For best phones, try these
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro (and its more basic sibling, the iPhone 14) have impressed us already with excellent performance from the processor and the camera. But if you’re not after the best iPhone around, you still have plenty of choices, including the Pixel 6 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. They both offer everything you could want in a device, from high-end performance to a beautiful camera, and Android users looking for the best around would be smart to put one in their pockets.
The sheer amount of smartphone competition means you get great options at whatever price suits your budget, regardless of whether your biggest concern is an AMOLED display, 5G data or a cracking camera.
To help you figure out the best of the best, we rounded up our picks for the best phone to buy in 2022. The phones below are three of our top picks. For the full list, check out CNET’s Best phones to buy for 2022 at cnet.co/3yboZHr.
THE BEST IPHONE YOU CAN BUY: APPLE IPHONE 14 PRO
Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max introduce sweeping changes like the Dynamic Island, a new 48-megapixel camera system and Apple’s new A16 Bionic processor. All the upgrades come together to make for an experience that feels fresh and fast. The upgrades to the main camera allow it to take some truly stunning photos, making the phone a solid option for those of you into mobile photography.
As Apple’s top phone, it doesn’t come cheap — especially if you want the larger Max model — but if you’re looking for the best all-around performance in an iPhone, then the 14 Pro is the phone to get.
BEST ANDROID PHONE: SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 ULTRA
Samsung’s latest flagship superphone, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, has an impressive lineup of specs, including a quadruple rear camera, a big, vibrant display and the S Pen stylus you might remember from the Galaxy Note series. It comes with a high price, but those of you looking for one of the best Android phones around should have this on your short list.
TOP IPHONE RIVAL:
GOOGLE PIXEL 6 PRO
The Google Pixel 6 Pro’s unique design, great software additions, superb camera quality and solid all-around performance have already earned the phone an excellent rating in our full review. With performance that’s every bit as good as its design, it’s the best phone Google has ever made. The main camera is on par with the best iPhones. And at $899 for the base 128GB model, it trounces its premium phone rivals in price. Bear in mind, too, that Google’s Pixel 7 is just around the corner, so those of you eyeing the Pixel 6 Pro right now might be wise to wait a couple of weeks to see what Google has in store.