The past 12 months have been relatively innocent for Android, but there have been highlights. We asked you what you rate as your “Phone of the Year” for 2022 and now we have a winner…
After hundreds of smartphone releases in addition to losing one major player under the guise of LG, we narrowed down the choice to 27 of the biggest and best launched in 2022. To be fair, our shortlist included devices from all sides of the price spectrum . Since this one readers’ choiceyou have chosen your favorite devices of 2022.
Phone of the Year 2022 – Google Pixel 7 Pro
It hardly comes as much of a shock that the Google Pixel 7 Pro swept up the competition to win our readers’ poll for Phone of the Year 2022. With a whopping 40% of the public vote, Google’s biggest and best flagship yet has held the top spot in our community survey for years.
By focusing on fixing some of the persistent issues that plagued the Pixel 6 series, Google made a borderline-perfect Pixel. Add some major upgrades including the camera, fingerprint scanner and even some tweaks to the screen.
At $899, the Pixel 7 Pro hasn’t increased in price, but it’s better in almost every area. A worthy winner in our eyes.
Second place – Google Pixel 7
With almost 20% of our public vote, the Pixel 7 Come is second only to the Pixel 7 Pro. Coming second to the bigger and arguably better Google smartphone is no great disgrace. There are some advantages, including a much lower asking price and a flat panel display.
There are some downgrades, including a 90Hz screen, the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens, and a smaller size. Being smaller than the competition is a major selling point and one of the main reasons we recommend the Pixel 7 as one of the best entry-level flagship phones on the market today.
Third place – Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
A worthy third place was awarded by you, our readers, to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. With 10% of our readers’ votes, the S22 Ultra is something of a hybrid that combines features from the Note series, such as the integrated S Pen. It does this while retaining all the trappings of an exceptional Galaxy S series phone, including one of the best zoom cameras on a smartphone to date and super update promises from the Korean tech giant.
This is all backed up by the typical flashy Samsung style with beautiful colors to choose from and one of the very best screens on a smartphone to date. Despite releasing in early 2022, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has stuck there as one of the best money can buy.
Fourth place – Google Pixel 6a
Capping off an ordinary super year for Google, the Google Pixel 6a rounds out the lineup and only Samsung’s best of 2022 prevents a clean slate from happening. With just over 6% of your votes, the 6a offers last year’s flagship Tensor processor and five years of security updates, along with the first in-display fingerprint scanner on an A-series device.
Priced at $449, a few things have been downgraded to accommodate the lower entry-level prices. A 60Hz screen and the return of dual 12-megapixel rear cameras are noteworthy. Glass has been replaced with polycarbonate, making the Pixel 6a feel cheaper than the Pixel 6 and 7 series.
Fifth Place – Nothing Phone (1)
A big shock to our reader survey was the inclusion of Carl Pei’s first smartphone – the Nothing Phone (1) – in the top five. With no presence in the United States, this was a big surprise. This is also the second mid-range phone to place in the top five of our “Phone of the Year” survey for 2022.
Powered by the Snapdragon 778G, the phone (1) is a decidedly mid-range Android phone, but with a twist. The clear chassis and Glyph lighting emphasize the industrial design. All this is supported by a lightweight Android build that resembles the Pixel software experience.
At less than $500, it’s a great alternative to the Pixel 6a – which took the Nothing Phone (1) to fourth place in our “Phone of the Year” ranking with 6% of your votes for it.
Complete results
Do you agree with our Reader’s Choice Awards? Let us know what your favorite phone of 2022 was in the comments section below.
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