The Best Phone for Live Streaming: 7 Options

Looking for a new phone to live stream your exploits or showcase adventures to your social media followers? Then, you need one of the best phones for streaming, equipped with a set of powerful cameras, good processing speed, and other key features. 

Choosing the best phone for streaming video is important for delivering high-quality content to your audience. Read on for our breakdown of the best iOS and best Android phones for live streaming heading into 2025, and be sure to use Navi to help you find the best phone deals you qualify for right now.

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Capturing your livestream in the optimal way requires professional-level camera tools—which is exactly what the iPhone 17 Pro delivers.

Apple has clearly designed the iPhone 17 Pro with creators in mind. Its cameras capture sharp, detailed video on both the front and rear, and the front sensor has been reworked to give more flexibility in framing whether you’re holding the phone vertically or horizontally. For streamers who like to show both themselves and what’s in front of them, the new dual capture mode makes it possible to record from both sets of cameras at once without any third-party apps.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the best phones for streamers and influencers of all stripes. Though it’s quite pricey, usually over $1,000, there’s a lot to like about this model. It has a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, which scales between 10 Hz and 120 Hz to ensure top-tier, smooth performance for media viewing and streaming.

Perhaps more important is the excellent suite of cameras on this high-quality Android phone. They include a 108-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and even dual optical zoom sensors for 3x and 10x magnification. The front camera quality is 40 megapixels, offering your audience a great viewing experience when live streaming.

The rest of the phone features excellent specs, making it one of the best smartphones overall. It takes excellent pictures in brightness and dark modes and comes with S Pen support. 

Its 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage make it a phenomenal live-streaming phone in terms of processing speed and overall filesharing functionality. The battery is also excellent, clocking in at 87 hours before needing to be recharged. While it doesn't come with a microSD card slot, that's an ultimately minor downside, given the other areas in which it excels.

Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus

If the Galaxy S24 Ultra is outside your budget, there are two other phones in the Samsung Galaxy S24 series to choose from: the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24 Plus. However, we recommend the Galaxy S24 Plus as a live streaming phone over the standard S24.

While they are nearly similar in specs, the Galaxy S24 Plus has a larger screen size and battery and is a good all-around phone for occasional live streamers and influencers. It features a 120 Hz 6.7-inch screen, which ensures smooth scrolling, 12 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, so you’ll have enough space for your media.

The 4900 mAh battery will last longer than the standard Galaxy S24’s 4000 mAh battery. The Galaxy S24 Plus also has fast wired charging, Qi wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging, allowing it to power other devices. 

There's a lot to like about its cameras, too. The Galaxy S24 Plus has a 50 MP main camera, a 10 MP telephoto lens, a 12.2 MP ultrawide camera on the back, and a 12-megapixel selfie camera on the front. Each one is great for taking photos or streaming videos to your followers. 

Google Pixel 10 Pro

The newly-released Pixel 10 Pro is built for live streaming, thanks to its sharp 42 MP front camera and Google’s AI-powered tools like Video Boost, Night Sight Video, and Super Res Zoom. These features ensure smooth, vibrant footage even in low light or at a distance.

Powered by the Tensor G4 chip with 5G and Wi-Fi 7 support, the Pixel 10 Pro delivers lag-free performance and stable connections. Its 6.3-inch Super Actua display, reaching up to 3000 nits, makes monitoring your stream easy—even in sunlight. With a 4,700 mAh battery offering “24+ hour” life, it’s one of the most reliable phones for creators who stream on the go.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, there are many stellar phones that compete for the title of the best phone for influencers and steamers. If you’re still not sure which to pick, Navi can help.

Our Phone Deal Finder below searches through thousands of phone deal options to match you with the best offers you qualify for right now.  If you livestream away from home, you’ll want a solid data plan to back you up. Our free and unbiased Plan Finder tool can help you find the right phone plan deal based on your data needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which phone is best for live streaming?

If you’re into live streaming, you’ll want a phone with great cameras, solid performance, and a long-lasting battery. The iPhone 17 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Google Pixel 10 Pro all have vibrant displays and powerful cameras to keep your content looking the best it can.

What phone do streamers use to IRL stream?

Streamers who share content on YouTube and Twitch usually opt for top-tier iPhone or Android smartphones. By choosing devices like Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, they’ll get amazing cameras, fast processors, and batteries that can keep up. 

Which phone is best for a TikTok live stream?

If you want the best TikTok live streams, you’ll need a phone with powerful cameras, fast processing, and a long-lasting battery. You will usually find these in the Pro model iPhones and Pixel phones, as well as the Ultra editions of the Samsung Galaxy.