professional HD video that a single

link HD-SDI signal can carry. This codec supports full-width, 4:2:2 video 

sources at 10-bit pixel depths, while remaining visually lossless through 

many generations of decoding and re-encoding. The target data rate of 

Apple ProRes 422 HQ is approximately 220 Mbps at 1920 x 1080 and 

29.97 fps.

 

 

 

With the new Iphone  15 pro e 16 pro & Max its possible to film 4K60 using HEVC format, for ProRes 422 HQ format 4K60 is possible only with blackmagic camera app, the stock camera app dont work

 

Only the Iphone 16 pro & Max support 4K120 ProRes 422 HQ and is required a specific SSD attached.

 

Scrolling through Reedit it seem lot of filmmakers are using Smartphones with External SSD attached..

 

For us Underwater divers, at the moment, i think theres a solution that requires the following for 4K120 in ProRes 422 HQ 

 

 

Iphone 16 pro (256gb, 512gb, 1TB) 

Divevolk Max Plus 

Lexar Go Portable SSD 1TB or 2TB 

Print customs case 

 

The iPhone 15 pro size is 14.6cm

The iPhone 16 pro size is 14.9cm  

The lexar GO is 2.5cm

total size iPhone + lexar is 17.5cm

  

The divevolk cases are 18cm

 

 

 

Edited January 13 by Nando Diver