Editor’s pick – Marco’s Top 5 Smartphones of 2022

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It’s time for another Top 5 smartphones of 2022 my friends!

The curtains of 2022 are almost closing, and that year was certainly a ride. Since 2020, living is almost going on a rollercoaster every day! This year had everything to be stable if it wasn’t for a war that exploded in the first months affecting the entire world. If the pandemic that led to a crisis in the components shortage was not enough to affect the smartphone segment, the war and the ongoing economic inflation had affected. We still can say that this year was better for brands than the past two ones.

Despite the war, and the waves of COVID-19 in China that go back and forth, most of the brands have found ways to keep their phones coming at a stable pace. Despite all the issues, we had a lot of important releases in 2022 for the smartphone segment. Through this article, I’ll list the Top 5 Smartphones of 2022 for me.

In 2022, we have to say that the competition was tough in the flagship segment. Seriously, we had new flagships launching almost every month in 2022! Also, unlike previous years, the second half of the year was popularized by a myriad of phones. Unlike its “plus” predecessors, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 proved to be an undeniable success conquering all brands in the market.

Top 5 Smartphones of 2022

The mid-range segment also had a lot of important releases. 5G got even more popular in the low-end categories, and technologies like OIS started to become popular in this category. Also, 2022 was an important year for fast charging! We saw a lot of brands breaking the barriers of fast charging, crossing the unexplored 210W charging territory! For 2023, we expect even more impressive advancements! According to early reports, it will be an exciting year for lovers of the flagship-killer segment!

Through this article, I’ll list the 5 phones that were more relevant in my opinion. Obviously, this is an opinion article, and you may disagree with my choices. Feel free to leave your picks in the comments section below. Without further ado, let’s have a look at Marco’s pick of the Top 5 smartphones of 2022.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Top 5 Smartphones of 2022)

Okay, I’ll not start this list keeping a low profile. The year had a good start with Samsung introducing its Samsung Galaxy S22 series. Obviously, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was the most exciting phone in the gang.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, has a 108 MP main camera, and is the one with a huge 5,000 mAh battery. It also brings the largest display of the lineup, so it’s the perfect take for those who want productivity, but also want to enjoy multimedia and gaming on the smartphone. I’ve mentioned productivity right? Well, this phone was also important for one reason – It brings the Galaxy Note series back to the living!

Samsung decided to kill the Galaxy Note series, and the usual August Galaxy Unpacked event now serves to introduce new foldables. Now, the “Note series spirit” lives on in the Ultra. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra brought an S Pen slot with all the functionalities of the old Galaxy Note phones. If you’re a fan of the lineup that created the “phablet” concept, then you’ll agree with me. The Galaxy S22 Ultra was remarkable.

Motorola Edge 30 Ultra

I’ve written countless articles about this phone, no kidding! The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra appeared in the headlines quite often thanks to its mysterious “Fusion” codename. The device started to leak several months before its release. It promised a lot, and thankfully, delivered most of these promises!

The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra arrived as the world’s first smartphone with a 200 MP camera. It debuted the Samsung ISOCELL HP1 sensor, introducing a new level of crispness for lovers of mobile photography! This powerful sensor output a lot of different image sizes thanks to the pixel-binning technology.

Besides the powerful camera, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra was also one of the first phones with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. It brought a new level of performance when the segment was getting tired of the regular SD8 Gen 1 and its throttling issues.

The Moto Edge 30 Ultra also marks Motorola’s entrance into the fast-charging range – It was the brand’s first phone with 125W charging. The phone certainly put Motorola’s name back in the headlines, when it comes to the flagship range. The Moto Edge 30 Ultra was one of my Top 5 Smartphones of 2022, and I’m curious to see what the brand will bring in 2023.

Nothing Phone (1)

In this choice, I have to agree with my pal Freddy. The Nothing phone (1) may not be the most powerful or impressive phone of 2022, but it certainly had its importance! It was so important for me that got it s place among the Top 5 Smartphones of 2022.

The phone brought back some vibes to the old OnePlus! Even the name seems to follow the same principle…. but that is my theory! These are not mere coincidences, the brand was started by Carl Pei, one of the founders of OnePlus back in the days of the OnePlus One. There are a lot of conspiracy theories regarding Pei’s exit from the brand. Truth or not, OnePlus is now history for him. Now, the executive will try to build Nothing’s presence in the smartphone segment.

The Nothing phone follows some basic principles – It focuses on users’ experience, with a simple software take with useful features and long-term support. Nothing also tried to be innovative with the rear panel of the Nothing phone (1) with its fancy LEDs for notifications. Some will call this a gimmick, but at least it’s good to see new brands trying different things in a market that is full of devices that look the same.

Nowadays the hardware is more expensive than it was in the days of OnePlus. Therefore, Nothing could launch a flagship killer phone. Instead, the brand brought a premium mid-range phone with the Snapdragon 778G. You’ll also get a 50 MP dual-camera setup, an OLED screen, and fast charging. The icing on the cake is the long-term support. With this phone, you’ll get three years of Android updates. We don’t see this level of support, so usually, on phones that cost less than $400.

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Although I’m not the biggest Apple fan of the gang, I’m here to honor every feat that the company makes in the market. If there is a smartphone market, we still have to thank Steve Jobs and their innovation back in the days of the original iPhone… Let’s leave the nostalgic vibes behind, back in 2022, the iPhone 14 Pro Max was one of the most exciting Apple phones of recent times.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the leader of the gang, hence, it’s the most expensive one. The device along with its smaller sibling brings a new design language. Apple loves to be different and hates to follow other trends. Instead of adopting a simple punch-hole, the company decided to adopt a centered-pill-shaped punch-hole. Pill-shaped punch holes were a thing a few years ago, but we never saw a centered one. To be even more different, and somewhat innovative, the brand introduces Dynamic Island.

The Dynamic Island is one of the smartest uses I’ve seen for the punch-hole. There are a lot of custom apps and custom ROMs that try to give a function to the punch-holes. I’ve seen a couple of apps that create a battery circle around it to help users to handle their remaining juice. Well, Apple expands the notch with Dynamic Island. It shows relevant information, pop-up notifications, and more. Everything is in a seamless form and with fluid animations.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max also gets one of the best battery lives on iPhones. In fact, it obliterates some Android phones. It’s definitely the best pick for Apple fans, considering you’ll pay the high price. It deserves a place among the Top 5 Smartphones of 2022.

Realme GT Neo 3

I’ll finish this list with a flagship killer dubbed Realme GT Neo 3. With this phone, Realme started to leave the mid-range territory to reach higher heights with its Realme GT Neo series. The Realme GT Neo 3 series was the first Realme phone to leave that top-left punch-hole for a centered one. Honestly, this is enough to make it one of my favorite Realme phones! I hate, simply hate, top-left punch-holes. But I’m a lover of symmetry, and most users won’t mind that. Again, that’s just my personal opinion.

Moving on, the Realme GT Neo 3 brought the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 SoC which was a very powerful chipset, despite its pricing. The chipset offers almost the same performance as a Snapdragon 888 or 870. It allowed Realme to bring a cheaper product, but with a performance that won’t bring shame to a flagship party.

A push into the flagship killer segment

The Realme GT Neo 3 also introduced 150W fast charging, which was another of its appealing aspects. In fact, there are two versions – one has 150W and another one has 80W charging. The faster one gets a 4,500 mAh battery, the other has 5,000 mAh. It’s up to you to decide between more battery backup, or faster charging.

If you want a stellar camera performance, perhaps this is not the best phone for you. Anyway, I’m not saying that the camera setup isn’t good. It brings a good 50 MP camera with OIS, and another useful 8 MP ultrawide shooter. Of course, we have a decorative third sensor for depth sensing. There is no kind of advanced zoom with this phone, but we won’t find many devices with this feature in the $330 territory. It was one of the best phones in the entry-flagship segment and deserves a place among the top 5 Smartphones of 2022.

Conclusion – Top 5 Best smartphones of 2022

There were a lot of other good smartphones in 2022. We saw the arrival of new flagships and new technologies from other important players. Xiaomi, Oppo, and other players also had their mark in 2022. I’ve to say that at least for me, 2022, was not the most exciting year for fans of the mid-range segment. Anyway, recent phones like those in the Redmi Note 12 series show that we may see better options in 2023.