Best Phone Brands for 2022

In our mind, Samsung is the best phone brand you can choose in 2022. It produces excellent phones across a range of prices and has even managed to improve its lackluster record of software updates.

Apple and Google are both hot on Samsung's heels – the two tech giants each produce fantastic phone brands with the ubiquitous iPhone and the ever-evolving Google Pixel series. And while OnePlus and Motorola aren't top choices for many, they represent excellent options — both flagship and budget — for those looking to branch out from the typical top three.

Of course, while individual phone models are important, picking the right phone brand will help you get a long-term insight into how your phone will be supported in the years to come.

The smartphones market has never been more competitive, and all of the phone brands mentioned above have some fantastic (and not so fantastic) devices to choose between.

In the table below, we've rounded up our top choices for the best phones you can buy at the moment across a range of top phone brands:

We also look at the best phone brand by budget. So whether you're looking to spend less than $300 or three times that, we'll help you find the perfect phone.

• Best Phones under $300
• Best Phones under $500
• Best Phones under $750
• Best Phones around $1,000

Phone Brands Compared

No phone brand is perfect, and each comes with a set of pros and cons. Samsung phones have great hardware, but sometimes have issues when it comes to Android and its own UI. Apple, by contrast, has fantastic integration between hardware and its own operating system, but its phones are notoriously expensive.

Let’s take an in-depth look at each phone brand:

Samsung Phones

The Korean brand manages to produce brilliant phones across a range of prices – something few other companies can achieve. Whether you want to splurge on a wallet-busting Galaxy S22 Ultra, or scrimp on a Galaxy A53, or fold it up with the Galaxy Z Fold3, there’s something for everyone.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G

Arguably the best phone on the market at the moment, the S21 Ultra 5G is a true tour de force with class-leading hardware and Samsung's typical “more-is-more” approach to features.

The S22 Ultra comes with a huge 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 3088×1440 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate for super-smooth scrolling. The S22 Ultra's screen even has curved edges to make it feel even smaller in your hand. What's more, the S22 Ultra's display is HDR10+ enabled and can manage a very impressive 1750 nits of brightness.

The S22 Ultra comes with the latest and super-powerful Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. You can also choose between 8GB and 12GB of RAM — foregoing the unnecessary 16GB option of its predecessor.

The S22 Ultra comes with four rear cameras: a 10Mp periscope lens for up to 10x optical zoom, another 10Mp telephoto lens, a 12Mp ultrawide lens, and a crazy 108Mp main lens for remarkable levels of detail. You can also record up to 8K video at an admittedly sluggish 24fps. 4K videos, however, can be recorded at up to 60fos and you can record 240fps slow-mo videos at 1080p. Round the front, you get a 40Mp selfie camera that can record up to 4K resolution video at 60fps.

The S22 Ultra has a huge 5,000 mAh battery and can support up to 45W fast charging.

Prices start from a cool $1,199.

Samsung Galaxy A53

The Samsung A53 might not grab headlines in the same way that Samsung's other phones do, but it is a very impressive phone from the South Korean company.

Prices start from just $449.99 but you get a lot of value for your money. For starters, you get a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

It has four rear cameras, including a 64Mp main lens, a 12Mp ultrawide, and 5Mp depth and macro lenses for portrait modes and extreme close-ups, respectively. Round the front, there's a 32Mp lens — both the front and rear cameras will let you record 4K video at 30fps, while the rear lens will also let you record 1080p video at 60fps.

The A53 is no slouch, either, and is powered by the Samsung Exynos 1280 processor with 8GB or 12GB of RAM to choose from. It also comes with a 5000 mAh battery with 25W fast charging which should give you 50% battery life with just half an hour's charging.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3

If you're in the market for a foldable phone, you can't do much better than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3. It's quite expensive, but it offers a unique experience and is widely considered one of the first foldable phones to really get it right.

Folded, the device offers a surprisingly respectable 6.2-inch OLED display with admittedly lackluster 2268×832 resolution. Unfolded, the Z Fold3 boasts a whopping 7.6-inch OLED display with the improved 2208×1768 resolution. Both offer 12oHz, which is always great for that smooth scrolling experience.

There's is no crease, but it's certainly less pronounced than previous models', which could be easily seen from space.

Naturally, the Galaxy Z Fold3 has some serious brawn to go with its brains. It uses Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and a very healthy 12GB of RAM. It also has a large 5000 mAh battery and has 45W fast charging.

Despite the foldable design, you're still getting the impressive cameras expected from Samsung, including another 108Mp main rear sensor and 10Mp periscope and telephoto options, along with the 12MP ultrawide lens. Around the front, you get a single 40Mp selfie camera.

If the Galaxy Z Fold3 sounds like the kind of phone you need, you'll need to pay upwards of $1,799.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

The iPhone 13 Pro is the latest iteration of Apple's popular device, adding a better chip, a better camera system, and a better display that should get you to buy another one.

The iPhone 13 Pro is equipped with Apple's A15 Bionic chip, which has notably improved the experience on Apple devices. It promises, with good reason, to be the most powerful processor of any phone on sale. Its 5G-ready and is paired with 6GB of RAM, the most of any iPhone ever, for speedy performance.

It has a 6.1-inch OLED display with 2532×1170 resolution which supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision for excellent visuals. When it comes to cameras, the 13 Pro has three 12Mp rear lenses comprising on standard wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens, and an ultrawide unit. Round the front it gets a 12Mp depth sensing lens.

However, its battery isn't the biggest at 3095 mAh. Apple doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to battery life, so make sure to take that into consideration before paying the $999 for this device.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

While the iPhone 13 Pro is an exceptional phone, sometimes you need something a bit bigger, which is where the iPhone 13 Pro Max comes in handy.

This hefty device boasts a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 2532×1170 resolution — which you'll likely recognize, as it's the same as the iPhone 12, except for the size, of course. You also get access to the same A15 Bionic processor as iPhone 13 Pro users do.

Admittedly, the price can be a bit intimidating, particularly when you aren't getting much more than a bigger screen. The iPhone 13 Pro Max still just has the three 12Mp rear cameras — an ultrawide, a telephoto, and a wide angle.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max will cost you $1,099 today.

Apple iPhone 13 Mini

The iPhone 13 Mini is, by some margin, the smallest new iPhone on sale — boasting a mere 5.2-inch AMOLED display.

A nostalgia play that works great for people with small hands, the iPhone 13 Mini is reminiscent of much older devices, which were significantly smaller and more manageable as a handheld device. You miss out on some key features with that size though, as it only offers a dual camera system, 12MP wide and ultrawide options, as well as the 12MP selfie camera on the front.

You still get the A15 chip though, even if it is paired with the 2438 mAh battery, which is decidedly small by the standards of this list.

But hey, at $699 for an iPhone, you could do a lot worse.

Verdict – Apple iPhones may be expensive, but they’re excellent across the board, except for battery life

Google Pixel 6

The Pixel 6 is Google's current (but soon to be replaced) flagship. However, it isn't that much more expensive than the 5a 5G, costing just $599. Admittedly, that isn't a typical flagship price, but Google seems to be shying away from competing toe-to-toe with the big guns and instead focusing on offering better value.

The Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch OLED display with a 2400×1080 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It's the first device powered by the Google Tensor chip, which definitely provides an improved experience with its already stellar software. It also comes in 8 GB of RAM.

But, again, we come back to the cameras. The Pixel 6 has dual rear lenses: a 50Mp main lens and a 12Mp ultrawide lens. You can record 4K videos at up to 60fps or 1080p videos at up to 240fps for really nice slow-mos.

Google Pixel 5a 5G

The Pixel 5a 5G is a very impressive phone that doesn't cost a huge amount of money.

For just $449 you'll get a 5G-ready phone with the zippy Snapdragon 765G processor and 6GB of RAM. You get two rear-facing cameras: a 12.2Mp main lens and a 16Mp ultrawide lens. Round the front, you get a single 8Mp punch hole camera.

The screen is a 6.34-inch OLED with a 2400×1080 resolution. There's no high refresh rate here — at only 60 Hz — but, for less than $500, that isn't too much of an issue.

Of course, the main draw is Google's software. The camera smarts are fantastic, with brilliant low-light shots and remarkable post-shot editing. You'll also get the fastest Android software updates and a completely unblemished experience.

OnePlus 10 Pro

The OnePlus 10 Pro is the consummate flagship phone for 2022. It has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 3216×1440 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It also is HDR10+ compatible and can reach a peak brightness of 1,300 nits.

It uses the latest Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, with 5G connectivity and 8GB of RAM. You also get a 5000 mAh battery and a choice of either 65W or 80W(!) fast charging which will give you 100% battery faster than most devices on this list.

You also four rear cameras that have all been tuned by Hasselblad, the Swedish camera experts whose cameras took the pictures on the Apollo 11 moon landings. You get a 48Mp standard wide-angle lens, a 50Mp ultrawide lens, an 8Mp tele module. You can record 8K video at 30fps or 4K video at up to 120fps. There's an impressive 32Mp selfie snapper, too.

However, the OnePlus 9 Pro is pricey — it'll set you back at least $899.

OnePlus Nord N20 5G

OnePlus' Nord series is its new attempt to make impressive and affordable phones. The N20 5G, in this instance, costs just $282.

You get a 6.4-inch 2400×1080 AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It uses the Snapdragon 695 5G processor, with 6GB of RAM.

Like the other phones on this list, the Nord N20 5G also gets three rear-facing cameras including a 64Mp main lens and 2Mp depth and macro sensors. For selfies, you get a 16Mp camera.

However, you do lose out on some build quality — the Nord N20 5G has a plastic back and plastic frame which will likely make it feel like cheaper than other phones on this list. But at the price, you can't expect much more.

Motorola Phones

You might think of Motorola as a brand relegated to the smartphone cemetery, but you’d be wrong. The brand that gave us the iconic RAZR is still knocking out some incredible mid-range phones, which are well worth taking a look at.

Motorola Edge+

The Edge is a solid phone from Motorola. It has a decent set of features and costs just under $900. Fortunately, the screen, which is sharp and comes with a staggering 144Hz refresh rate, did away with the sides that curve to almost 90-degrees on either side, which many felt made its predecessor difficult to use and hold.

The Edge+ remains a pretty powerful with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SM8450 processor, with 8GB of RAM.

When it comes to cameras, the Edge+ has a 50Mp main rear lens, a 50Mp ultrawide lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. Round the front, you get a 60Mp hole punch camera.

If you want an interesting but good-looking phone, Motorola has you covered here.

Moto G Stylus 5G

The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G offer a stylus experience at a low price, a difficult combination to come by in the smartphone world. At only $299, this phone offers a surprisingly impressive set of features, and doesn't have any notably missing dealbreakers, which really is shocking at this price.

The 5000 mAh battery will last a long time, although the 10W charging is pretty disappointing, but expected for under $300. You're getting a massive 6.8-inch OLED display at 2460×1080 resolution, and the MediaTek Helio G88 processor with 6GB of RAM.

It's worth noting that the Moto G Stylus 5G isn't waterproof and only runs Android 11, so you'll be slightly stuck in the past, but again, the price point makes it a reasonable trade off.

Aside from all that, you also get three rear-facing cameras: a 48MP main lens, an 8MP ultrawide, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. You also get a 16Mp selfie camera.

Motorola Razr 5G

Perhaps the biggest surprise phone of recent years is Motorola's resurrection of the iconic 2000s flip phone as a high-tech new handset with a folding display, and the second-generation option is nothing to scoff at.

It is not nearly as expensive as its predecessor — prices start at $999. But you do get, arguably, the most interesting-looking phone on sale at the moment.

Its small outer screen is 2.7-inches and will let you get a glimpse of the time and any notifications you might have. The larger inner display stands at 6.2-inches tall and has a 2142 x 876 resolution. It uses the Snapdragon 765G processor with 8GB RAM.

For cameras, the RAZR gets a 48Mp wide-angle lens just below (or above) the smaller outer screen. Above the inner screen, you get a 20Mp wide-angle lens to help you take selfies. However, given the folding screen, you can also use the main camera as a selfie camera without opening the phone up. The RAZR also gets a pretty small battery — just 2800 mAh.

The RAZR's specs aren't the most enticing but, frankly, you don't buy the RAZR for specs, you buy it for the design.