Best Phones of 2022: From iPhone 14 Pro to Galaxy Z Flip 4

From the iPhone 14 Pro to the Nothing Phone 1, several notable phones were launched in India in 2022.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 1 December 2022 20:31 IST

Best Phones of 2022: From iPhone 14 Pro to Galaxy Z Flip 4

Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the first flagship phones to launch in India in years

We've seen several noteworthy smartphones from well-known manufacturers launch this year, from the iPhone 14 Pro to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Unique smartphones like the Nothing Phone 1 also made their debut, while the foldable phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 saw improvements over their predecessors. Companies like Xiaomi and Vivo also launched powerful flagship-grade smartphones this year, giving customers even more options to choose from.

On this week's episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, host Akhil Arora talks to Reviews Editor Roydon Cerejo and Senior Reviewer Sheldon Pinto to list out some of the best smartphones you can buy in 2022.

Despite the ongoing supply chain issue that has affected the availability of smartphones, we have seen several new handsets from brands like Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, as well as the new upstart, Nothing. Apple launched the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series this year, which competes with the Samsung Galaxy S22 series and the Google Pixel 7 lineup. It's also worth noting that these three phones run on different chipsets.

Sheldon says the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are great phones, with great camera performance and software experience. We liked that the Pixel 7 offered better battery life than the Pixel 7 Pro, despite packing a smaller battery, and might be the best Pixel phone you can buy today.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are two of the best iPhone models you can buy today, but we think the price in India is too high. This year, Apple added new features such as the Dynamic Island, and a new 48-megapixel camera with new zoom capabilities. Sheldon also compared the iPhone 14 Pro with the Pixel 7 Pro, comparing the camera performance of these phones.

Pixel 7, 7 Pro Review: Are These the Best Android Phones You Can Buy Today?

Xiaomi also launched its flagship smartphone in India this year, the Xiaomi 12 Pro. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer's top-of-the-line phone in India is equipped with a powerful Snapdragon chipset, has a quad speaker setup, and represents a new direction for Xiaomi, according to Sheldon. Image quality was consistent, while the phone featured a minimalist, toned-down design and we reviewed the phone favourably.

Launched at the beginning of the year, the OnePlus 10 Pro is one of the best phones launched by the company in 2022. Roydon says it might be better than the OnePlus 10T, which made its debut later this year without an alert slider. Except for a few odd choices with the handset's camera, it is also an improvement over the OnePlus 9 Pro, the company's flagship phone from last year, he adds.

Next up, we discuss the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4, a phone that went from a very niche product to a more useful one. Sheldon says that battery life and heating issues with its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 3, have been resolved, and it's also much easier to use while gaming. It's also the most accessible foldable phone you can buy in India. We also discuss why the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 was not part of our list of the best phones this year.

iPhone 14 Pro Review: Islands in the Screen

Sheldon recently reviewed the Asus ROG Phone 6, which was actually launched back in July and went on sale in India at the end of November. He says that you should buy the handset along with its accessories and peripherals, and you would probably use it as a secondary phone, like a Nintendo Switch.

The Nothing Phone 1 was the first phone to be launched from the UK company led by Carl Pei, and the handset features a transparent rear panel with LEDs that light up when you receive a message or when your phone rings. While Roydon says that the rear lighting might be a gimmicky feature, you get wireless charging support, and an IP rating for dust and water resistance on a midrange smartphone.

At the beginning of the year, Samsung launched its flagship smartphone for 2022, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in India. Roydon says that it represents the complete package, a “do it all” phone. Sheldon agrees, saying it's a no-nonsense device that competes with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, plus offers S Pen support. With Samsung's software commitment, Roydon says if he had to pick one phone from our list, it would probably be the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review: The Complete Package?

Should you buy any of these phones? The end of the year is probably the worst time for you to buy a new smartphone. We're expecting to see new phones from Samsung and OnePlus by February or March. Prices of smartphones launched in 2022 might drop when these new phones arrive, so it might be worth holding on to your current phone for a while.

You can listen to all of that in detail and more in our episode by hitting the play button on the Spotify player embedded above. Don't forget to check our guide on the best phones under the Rs. 30,000 mark, which you can find linked above.

You can also find the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital on your favourite platform — Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Gaana, JioSaavn, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Don't forget to follow the Gadgets 360 podcast wherever you're listening. Please also rate us and leave a review.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

iPhone 14 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Superb display with always-on mode
Excellent overall performance
Good battery life
All cameras take high-quality stills and video
Regular iOS updates for many years

Bad
Extremely expensive
Relatively slow charging and transfer speed
Gets warm under heavy workloads
Limited customisation for Dynamic Island

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 Pro review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 14 Pro Max

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 2796x1290 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 7

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Sharp, 90Hz display
Good quality cameras
Good gaming performance
Bloatware-free software, timely updates
Good battery life
IP68 rating

Bad
Video recording could be better
Gets warm under load
No bundled charger
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 7 review

Display 6.30-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB

OS Android 13

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 7 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Sharp, 120Hz display
Good quality cameras
Good gaming performance
Bloatware-free software, timely updates
Premium design, IP68 rating

Bad
Gets warm under load
No bundled charger
Underwhelming battery life
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 7 Pro review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2

Front Camera 10.8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB

OS Android 13

Resolution 1440x3120 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Xiaomi 12 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Great build quality
Crisp 120Hz AMOLED display
Quick 120W wired charging
Powerful speakers
Good camera performance

Bad
No official IP rating
No macro camera or shooting mode
Gets hot while recording video

Read detailed Xiaomi 12 Pro review

Display 6.73-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Front Camera 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 4,600mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1,440x3,200 pixels

More Xiaomi mobiles Xiaomi mobiles price in India

OnePlus 10 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Great build quality, unique design
Very fast charging
Top-notch performance
Solid battery life
Excellent display
Very good cameras

Bad
Occasional overheating while recording (4K/8K) video
No macro mode
No official IP rating

Read detailed OnePlus 10 Pro review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Front Camera 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1440x3216 pixels

More OnePlus mobiles OnePlus mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Vibrant folding display
Excellent build quality
Compact when folded
Top-tier performance
Water-resistant design

Bad
Cover screen functionality is still limited

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review

Display (Primary) 6.70-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

Front Camera 10-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 3700mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2640 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Asus ROG Phone 6

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Vivid, 165Hz display
Gamer-centric design and features
IPX4 rating
Excellent battery life
Cameras perform well in daylight
Relatively fast charging, supports bypass charging

Bad
Bulky and heavy
Average low-light camera performance
No wireless charging

Read detailed Asus ROG Phone 6 review

Display 6.78-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 13-megapixel

RAM 12GB, 16GB

Storage 128GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 6000mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2448 pixels

More Asus mobiles Asus mobiles price in India

Nothing Phone 1

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium build quality, unique design
Vivid 120Hz OLED display
Wireless charging and IP53 rating
Decent battery life
Clean software, snappy performance
Very good primary camera

Bad
Secondary cameras struggle in low light
No bundled charger

Read detailed Nothing Phone 1 review

Display 6.55-inch

Front Camera 16-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4500mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Nothing mobiles Nothing mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
In-built S Pen stylus
Superb display
Impressive performance
Versatile cameras
Good battery life
IP68 rated

Bad
Gets warm easily under load
Big and bulky
No bundled charger
Expensive

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review

Display 6.80-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Front Camera 40-megapixel

Rear Camera 108-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 12

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: iPhone 14 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, OnePlus 10R, Vivo X80 Pro, Xiaomi 12, Orbital, Gadgets 360 Podcast, Podcast

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More