2022 is over and I would say it was a pretty… corny year. Of course, it won’t always be an exciting year, but the fact that we’re back with last year’s phone, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, speaks for itself.
That doesn’t mean my favorites weren’t among this year’s crops. Here, in no particular order.
Asus Zenfone 9
Like last year, I want to start this list with Asus phones. This year, of course, it’s the Zenfone 9. I’ve always thought of a compact flagship, but I think Asus nailed it again, in fact the new Zenfone 9 is his prettiest phone of 2022. The design is very simple, but very elegant and premium.
It also ticks just about every box in a flagship phone for 2022, with the exception of the telephoto camera. But at least it offers a great camera experience for what it has.
Plus, I’m a big fan of clean Android software, and Asus’ ZenUI is probably one of the best in this regard. It feels stock, but it still offers some advanced and geeky unique features. Battery life is surprisingly long, better than some larger devices with bigger batteries.
google pixel 7 pro
A clean Android is just one of the reasons I love the Pixel 7 Pro. The camera, of course, is something else – I loved the handling of stills. And I like it very much.
I also like how smart this phone is. Google’s AI-powered features like call screening, speech-to-text conversion and vice versa are just as good at extracting images and text from photos. Pixel 7 Pro is the true definition of a smartphone.Or at least I think it’s the closest we got smartphone.
If it weren’t for its limited market availability, I’d probably be rocking the Pixel 7 Pro right now. After all, speech recognition software has its limits.
And while quirky, I really like this year’s design, though it’s pretty much the same as the 6 series. are not suffering from any hardware and/or software problems.
The diminutive Pixel 7 receives an honorable mention because it’s a compact flagship with a solid feature set and surprisingly competitive price.
pixel 6a
I’m not a Pixel fanboy. Don’t get me wrong. Still, there’s no denying that the Pixel is a pretty good smartphone for him this year. Other than the Pixel 6a, I can’t think of any mid-ranger that stood out this year.
It’s affordable, runs on Google’s flagship SoC from last year, offers a flagship-grade camera experience, has all the benefits of Google phones in terms of software updates, and is a well-rounded phone overall. . If it’s available in your country, you should definitely consider it.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
I currently have a Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and I am very disappointed that the 12S Ultra is not available outside of China. He’s lucky enough to have the 12S Ultra in his hands and it’s a great phone.
It has all the features and is arguably the best camera phone on the market.
Also, I’m a big fan of design. The synthetic leather and circular camera module are very unique and the surface feels nice to the touch. Offers better grip and possibly better durability than standard glass sandwich builds.
I also recently fell in love with Xiaomi’s MIUI. It’s feature-packed, sleek, customizable, and blazingly fast.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Like most of my colleagues, I’m picking the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra as one of my favorite phones for 2022. That’s not because we’re getting Bugatti for free from the South Korean tech giant, but because the S22 Ultra is the closest thing we have. A no-compromise flagship this year. It’s the phone that finally consolidates the Note and S lineups and offers an overall unbeatable product.
With so many features, it’s hard not to appeal to the masses. Hell, it even has two telephoto focal lengths, and that’s one of the best things about this phone.
This software is one of the big reasons I love this year’s Ultra. One UI is sleeker than ever, has a lot of really useful features, and is probably the best custom Android skin designed for one-handed use. This was One UI’s first major selling point years ago, and it remains true to its roots.
One criticism I have about One UI 5.0 is that while it feels much smoother than its predecessor, it’s still a bit slow compared to its competitors. but most other Android iterations, if not all, feel faster and more responsive.
Still, most people won’t notice the difference, and I don’t think they care as much as I do.
Hopefully, 2023 will bring us more innovative and attractive mobile phones, but more importantly, my favorite mobile phones will be released globally.
