"Is not the gear it's the person" it's a common saying among photograph enthusiasts. I strongly agree.
I have a background in graphic design, so I had photography classes. I know how to take and how to edit photos. Also, I'm now taking my master degree on digital design.
That explains a lot right?
What gives photos a different look it's the way they are edited. The colors, the balance between shadows and highlights. But sure, editing won't solve a bad photo. Bad photo could be bad in composition. The most important thing to master is composition, I would recommend studying that first if you are into it.
I use my phone a lot, nowadays they have decent cameras. I have an app called lightroom installed (I use photoshop on computer) where I do my editing.