Cell phones don't have an optical zoom (lense doesn't move to magnify light). If you are only taking pictures of close objects, or scenery, they work "ok". Cheap cell phones generally don't have great cameras, some don't have a flash, some do poorly in dim light, like indoors. If you plan on getting a phone anyway, you "could" get by with one, probably, for what you describe.
But, a regular camera is far more useful for general use, most any of the major brands are ~good. If you see something in your price range, you can google the name, and get reviews, or, google the name with the word flickr, and see pictures people have taken with it, so you can see exactly what it can do. Canon SX150 was mentioned, here it is.
https://www.flickr.com/groups/canon_powershot_sx150_is/
Regular cameras with big zooms take decent pictures, but when you zoom in on screen, some lose quality pretty quickly. That's where the more pro cameras come in. They have larger "sensors", the part that sees the picture. They require bigger lenses to work with the larger sensors, and will have lower zooms. These would be overkill for general use. I do have one of the smaller versions of those, a Sony a5100, and I like it. You also need different lenses for different purposes, and it gets very expensive. I currently only have two "kit" lenses it came with. I got it refurbished for about the same price as a better regular point and shoot. Also, although they have lower zooms, you can usually "crop" part of the picture, and view it bigger without losing as much quality.
Some cameras have wifi, so you connect wirelessly and transfer pictures. Mine does that. Also, I have an app on my Tracfone smartphone. I can set my camera somewhere, walk away, and see the live picture on the smartphone, use the zoom, take pictures, and save them instantly from the camera to the phone. I plan on getting a tripod and using it to take pictures of birds feeding.
If you'd state a budget, it would help. If you want something in between regular point and shoot, and the pro grade, Sony has the RX100 (a new version is released once in a while). Very expensive, but high reviews. I'd say overkill, but a nice camera (costs more than mine did...).
https://www.flickr.com/groups/rx100/
And mine.
https://www.flickr.com/groups/a5100/