The best smartphones of 2022, tested and reviewed - this year I've personally fondled almost 90 new phones, boasting next-gen camera optics, gaming smarts and battery tech. From the best flagship Android mobiles up to 2023 to my favourite budget smartphones, here's the greatest devices from this year (in my eyes, anyway).
While a lot of handsets in 2022 have been minor evolutions of last year's models, a few have stood out as exceptional. The best camera phone award was a tricky one, because the Pixel 7 Pro, Vivo X80 Pro, Oppo Find X5 Pro etc have all performed impressively. We even saw some 200MP camera smartphones in 2022, including the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra and Xiaomi 12T Pro.
Likewise, this year saw the launch of brilliant budget phones like the Poco X4 Pro and Motorola G82 - plus rivals from OnePlus, Nokia and more. Bump up your price a little and you can get some of my favourite mid-range mobiles, including the Pixel 6a from Google and the slightly mental Nothing Phone 1.
So these are some of the best smartphones of 2022 in my own mind, but did I miss out your favourites? Bear in mind these are phones that aren't limited to China, so I skipped over the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and a few other notable blowers.
0:00 - Merry Christmas Mofos
0:48 - Worst phone of 2022
2:06 - Best compact smartphone
4:05 - Best foldable phone
5:14 - Oooh Lahdidah
5:49 - Best camera smartphone
6:48 - The obligatory Apple award
7:08 - Best gaming phone
7:50 - Greatest budget smartphone
8:33 - Best mid-range mobile
9:51 - My favourite flagship of 2022
