For a few years, smartphones have been on a persistent path to reaching higher quality in mobile photography. Led by the iPhone, the trend is renewed every year with incremental changes that are mostly evolutionary and heavily rely on software optimization.
The 10 best smartphones of 2022: photography is still the key
As the year ends, we take a look at the best top-tier smartphones released in 2022, to understand the underlying design trends and what really moves the market.
All in all, the Pixel 7 Pro is the best device that hardcore Android fans should buy. The Pixel 7, its smaller brother, is also a great smartphone that packs most of the AI-based capabilities of its larger sibling while keeping a much more affordable price point.
While the jury's still out on the actual UX advantage of the Dynamic Island, it's clear that Apple's still leading the pack when it comes to photo and video.
It's not just the resolution. Apple's new Photonic Engine is an incredible feat of computational photography, enhancing the iPhone Pro's capabilities well beyond the simple hardware advantage.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro packs not one, not two, but three 50MP cameras: a wide-angle lens, an ultrawide lens, and 2X zoom. The main one is a pretty visible design element, and it's the only one featuring a larger glass and the new Sony IMX707 sensor. The camera unit protrudes from the back in a rounded rectangle shape. It contributes to a generally neat design, but it's nothing that we haven't seen before in other brands' phones. As per this year's trends, the screen has curved borders.
We decided to keep the 12 Pro on our list instead of the more recent 12T Pro because we believe this device is still a better, more balanced, and more capable smartphone for videos and photos.
The smartphone introduced a new lens with a mechanical iris that can change its aperture value just like a real camera, plus a series of innovations that would put this phone lightyears ahead of the Android competition. Unfortunately, that's not enough, as the lack of Google's GMS services still cripples the device and makes it a tough sell outside of China.
That's exactly what the Z Fold4 and the Z Flip4 are. Virtually indistinguishable from the previous model, except for some minor ergonomics and screen size enhancements, they're mature and capable smartphones.
While not as exciting as when they first came out, the Galaxy Z devices are a valid alternative for anyone who wants a device that sets itself apart from the smartphone canon we've all been used to for over a decade.
With a somewhat controversial decision, Motorola's designers departed from the earlier nostalgic look in favor of a new design that puts the latest smartphone in the middle between the 2019 RAZR and Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip.
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- Andrea Nepori
- 24 November 2022
2022 marks no difference in how phones manufacturers are tying the fortunes of their flagships to computational photography enhancements. Cameras are still a significant design element in shaping devices that have become virtually indistinguishable when lying flat on a desk, with their display pointed upwards.
Display quality is also a big selling point for almost all of the top-tier Android phones of 2022, with curved screen edges experiencing a surprising comeback after a couple of upgrade cycles. Last but not least: size. All Android manufacturers still believe that flagship means larger, bigger, heavier, and Apple axing the iPhone mini lineup in favor of a new plus model just confirmed the trend. All the top-tier smartphones of 2022 feature massive bright screens and large batteries, and weight often more than the pocket-safe threshold of 200g.
Carl Pei's new tech boutique Nothing launched its first smartphone during the summer. The aptly named "Phone 1" is a little jewel of design and thoughtful minimalism. It sports a creatively illuminated back and an interesting in-brand customization of Android as the operating system. At the same time, it's an average smartphone that won't qualify as a flagship killer. Despite the boutique aspiration of the brand, the price's pretty enticing, though, as it undercuts most of the competing Android smartphones in the mid-tier.
Google's new flagship phablet comes with a refined design, a new zoom lens, and the latest Google proprietary chip, the Tensor G2. While the Pixel 7 Pro is a capable phone with high-end hardware, the real magic is in the software, as it's customary with Google AI-powered devices. Android 13 shines as Google intended, the software-based camera features are impressive, and photo and video quality is excellent, once again proving that the computational aspect is what can really make photography great on a smartphone.
All in all, the Pixel 7 Pro is the best device that hardcore Android fans should buy. The Pixel 7, its smaller brother, is also a great smartphone that packs most of the AI-based capabilities of its larger sibling while keeping a much more affordable price point.
The new iPhone 14 lineup is an evolutionary upgrade of the 2021 iPhone 13 models. The iPhone 14 Pro, though, does pack a series of interesting new features, sporting a new Dynamic Island in place of the notch and an extremely capable 48 Megapixel sensor under the primary camera.
While the jury's still out on the actual UX advantage of the Dynamic Island, it's clear that Apple's still leading the pack when it comes to photo and video.
It's not just the resolution. Apple's new Photonic Engine is an incredible feat of computational photography, enhancing the iPhone Pro's capabilities well beyond the simple hardware advantage.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro packs not one, not two, but three 50MP cameras: a wide-angle lens, an ultrawide lens, and 2X zoom. The main one is a pretty visible design element, and it's the only one featuring a larger glass and the new Sony IMX707 sensor. The camera unit protrudes from the back in a rounded rectangle shape. It contributes to a generally neat design, but it's nothing that we haven't seen before in other brands' phones. As per this year's trends, the screen has curved borders.
We decided to keep the 12 Pro on our list instead of the more recent 12T Pro because we believe this device is still a better, more balanced, and more capable smartphone for videos and photos.
If you want just another confirmation that users are the real victims of the U.S. administration's thermonuclear war on Huawei, look no further than the company's latest flagship, the Mate 50 Pro.
The smartphone introduced a new lens with a mechanical iris that can change its aperture value just like a real camera, plus a series of innovations that would put this phone lightyears ahead of the Android competition. Unfortunately, that's not enough, as the lack of Google's GMS services still cripples the device and makes it a tough sell outside of China.
Samsung is still the uncontested leader in the foldable smartphone market. However, all it takes to keep winning in this segment are consistent evolutionary upgrades to the company's foldable models, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip.
That's exactly what the Z Fold4 and the Z Flip4 are. Virtually indistinguishable from the previous model, except for some minor ergonomics and screen size enhancements, they're mature and capable smartphones.
While not as exciting as when they first came out, the Galaxy Z devices are a valid alternative for anyone who wants a device that sets itself apart from the smartphone canon we've all been used to for over a decade.
Along with Samsung, Motorola is the only brand with an established foldable lineup in the European Market. The new 2022 edition of the RAZR is a compelling evolution of the clamshell foldable smartphone that introduces a creaseless inner display and packs a flagship Snapdragon processor.
With a somewhat controversial decision, Motorola's designers departed from the earlier nostalgic look in favor of a new design that puts the latest smartphone in the middle between the 2019 RAZR and Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip.
The latest Find X smartphone from Oppo is a camera powerhouse. The Chinese company didn't go for the most current sensors, betting instead on a new proprietary chip, the Marisilicon X, to level up the quality of pictures and video through improved onboard image processing. It's an interesting take, paired with an original "organic" design for the back and the camera unit, whose irregular but harmonious shape integrates seamlessly with the phone's ceramic back.
Magic4 Pro is Honor's first major bet on the European flagship smartphone market since it severed its ties with Huawei. Despite Honor's newfound independence, which made it possible for the company to feature Google services on its phone again, the Magic4 Pro clearly takes some major design cues from the Huawei Mate 50, with a circular camera design and a wide body, paired with a large curved display in the front.
For its first foray into flagship territory, Realme partnered with the Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa. The back of the GT2 Pro is made from a biopolymer plastic that Fukasawa designed to reproduce the feel of paper. Details aside, the general design is heavily inspired by the OnePlus 9 Pro design, especially for the camera unit in the back. One big anti-trend from Realme is the choice to go for a flat display in the front.