Top 5 Best Smartphones Of The Year 2022

The year 2022 has just a few more weeks to be with us before it finally bids us goodbye. Just like we see in every other year, this year has also seen a lot. A lot has happened in the year 2022 as well as tech is concerned. This year, we have seen tech companies and phone manufacturers bringing hundreds of new mobile phones, innovations and technologies.

We have seen some companies grow while others fall. We have even seen some companies coming from nowhere to bring strong competition to the market.

In this article, we are going to have a very interesting discussion. We will be talking about the top 5 Best smartphones of the year. And I will make this as fair as possible. Let’s first talk about the qualities that a smartphone must have in order to be named as the best smartphone.

So what is the best phone that your money can buy? Is it about brand? I don’t really think so. In as much as some people still stick to a particular brand no matter what, most people also spend their money on what is supposed to be the best to them.

So, I have categorized the features that gives one phone an edge over the others into 6 groups. Design, Camera, Battery Endurance, Speed, Software Processing and Price. These are the five main areas where these smartphone manufacturers are all competing.

There is no denying that there are some smartphones that come with some unique features. But these features are just extras and they will not work to satisfy the user if the main features are not satisfying.

Design: Every smartphone user wants to hold a beautiful phone in their hands. A lot of people also consider how comfortable their smartphones should lay in their palm. Phone makers have gotten accustomed to this as well. In fact, design has always been the case for years now.

The market is changing in demand and phone makers are doing everything possible to satisfy users. This is the reason why we now have smartphones that can flip, fold in or even fold out. Design of a smartphone can really determine how much demands it can gain on the market.

Camera: As you already know, camera performance is one of the most important features of any smartphone today. It is one area that draws a lot of attention. There is a very tight space in this category.

Battery Endurance: When we talk about battery endurance, it mostly does not depend on how large the battery is. This is the mistake a lot of users make when purchasing smartphones. I am not trying to say that battery size does not matter though. It really does matter but I have also seen a lot of instances where smartphones with smaller battery sizes last longer than those with larger battery capacities.This shows how much smartphone makers optimize their devices to consume as little battery power as possible.

Speed: Another thing that gives you a flagship feel is the speed of the phone. How snappy apps open, run and close. The speed of every smartphone depends on three things. The chipset or processor, Random Access Memory (RAM) and of course software.

Software Processing: Talking of software, how well a manufacturer is able to optimize the software that runs on the smartphone plays a very vital role in the performance of the phone. You may come across two different smartphones that use the same chipset as well as the same amount of RAM. But one responds faster than the other.

That it is the work of software optimization. Software also plays a lot of important role in camera performance of every smartphone out there. In terms of Artificial intelligence, software also works with most chipsets to enhance the AI capabilities of the smartphone.

Price: The price of a smartphone cannot be taken out of the topic especially when talking about flagship phones. I mean we all know that entry-level and midrange smartphones are for the price.

But most users also consider the prices before they spend their monies on flagship phones as well. So it is not really about how expensive a smartphone may be. It is about buying the best smartphone for the best price.

So in the top 5 Best smartphones, we will be considering all these 6 factors. Which phone does it best? And for what price? Let’s get right into this.

5. OnePlus 10 Pro(Top 5 smartphones)

First of all, it features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. Before the launch of the SD 8+ Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsets, the SD 8 Gen 1 was the top end chipset. And this happens to be the time at which the OnePlus 10 Pro was launched.

The device also comes with a 12GB of RAM and an LTPO2 AMOLED Display of 1440 x 3216 pixels resolution. The screen is also protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus and the back glass is also made of Gorilla Glass 5.

The 120hz refresh rate display also comes with a normal brightness of 800 nits with a peak brightness of 1300nits. It also has a screen to body ratio of 90% with total pixel density of 525ppi.

The device has a real premium build quality as a whole. From front, back, the aluminum frame and even the camera bump. These sum it all up to make the OnePlus 10 Pro one of the best designed smartphones for the year 2022.

Camera

The OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a triple camera setup which is nicely arranged onto the left-side mounted camera bump. It has a 48MP main camera, 50MP ultra wide camera with 150 degrees field of view and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3.3x optical zoom. The OnePlus 10 Pro also features HasselBlad’s color calibration for accurate color representations. It also has the ability to record 8K/24fps high quality videos. It also features a 32MP selfie camera with 1080P/30fps video recording.

Battery Endurance

The OnePlus 10 Pro has one of the largest batteries you can find in a flagship device this year. The 5,000mAh battery has enough life to take you through a full day. As if that is not enough, the device also comes with 80W super fast charger which can charge from 0 to 100% in just 32 minutes. You also get support for a massive 50W wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging.

Speed

As I mentioned earlier, the OnePlus 10 Pro features the Flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with a massive 12GB of RAM on top. This alone makes it one of the fastest Android smartphones out there.

Software Processing

The device launched with Android 12 out of the box with Oxygen OS 13 skin on top. The Oxygen OS as we all know has come a long way with optimizations and customization. You are also getting 3 years of system update with 4 years security updates on this device.

4. Xiaomi 12s Ultra (Top 5 Smartphones)

The Xiaomi 12s Ultra is considered by many as the best smartphone in the world. There are times that I am even tempted to say the same thing. From start to finish, this device has it all.

Design

The device has an aluminum frame sandwiched by a Gorilla Glass Victus display and a genuine eco leather back. The leather back has a very clean looking design. This complements the circular design camera bump to announce itself as a very special looking smartphone.

Camera

Talking of camera bump, let us dive into what is hidden beneath the camera bump. The Xiaomi 12s Ultra comes with a triple camera setup with a massive 1-inch 50.3MP main camera sensor. It also has a 48MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. The third lens also happens to be another 48MP lense which is responsible for ultra wide andle photos.

This device also has support for 8K/24fps video recording. There is also a 32MP selfie camera which is mounted in the center of the display.

Battery

The 12s Ultra comes with a 4860mAh battery which is slightly smaller than what we got in the OnePlus 10 Pro. It also features a 67W Fast charging and another 50W wireless charger. In terms of wireless reverse charging, the Xiaomi 12s Ultra also produces 10W of charging speed.

Speed

The Xiaomi 12s Ultra also comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and 12GB of RAM. It came with Android 12 out of the box as well. The device is able to handle all task without taking a blink. Comparing to other phones on the list, the 12s Ultra stood well in all speed tests.

Software Processing

Android 12 is already fast enough but Xiaomi has done a lot of optimizations to make this devices even faster and smoother. Thanks to MIUI 13. With Leica branding, there is also a lot of software processing in the camera department to give you a top-notch photo and video camera.

3.Samsung S22 Ultra (Top 5 Smartphones)

You just cannot talk about top 5 smartphones without a Samsung flagship in there. Samsung has worked very hard to keep its smartphones standing against the competition every year.

Design

One of the most uniquely designed smartphones on this list is the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It comes with a nicely Curved screen with the frame and back glass continuing with the curve throughout. It has a Gorilla Glass Victus plus protection on both screen and back glass. There is very little to complain about when it comes to the design of the S22 Ultra.

Camera

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the only phone on this list to feature 4 camera lenses. It also has the largest Megapixels count on the list with 108MP as the main sensor. It also has two Telephoto lenses with 10MP each. 10x optical zoom and 3x optical zoom. The fourth lens is also a 12MP ultra wide sensor with 120 degrees field of view.

It also supports 8K/24fps video recording. The selfie camera on the other hand is a 40MP sensor that supports 4k/60fps video recording.

Battery

The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery just like the OnePlus 10 Pro. Samsung is well known for great battery lives and the Galaxy S22 Ultra takes this even further. The S22 Ultra has one of the best battery life on smartphones in general.

Speed

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is never lost with speed. From background app management, app opening speed and Processing speed. The S22 Ultra is up there. With the power of Samsung’s One UI, the SD 8 Gen 1 and the 12GB of RAM, the S22 Ultra is easily the fastest Android flagship out there.

Software Processing

The Samsung S22 Ultra also came with Android 12 out of the box like other phones on this list. Samsung will offer 3 years of system software update and another 5 years of security patches. While extra skin makes other smartphones slower Samsung has managed to make the One UI even faster. Thanks to One UI 5.0.

2.IPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple is always a contender in all aspects especially when talking about smartphones. Apple’s latest iPhone series are the best iPhones ever made and we cannot discuss top 5 Best phones without the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Design

Apple is a company that does everything different from the rest. One of the most attractive part of any iPhone today is its iconic design. With the flat edge and flat back design, the iPhone 14 Pro Max easily wins the best design of the year.

Camera

Even though iPhones have more features, most people see iPhone as the ultimate camera phone. A lot of iPhone users go for the device basically because of its excellent camera. The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with a triple camera setup. 48MP main camera, 12MP telephoto lens and 12MP ultra wide lens. It can record videos at 4K/60fps with both front and back cameras.

Battery Endurance

Apple’s A16 Bionic Chip coupled with the lightweight IOS makes the iPhone the most efficient phone in the market now. I have seen a lot of battery drain test where the iPhone wins by a country mile. With a 4323mAh battery, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has the smallest battery in this list. Yet, it has the best battery life amongst them all. It has a charging speed of 25W and a poor 7.5W wireless charger. With MagSafe wireless charging, you get 15W charging speed which is still behind a lot of phones in the competition.

Speed

This is where Apple prevails the most. Apple’s A16 chip is termed the beast by many and it rally lives up to the praise. From App management, opening speed and game handling, the iPhone 14 Pro Max does not seem to have any competition.

Software Processing

Apple’s iOS is the only different operating system here. Apple has done a lot of optimizations just to make their software work excellently with their hardware. When it comes to software processing, Apple leads the way in almost all areas thanks to iOS and Bionic A16 chip.

1.Google Pixel 7 Pro

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is one of the latest phones on the list. It looks like Google didn’t just correct their mistakes with the Pixel 6 Pro, they also corrected mistakes of all other smartphones. The Pixel 7 Pro picks the weaknesses of all other phones in the top 5 smartphones list and makes them better.

Design

The Google Pixel 7 Pro also came with its own unique design. It looks more iconic from behind with the horizontal camera bump. It has a slightly Curved AMOLED Display to match the slight curve on the back. The Google Pixel 7 Pro is one of the few phones that you can easily identify by taking a glance due to its design. The iPhone 14 Pro Max may have the most unique design but the Pixel 7 Pro seems to be for those who dislike the sharp edges of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Camera

Google has always been big contenders when it comes to mobile phone cameras. It does not matter how low the hardware may be, Google has a way of making its own camera do magic. The Google Pixel 7 Pro also features a triple camera setup. 50MP main camera, 48MP Telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and 12MP ultra wide camera. It can record 4K videos at 60fps with both front and back cameras.

Battery Endurance

The Pixel 7 Pro also features a massive 5,000mAh battery just like the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It also comes with a 23W fast charging wired charging. It beats the iPhone 14 Pro Max with 23W wireless charging as well as the reverse wireless charging. Unlike the Pixel 6 Pro, the 2022 edition has an excellent battery life. All thanks to the latest Tensor G2 chipset.

Speed

The Google Pixel 7 Pro may not be as fast as the Samsung S22 Ultra or the iPhone 14 Pro Max. But it is snappy enough for you to notice the difference. The raw Android system and the Tensor G2 forms a great partnership to make the Google Pixel 7 Pro a top competitor for speed. RAM management is also on another level thanks to the 12GB of RAM.

Software Processing

When we talk of software processing, Google Pixel 7 Pro is the only phone that comes in mind in this top 5 smartphones list. No doubt that Google went in hard with hardware in the Pixel 7 Pro but the magic is in the software itself. The Tensor G2 chip was not built solely for speed. It was built mostly to process software on the smartphone in the best possible way.

In fact, a lot of Reviewers on YouTube call it the smartest smartphone. When it comes to software processing, no phone even comes close as the Google Pixel 7 Pro is in a league of its own.

There you have it, the top 5 Best flagship smartphones of the year. There are so many to talk about when it comes to individual phones. That will make this article a 3-day reading time article so I had to summarize everything. But wait! Aren’t we forgetting something? The prices. We cannot conclude this without prices. This also contributed to why the Pixel 7 Pro emerged as the best smartphone of the year 2022. Check out the prices below.

Prices Of The Top 5 Best Smartphones Of The Year.

Please note that, all phones listed in the top 5 smartphones are the very top end versions you can get for each of them. And we will do the same for the prices.

Price of OnePlus 10 Pro(12GB/512 Storage) – €850

Price of Xiaomi 12S Ultra (12GB/512GB storage) – €940

Samsung S22 Ultra Price (12GB/1TB storage) – €1,450

iPhone 14 Pro Max Price (6GB/1TB storage) – €1,506

Price Of Google Pixel 7 Pro (12GB/512GB storage) – €1,099