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Photo of the Week: A $499 phone steals the title from the pricey flagships

By Ilia Temelkov

Updated: Feb 03, 2025, 1:29 PM

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Photo of the Week: A $499 phone steals the title from the pricey flagships

One would think that our Photo of the Week initiative will be dominated by iPhone and Galaxy devices, just like our Camera Score chart. However, in 2025’s first edition of the series, cheap phones have put Apple and Samsung’s flagships to shame. We’ve got shots from all sorts of devices, but the best came from cheaper devices from a few years ago.

The outcome of this edition of Photo of the Week is a perfect example of how technical prowess is only part of the equation. Knowing your tools and putting them to good use is what will help you capture the best photos.

Thank you for sharing with us not only the amazing moments and stories you’ve captured but also the fact that great photography can be done with modest devices. Due to the number of good photos we received, we’re again having a winner and a couple of honorable mentions.

Without further ado, here are this week’s top photographs.

This week’s best photo

Image Credit - Sean Burns

Snapped with a Google Pixel 7a, the Photo of the Week is by Sean Burns. He captured a beautiful sunrise in Derbyshire, England, and proved that you don’t need the priciest device to grab good photos.

His photo has the captivating colors of the morning golden hour, but it also captures the sunlight’s battle with the morning mist in a compelling way. Despite costing $499 when it was released in 2023, the Pixel 7a has a camera that can keep the exposure good across the sky, the grass, and the trees poking out of the fog.

This week’s honorable mentions

Image Credit - Debasish Mandal

The first Honorable Mention goes to Debasish Mandal who has captured what he describes as “the most profound sunset I have ever enjoyed.” His photo was made with a Xiaomi Poco X3, and it makes us believe him it was a special sunset. The picture came straight out of his budget device from 2020, without any edits.

Image Credit - Lyubomir Popov

The other Honorable Mention this week is for Lyubomir Popov and the photo of his son at the Jardins du Trocadéro in Paris. He says he had used a Sony Xperia 1 V for this shot. The photo was made with a flagship phone from 2023 and it’s using various contrasts. The juxtaposition of the small boy and the big water jets is as stark as the one between the blinding reflection of the sunlight and the dark shadows everywhere else.

How can you get featured?

Our submission is open for anyone who wants to share a photo and have the chance to have it featured. We will be back at the end of February, but until then you can submit in one of two ways:

A: Via Email: Send the photo to hello@phonearena.com with the subject line “PA Photo of the Week”. Make sure to add your name or PhoneArena username to the email.

B: On Instagram: Upload your photo to your instagram profile and tag @phonearena in your post. Make sure your profile is public in order to use this method.