The best phones we’ve tested this year

All things considered, the best phone you can buy right now is the iPhone 13 Pro. Apple’s latest high-end phone is reliable, takes great pictures, and comes in a duo of sizes so you can go big or small depending on your tastes.

The iPhone 13 Pro shines in a number of areas – though that shouldn’t really come as a surprise considering it’s also one of the priciest phones around. The camera is usually one of the main reasons to buy an iPhone, and that remains the case here. We prefer the more realistic, natural images from the iPhone 13 Pro compared to slightly too vivid results from the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, while Apple’s flagship produces comfortably more pleasing, stable video than both Samsung’s latest effort and the Google Pixel 6 Pro.

The overdue addition of a fast and smooth 120Hz ProMotion display – a feature common on just about every new Android phone now – gives a bit more zip to scrolling, while the screen itself just shines with excellent colours and high levels of brightness, greatly impressing our reviewer.

Updates are also handled better on iPhones than on their Android peers. The fast A15 Bionic not only makes the fastest phone on this list, but it’ll allow for multiple years of software and security updates, making the iPhone 13 Pro a sound investment for the long-term; in fact it’s already been confirmed to be one of the first iPhones to be upgraded to iOS 16 when it fully launches later this year.

The iPhone 13 Pro comes in two sizes; the regular 6.1-inch model is small enough for many to use one-handed, and is ideal if big and potentially unwieldy phones aren’t your thing. The larger iPhone 13 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch display and is a better choice for those who watch a lot of videos or play games, making good use of that extra screen space. The Max size is also our pick if battery life is important, as we’ve found it comfortably outperforms the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Pixel 6 Pro and Oppo Find X5 Pro.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: iPhone 13 Pro Review

For some, the fact our pick for the best phone runs iOS means that it is not really a choice at all. For those that want the very best of what Android has to offer, we don’t think you can go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

It might be an S series smartphone in name, but really this is the next-generation Galaxy Note – and that means it’s the only handset on this list to boast an integrated stylus. The S Pen lets you doodle, jot down shopping lists or navigate the UI with a dinky pen – you can’t do that on the iPhone 13 Pro.

Samsung’s latest effort doesn’t always come out on top in all photographic situations, but it does comfortably leave the competition in the dust when it comes to zoom. If you push the duo of telephoto zoom as far as 10x, you’ll find that the results are far crisper and more usable than those of the iPhone 13 Pro and the Pixel 6.

Our reviewer praised the high-res display on the S22 Ultra for its accurate colours and beautiful representation of HDR video. We were also impressed with the excellent performance for both gaming and general use thanks to the top-end chipsets. It might not be able to match the iPhone 13 Pro for pure speed (both in Geekbench scores and our user experience), but really it’s not too far off.

However, the S22 Ultra does leave a little to be desired in its battery performance. This might not be so bad compared to other high-end Android phones like the Oppo Find X5, but it doesn’t last anywhere near as long in normal usage as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Our reviewer managed to, in some cases, get through two days with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, while the S22 Ultra only just made it until the end of day one. Considering the size of both phones, this is a bit of a shame.

If you want a slightly cheaper – but still very capable – Android superphone then the outgoing Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra remains an admirable performer with an overall design that we actually prefer to the newer model.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review

For the sub £600/$600 price, we reckon there’s no better all-around Android choice than the Pixel 6. It has the best-looking software of any phone we have reviewed – yes, including the iPhone 13 – and uses Google’s excellent imaging skills to snap incredible low-light pictures that give the far more expensive flagships from Apple and Samsung a run for their money. If you want clear and bright snaps taken at night in bars and restaurants, then the Pixel 6 is a great pick.

Even though it’s lighter on the wallet, the Pixel 6 still has plenty of handy features. There’s wireless charging, an IP68 rating to protect against accidental splashes, and a bright and accurate screen. It’s not a small phone by any means, but it has dinkier dimensions than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, making it easier to hold comfortably.

Pixel phones are also great because they get the latest software updates straight from Google far quicker than the competition, and often for much longer. The four years of updates here gives you new features, and longer-term protection than similarly-priced phones.

There’s a larger, Pro version of the Pixel 6 too. For the extra £150/$200, you get better battery life, a bigger 6.7-inch display that’s a little bit sharper and three, rather than two, cameras. We do like the Pro a lot, but it doesn’t quite represent the great value for money of the smaller Pixel 6 based on our experience using the two.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Google Pixel 6 Review

Just as the Pixel 6 represents a more affordable Pixel 6 Pro, the iPhone 13 packs in many of the iPhone 13 Pro’s features at an appealingly lower price. If you’re coming from the iPhone 11 or older and are happy with that size of handset, then we’d say the iPhone 13 represents a strong upgrade on your current smartphone.

If you’re stuck deciding between this one or its superior sibling, then we’d recommend you go for the Pro model if you want the added versatility of the zoom camera (a feature missing here), or would benefit from the faster ProMotion display in high-end gaming sessions.

Still, the iPhone 13 is just as fast as the Pro model in benchmark tests and should get the same amount of software updates over the next few years as well. It runs the same iOS and has access to the same apps and games, and is also due to be upgraded to iOS 16 later this year. It doesn’t, however, come in a Max size – just a small 5.4-inch model and a still quite small 6.1-inch variant. If you want a big screen for video content then this simply isn’t right for you, and you should instead check out the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Bear in mind that the next model in the series, the iPhone 14, is due to be released in September or October this year in case you’d rather wait and see what benefits the new generation could bring to the range.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: iPhone 13 Review

Sitting below the Galaxy S22 Ultra in Samsung’s 2022 range of flagship devices, the Galaxy S22 Plus rids itself of a few of the pricier phone’s luxury features but comes in at a lower price. The display, for example, is 1080p rather 1440p so it’s not quite as sharp, while the camera array isn’t as extensive. You also miss out on the S Pen and the curved display.

If you’re happy with those omissions then we can easily recommend the S22 Plus as one of the best Android phones we’ve tested, especially if you’re familiar with previous Samsung phones.

The S22 Plus is a large phone, though it is marginally smaller and easier to slip into a pocket than the Ultra or the iPhone 13 Pro Max; however, it can’t match the Apple flagships for endurance. We managed to consistently get through the day with the S22 Plus, but it’s not a multi-day phone by any means

The three rear cameras offer lots of versatility, and images don’t look too different from the Ultra. Samsung loves to push up the colour saturation in its photo processing, so you’ll notice colours – especially reds and green – pop more than in the iPhone competition. These punchier colours look great on the phone’s bright OLED display.

Reviewer: Peter Phelps
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus review

If you’re unaware of Realme, then it’s certainly worth taking the brand seriously now it has launched the GT 2 Pro. For the price, this is a top Android phone that performs just as well as the Galaxy S22 Ultra in our range of benchmarking tests. Open up a game on the Realme GT 2 Pro, and it holds its own against much pricier competition.

It’s a similar story again with the display. We put the Realme GT 2 Pro next to the Pixel 6 and the 6.7-inch screen here is sharper, smoother when scrolling, and brighter in sunny conditions. It’s not quite on the level of the iPhone 13 Pro or S22 Ultra – but we wouldn’t expect that for this price.

In our charge tests, the GT 2 Pro impressed us again. Not only is there a charger in the box, but a full 0-100% charge only takes around 30 minutes, which is the fastest out of any phones included in this list.

Some sacrifices have been made to hit the desired price, but we don’t consider any of these to be a dealbreaker. The rear design lacks the glass finish of some of the top phones (though has an innovative paperlike texture in its place), while there’s no IP rating for protection against dust and water, and there’s also no wireless charging or telephoto camera for added versatility.

Reviewer: Tom Morgan
Full review: Realme GT 2 Pro review

Smartphones focusing purely on gaming are still very niche, but after a few years of being disappointed with what was on offer, we’ve finally been impressed by some of the gaming phones we’ve reviewed recently. 

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is, and we need to make this very clear, not for everyone – but if you like a gaming-focused aesthetic and highly prioritise performance over mobile photography for example, then by all means go ahead.

While you’ll get excellent gaming performance from an iPhone 13 Pro, Galaxy S22 Ultra or even the Pixel 6, the Asus ROG Phone 5 takes things up a notch with a ridiculously smooth 144Hz display, gaming accessories, and booming speakers. This one doesn’t have the latest Snapdragon silicon, so that likely means there’s a ROG Phone 6 set for release in the near future – but the performance remains excellent for now.

This is a bigger phone than many others on this list and as a result, it has a huge battery that puts it ahead of the Android competition. There are also a couple of touch-sensitive triggers on the top, letting you ditch the frequently underwhelming on-screen controls.

Reviewer: Basil Kronfli
Full review: Asus ROG Phone 5 Review