The best phone you can buy now
If you’re in the market for a mobile upgrade. This is the list you’re looking for From big-screen Android to the latest iPhone flagship. We’ve reviewed the best smartphone options you can buy in 2022. And to help you choose which one suits your pocket, we’ve ranked our picks below.
To test the best smartphone options, our team takes each model out into the real world. That means peering into the bus to gauge battery life, snapping all day to bag an album of camera samples. And maxing out Genshin Impact’s graphics to assess processing power.
After putting each contender through its paces. We highlight the winning handsets in this guide. If you’re shopping specifically for the best Android smartphones. We’ve got a separate feature that covers just that. We’ve also rounded up the best budget blowers. The best mid-range mobiles and our favorite small phones We suggest you Which is the Best Smartphones. Also we will suggest you Best Apple and Android Phones Reviewed
What is the best smartphone to have right now?
Best smartphone overall: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Outstanding in every way, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the complete smartphone package. Design, display, performance, camera: the best smartphone. You can buy right now if you’re willing to pay.
Best affordable smartphone: Google Pixel 6a
Proving that Google is a master of affordable phones. The Pixel 6a is a lesson in vanilla Android excellence It’s light on luxury. But a neat design and top-spec camera smarts make it a wallet-friendly winner.
Best Small Smartphone: Apple iPhone 13 Mini
Small but mighty, Apple’s palm-friendly smartphone delivers the full-fat iPhone experience. With an impressive camera, flagship performance. No sequel in 2022, this is a winner if you want a compact mobile.
Which is the best phone to buy in 2022?
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
At first glance, the latest iPhone doesn’t change anything. Upon closer inspection, it makes one change: grooves. Now a pill-shaped cutout called a dynamic island. The UI adapts around it to show app-specific shortcuts. If an app doesn’t support it, it remains a black blob.
Otherwise, the Pro is an evolutionary iteration. You still get a wide, ultra-wide and telephoto trio of cameras. But the rear flash is brighter, the macro zoom has been boosted to 2x optical and the main sensor has jumped to 48MP. Stills feel detailed and alive, while low-light shots are now even better. On the front, selfies are sharper, with the vibrant 6.1in display bright at 2000 nits. It can also be set to always-on, to show a dimmed version of your lock screen.
As a package, the iPhone 14 Pro is brilliant. With the A16 Bionic Silicon running the show, nothing confuses it. Add an industry-leading display. Impressive camera revamp and you’ve got a top smartphone. But if you’re upgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro, you might want to wait for another generation.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
A relatively minor upgrade from its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro is a worthy Google flagship. It matches the outgoing model in price. While streamlining the design, adding a faster CPU and doubling the camera capabilities.
Slimmed down by a few millimeters, it remains a large handset. Like the 6 Pro, its display is a 6.7in AMOLED number, but peak brightness has been boosted to a whopping 1500 nits. This makes the viewing experience more vivid. Even if you can’t force adaptive refresh rates to stay at 120Hz.
The 50MP main sensor is unchanged. But the telephoto now has 5x optical zoom and 30x digital. While a new autofocus setup lets the ultra-wide work as a macro snapper. Image quality is excellent with wide dynamic range and satisfactory detail. Night vision is also fast and sharp.
Tweaked for two gens. Its Tensor chip isn’t the last word in mobile muscle. But it matches other flagships for seamless multi-tasking. It’s also more energy efficient, getting a full day of use from the 5000mAh cell.
OnePlus 10 Pro
Delivering killer specs at a competitive price point, the OnePlus 10 Pro hits a home run. Put aside the limitations of low-light photography. It’s a top-drawer handset in every respect. Its all-screen frontage fits the modern mold, complemented by a tactile matte back. The display itself is bright with a dynamic refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz.
A trademark alert slider identifies it as a OnePlus handset. While Hasselblad branding on the ceramic camera bump hints at advanced shooting modes. Pro and 12-bit RAW+ options offer useful flexibility for serious snappers. And results are excellent in good conditions.
Performance is predictably superb, while battery life proved impressively frugal throughout our testing. When the 5000mAh cell was empty, the 80W SuperVooc refueling filled it up in just half an hour. If you can manage its balance, the OnePlus 10 Pro is a great smartphone for the money.
Oppo Find X5 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra combines impressive hardware and effortless style to earn its maker plenty of street cred. From a premium finish to a ridiculous 125W charging speed, it has almost everything going for it. A streamlined design elevates it above Moto’s more affordable handsets. While a 144Hz refresh rate makes its punchy OLED display the smoothest yet. It’s also a sharp shooter, courtesy of a pixel-packed 200MP main camera and 60MP selfie cam.
It’s not without limitations: the build isn’t waterproof and the storage isn’t expandable. Zoom fans may also feel limited by the 2x optical range. But the slimline software. Also nifty multi-tasking modes do a lot to smooth out any minor annoyances. As an alternative to the usual big hitters. The Edge 30 Ultra offers almost everything you’d want from a high-end phone. Just without the painfully expensive asking price.
Apple iPhone 13 Mini
A year after its launch, the iPhone 13 Mini is the best small smartphone. You can buy in 2022 A compact model with very little in it. it’s a pocketable handset with full fat performance And with no successor in the iPhone 14 line-up. It looks like the last Palm-friendly iPhone for some time.
Physically smaller than the iPhone SE (2022). It maximizes real estate with a frame-filling 5.4in OLED that’s rich, sharp and bright. Its 12MP main camera delivers impressive results with optical image stabilization. And while the screen refresh rate is limited to 60Hz, an A15 Bionic processor. The same chip found inside the iPhone 14 – means iOS 15 runs quickly.
Battery life is one of the few trade-offs. Though it still outperformed the standard iPhone 12 in tests. And at its new low price, the iPhone 13 Mini cements its position as the top smartphone with small proportions.
Google Pixel 6a
We’ve long been fans of Google’s affordable phones, and the Pixel 6a only continues that record. Well-rounded and wallet-friendly, it’s as streamlined as Android excellence. The Nothing Phone 1 doesn’t have the snazzy lighting. But the composite shell gives a great impression of the glass used by its premium cousins. You also get pure Android 12, which the 6a’s Tensor CPU runs without any stuttering.
That’s where the Pixel 6a truly excels. With powerful algorithms in its arsenal, almost every image it captures is balanced. Noise-free and full of detail. There’s no telephoto, but autofocus is fast. While Night Sight pulls true-to-life stills from complex late-night scenes.
It’s not without compromises. You don’t get the luxury of wireless charging. While the 60Hz refresh rate means similarly priced rivals top the display stake. But you’ll struggle to find a better all-round Android experience for less.
Sony Xperia 1 IV
The Xperia 1 IV is not a mainstream mobile, and Sony is fine with it. It’s a remarkably capable Android handset, with great performance. A cinematic 4K display and all-day battery life. And it’s packaged in the smartphone equivalent of a sharp business suit. But it has a very clear target market: photographers.
Fast burst shooting, extensive manual options. Stellar image quality make this a serious tool for the skilled snapper. Daylight results were exceptionally clear in tests. While images were sharp, balanced and free of noise in low light. 1 IV also debuts a continuous optical zoom lens. Which gets you closer to the subject without digital tricks. Sony’s camera app is comprehensive, while object-tracking autofocus is unusually fast.
It’s true that rival devices do a lot to hold your hand, often for a fraction of the cost. Heating can also be a concern when pushing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 silicon with heavy loads. Such as shooting 4K HDR video. But it still smashes the benchmarks and makes the Android interface run faster. Fans with deep pockets will not be disappointed.
Motorola G82
Not everyone wants to spend the best part of a grand on a smartphone. If your budget is two-thirds lower, this sub-£300 smartphone is a steal. The Motorola G82 packs an OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. A generous 5000mAh battery and an optically stabilized 50MP camera. All the features you would expect from the handsets are priced slightly higher.
Of course, there are some signs of compromise needed to reach its price point. Its plastic build doesn’t break the G-series mold. While the 2MP macro camera is little more than a token addition. The Snapdragon chip inside won’t set any benchmark records either.But thanks to Motorola’s minimal take on Android. Overall performance is far from abysmal. The main sensor also impresses, producing detailed, realistic images. While the packaging is neat and no-nonsense. If you want a mid-level mobile that nails the basics at a keen price, this is your choice.
Which is the best folding phone 2022?
