The gap between a snapshot and a photograph usually isn't the camera. It's a few habits that cost nothing and work on any phone you already own.
First, chase the light: shoot in the soft hour after sunrise or before sunset and skip harsh midday sun. Second, lock focus and exposure by tapping and holding on your subject, then drag to dim the shot slightly — a touch underexposed reads as moody, blown-out reads as amateur. Third, turn on the gridlines and place your subject on a third, not dead centre.
The two settings most people never touch
Turn on your phone's RAW or 'Pro' mode if it has one — it gives you far more room to edit later. And clean your lens; a smudge of pocket lint is the single most common reason photos look hazy. Then get lower and closer than feels natural. Most weak phone photos are taken from standing height, a few feet too far away.
None of this requires new gear. It requires slowing down for the three seconds it takes to think about light, angle, and frame.
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