2022 is nearly halfway done and the tech gods have blessed us with some truly superb smartphones. Whether you’re looking for performance, camera smarts, or value, our definitive list of the ten best phones has it all.
The top phone on this rundown won’t be the ideal phone for everybody so make sure to check out all ten. The best phone for you is out there, depending on what you value most – camera, battery life, design, specs, price, and more to boot come into play.
Samsung and Apple feature of course, but looking further afield to Android competitors such as OnePlus, Google, and Xiaomi could mean you find your ideal pocket partner. Trust us, these phones all deliver – just all a little differently, and that’s a great thing. Good competition means better phones for everyone!
Best smartphone 2022
1. iPhone 13 Pro – Best iPhone
Pros
120Hz display
Superb cameras
Top-tier performance
Improved battery life
Cons
Cinematography Mode and HDR algorithm need work
Pricey
Unlike 2020 – where the standard
iPhone 12 won out against its Pro-branded sibling – 2021’s iPhone 13 Pro is undoubtedly the one to beat.
At first glance, the 13 Pro uses a familiar 6.1in Super Retina XDR display but Apple has finally decided to bring ProMotion to the iPhone; with the panel now topping out at a super-smooth 120Hz. The notch is also 20% smaller too.
As for the cameras, you can expect bigger sensors and faster apertures that mean improved low light performance, far more comparable quality when switching to the phone’s ultrawide (which also now offers macro shooting capabilities) and a 3x telephoto snapper, letting you shoot further than before.
What’s more, the iPhone still leads when it comes to video capture, gaining some smart new features like Cinematography Mode, granting greater control over how your footage looks in the moment.
Pair that ProMotion tech with the phone’s powerful A15 Bionic chip and a bigger battery, and you can expect some sizeable longevity gains; rendering this a two-day iPhone on a single charge.
Read our full
Apple iPhone 13 Pro review
2. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – Best Android phone
Pros
Excellent camera
Phenomenal display
Stylus support
Cons
Bulky
Expensive
Slower charging
While the S21 Ultra dabbled with Note-like features, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is unquestionably a full-blown successor to 2020’s
Note 20 Ultra in everything but name.
The design is distinctly different from the other entries in the Galaxy S22 range (which is to say very ‘Note-like’) and features an integrated S Pen stylus that expands functionality beyond most rivals, especially in terms of productivity.
Despite familiar-looking camera hardware, the upgrades made by Samsung render it one of the best systems in any phone right now; with a 108Mp main shooter backed up by an ultrawide and two telephoto lenses at different zoom levels – with the zoom performance particularly improved on previous models.
The expansive 6.8in LTPO AMOLED display delivers both high WQHD+ resolution and an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, while long-term software support that surpasses even Google’s Pixels rounds out an impressive list of pros.
Read our full
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review
3. iPhone 13 – Superb all-rounder
Pros
Brilliant performance
Capable cameras
Long battery life
Great value
Cons
Still a 60Hz display
No telephoto camera
Slow charging
While it loses out on the 13 Pro’s high refresh rate display, the iPhone 13 still boasts cutting-edge features like Apple’s newest 5nm A15 Bionic chip and the latest camera features, like Cinematic Mode.
The rear camera system now sits at a diagonal, primarily to accommodate the impressive sensor-shift OIS (optical image stabilisation) that was exclusive to 2020’s iPhone 12 Pro Max (although there’s still no telephoto sensor), while on the front – despite the same 60Hz refresh rate as the previous model – you still get a stunning 6.1in OLED display, complete with a smaller notch.
iOS 15 is an excellent improvement on Apple’s already well-respected mobile operating system out of the box; adding wellbeing features like notification summary, that ensure you’re not constantly distracted by your device.
Like the Pro, some of the best battery life on an iPhone comes as part of the iPhone 13 experience but fast charging speeds are still well behind the curve.
Read our full
Apple iPhone 13 review
4. Google Pixel 6 Pro – Best user experience
Pros
120Hz display
Superb cameras
Slick OS
Greatly improved battery life
Cons
Biggest, thickest, heaviest Pixel yet
Awkward fast charging
Google shook things up for 2021, with the
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro debuting the company’s own Tensor silicon and a refreshed Android 12 experience out the box, along with a completely new design and some significantly enhanced cameras.
Despite dropping the ‘Pixel XL’ naming convention, the 6 Pro is an undeniably sizeable phone, with a stunning QHD+ curved-edge OLED display that – for the first time in the series – makes the move to a higher, smoother 120Hz refresh rate (just like the iPhone 13 Pro range).
The camera system also relies on a new 50Mp main sensor, which delivers astounding dynamic range and showcases smart new features, like Magic Eraser and rock-solid Face Unblur. It’s also backed up by both a 12Mp ultrawide and a periscopic 48Mp telephoto camera, with a 4x optical zoom; a far cry from the Pixel range’s old single-sensor approach to photography.
Tensor doesn’t benchmark well against the competition but in real-world use offers more than enough grunt to handle the most demanding mobile apps and games, while also boasting a specialised skill set for machine learning and AI tasks that rival silicon lags behind in.
A huge 5003mAh battery also ensures some of the best battery life on a Pixel ever, even if fast charging is a bit of a mess.
Read our full
Google Pixel 6 Pro review
5. Oppo Find X5 Pro – Superb cameras
Pros
Best-in-class display
Versatile cameras
Unique design
Cons
No periscopic zoom
Expensive
The Oppo Find X5 Pro is a phenomenal phone by any measure. The 6.7in 10-bit 120Hz QHD+ panel is one of the best displays in any phone right now and Oppo backs it up with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging, a 5000mAh battery, and a top-tier camera that boasts 50Mp sensors on both the main and ultrawide lenses.
You’ll have to live without a periscopic zoom lens – the telephoto here is a measly 2x zoom – but results across all three rear lenses are exceptional. The design is unique too, thanks to a seamlessly sloped camera module built right into the ceramic of the phone’s body.
In terms of pure performance, the Find X5 Pro is also hard to beat, with all of the above, plus a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 256GB storage and 12GB RAM. You just have to be willing to pay the price, as it doesn’t come cheap.
Read our full
Oppo Find X5 Pro review
6. OnePlus 10 Pro – Outstanding battery life
Pros
Super-fast 80W wired charging
Great longevity
Top specs
Cons
Inconsistent cameras
No IP rating
The latest flagship phone from OnePlus is a good alternative to the likes of the S22 or Pixel 6 series, especially if you live in the US and have few other high-end Android options.
With a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and speedy 80W wired charging the 10 Pro has core specs to match anything its rivals offer, and we’re broadly fans of the slick design too – though not everyone is.
Despite support from Hasselblad, the camera system is still the phone’s primary weakness here and the main thing that sets it apart from the pricier but similarly-specced Oppo Find X5 Pro.
The rear triple sensor setup is impressive, don’t get us wrong, but inconsistencies – especially in exposure – only serve to remind us that it’s not up there with the best of the best, and that makes it a touch harder to recommend; even if the OxygenOS user experience is superb and battery life is among the best of any flagship currently out there.
Read our full
OnePlus 10 Pro review
7. Vivo X80 Pro
Pros
Truly outstanding camera
Fast wired and wireless charging
Superb battery life
Cons
Awkward camera design
No Gorilla Glass
Frustrating software
Vivo has knocked it out of the park with the X80 Pro, a phone whose camera is truly excellent, rivalling the best Apple, Samsung, and Google have to offer.
A Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip powers four rear lenses, the main being a wonderfully capable 50Mp sensor. Every lens benefits from Vivo’s V1+ image processing chip, and there’s gimbal stabilisation on the telephoto lens to aid clarity of zoom shots. It’s an incredibly full feature set, and low-light photography is outstanding. Add to that excellent video modes with cinema-wide aspect ratios and a film-like grain and you’ve got a powerhouse camera in your pocket.
The phone is a big one so you’ll have to be happy with a 6.78in AMOLED. It’s a 120Hz LTPO (with variable refresh rate) and QHD+ resolution.
Downsides to the phone are the lack of Gorilla Glass for proven scratch and crack protection to the front and back, and the frustrating software. But overall this is another leap forward for Vivo that you should seriously consider if you want a premium camera on the back of your phone.
Read our full
Vivo X80 Pro review
8. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 – Best foldable
Pros
Elegant folding design
Water resistance
More affordable than ever
Cons
No telephoto camera
Middling battery life
Still needs to be tougher
Samsung took its already-groundbreaking Galaxy Z Flip foldable, improved every aspect – from design to performance – and then made it cheaper too!
The Z Flip 3 is a beautiful expression of the evolution of foldable smartphone tech and somehow manages to incorporate water resistance into its design as well.
Battery life and the dual cameras could be better but despite flagship-class performance in a groundbreaking design, the Flip 3’s pricing also proves that foldables can tango in the same space as conventional smartphones, without any major sacrifices.
Read our full
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G review
9. Red Magic 7 – Best for gaming
Pros
Outstanding performance
165Hz refresh rate display
Greatly improved cameras
Cons
Clunky user experience
Bulky design
Disappointing battery life
While only a minor update to the
Red Magic 6S Pro from 2021, the Red Magic 7 pushes the envelope by being one of the first gaming phones to feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.
The stunning 165Hz display endures from the last few Red Magic flagships, while also continuing to outpace mainstream rivals – making it ideal for gaming – and Nubia’s finally addressed camera performance too, which is better than it’s ever been.
The Red Magic 7’s Android launcher won’t be to everyone’s tastes, the move to a smaller battery has proven to be a detrimental change (especially for gaming phone) and this is still a big bulky device, but the price/performance balance it strikes and the gaming prowess it facilitates are unrivalled.
Read our full
Nubia Red Magic 7 review
10. Xiaomi 12 Pro – Great for multimedia
Pros
Nice design
Excellent display
Strong cameras
Fast 120W charging
Cons
Disappointing battery life
No IP rating
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has an awful lot going for it, but that’s coupled with a pair of major flaws.
It sports a sleek, understated design, there’s a beautiful display paired with a quad-speaker setup and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip delivers impressive performance. For the most part, the camera system is great too, not quite best-in-class but good.
Unfortunately, the battery life is a clear failing – which might be fixed with updates, but for the moment frustrates. If you spend your days not far from a charger, this is a superb phone.
Read our full
Xiaomi 12 Pro review
Your buying guide for the best phones in 2022
When choosing a phone you should consider these things: build quality and design, ease of use, features, performance, and value.
Generally speaking, a flagship phone in 2022 will start at around £700 but can cost over £1,000 in some cases. On contract, you’re looking at between £30 and £50-per-month on average but you can spend a lot more if you want an expensive phone and lots of mobile data.
It’s worth noting that while this list highlights the best smartphones available right now, that doesn’t explicitly mean flagships (even though they do feature heavily here). There are entries that cross over with our
mid-range and
budget phone charts too, but earnt their place here, based on the capabilities and quality on offer, relative to their price.
Buying a phone outright will usually give you the best value, but we appreciate finances in the real world don’t always accommodate such big one-off purchases. If you can, you’ll obviously need a SIM card and plan, as well as the phone. If you don’t already have one, check out our
best SIM-only deals.
Should you buy an iPhone or Android phone?
There’s more than one mobile operating system, but really only two worth talking about: Android and iOS.
The vast majority of phones today run Android –
12 being the latest publicly-released version. Apple’s iOS platform, meanwhile, may have a lower market share but developers almost always release their apps on iOS first. As a result of this approach, it has one of the best app stores you can find.
If you have an Android phone or an iPhone and want to move to a phone running the other OS (operating system), it’s fairly easy to transfer your contacts and other select data from one to the other. What you can’t move are paid-for apps and certain app data (like WhatsApp backups), so keep this in mind if you’re considering a change of platform – and research any specific concerns you may have about the process.
Why you should buy an unlocked phone
An unlocked phone is one that is not tied to any particular mobile operator, such as
Vodafone or
EE. Buying ‘unlocked’ usually means buying the phone outright without a SIM card or contract attached.
The most important point is that an unlocked
phone is almost always a better deal than buying a phone on contract – if you can afford it.
The only real exception to this is Apple’s iPhones – because of their traditional popularity, operators often subsidise the cost of buying an iPhone in order to lock you into a lucrative long-term deal.
Generally speaking, if you can afford the upfront cost of the handset, you will pay less over the life of your phone by buying unlocked.
More importantly, you are not locked into a lengthy contract. If you want a new handset at any time, you can buy one without having to up-purchase your way out of said contract or commit to another two years.
Just be sure to make certain the phone you’re getting is not locked to a certain network.
The right SIM
One other thing to consider is the size and shape of the SIM required for your phone. Make sure you get a nano-SIM if a nano-SIM is what your phone requires.
For the record, every phone in this list takes a nano-SIM.
If you get that wrong it is easily solvable; every network will gladly send over a different-sized SIM. SIM cards tend to come in all three sizes, you simply pop out the one you need.
But that’s assuming you are getting a new SIM, and if you’re looking for a SIM-free phone or unlocked phone you probably already have one.
More important is to make sure that if you want 5G you get a 5G-enabled phone and SIM.
Related:
How we test smartphones
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