It’s been a busy year for smartphones with some truly excellent options released across the board, many of which push the boundaries and expand the capabilities – not only in terms of camera performance but power too.
With multiple models from many companies – Samsung has five, Apple four, and Google two alone – there is a lot of choice when it comes to picking the top phone. It’s always a hotly-contested category for the EE Pocket-lint Awards, stocked with excellent devices.
We’ve seen stunning displays, great improvements to folding phones and some seriously fast charging speeds, with some devices now charging in minutes rather than hours.
Flagship phone of the year: Apple iPhone 14 Pro
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The Apple iPhone 14 Pro absolutely smashed it out of the park this year, offering a fabulous build quality, upgrade in camera performance and a range of new features to play with.
Dynamic Island makes multitasking so much easier, whilst offering a new way to interact with your device, while the camera capabilities from the new 48-megapixel sensor were amazing. This is one tough category and the iPhone 14 Pro had some stiff competition but it takes the crown this year for genuinely delivering an amazingly well-rounded smartphone. It’s pricey but it is worth it.
Highly Commended: Google Pixel 7 Pro
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The Google Pixel 7 Pro might have been pipped to the top spot by the Apple iPhone 14 Pro this year, but make no mistake, it’s still an incredible device. Offering a clean software experience and at the front of the upgrade queue, it has one of the best cameras in the business.
There’s plenty of power, a great display all in a solid good-looking phone.
Read the Google Pixel 7 Pro review
The best of the rest
While the Apple iPhone 14 Pro took the top prize, with Google coming in a close second with the Pixel 7 Pro, the rest of the competition was fierce. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra of course needed a mention pulling in support for the S Pen and offering a great overall experience with a great camera. That wasn’t the only phone in the running, however, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 in contention and offering a refined folding phone experience. The top model from Oppo – the Find X5 Pro – also deserves its mention with a luxury design. Perhaps the outsider of the group is the ROG Phone 6 Pro. It’s a phone that’s dedicated to gaming, offers staggering battery life, great performance, and good value for money overall.
What are the Pocket-lint Awards?
The EE Pocket-lint Awards take place annually to celebrate the best of tech from the previous 12 months. Products need to be fully reviewed by the Pocket-lint team to be considered for the Awards, with judging taking place towards the end of the year. Through a process of longlisting and shortlisting, the panel of expert judges scores the devices to result in the overall winner and a Highly Commended runner-up.
The Pocket-lint Awards was run for 19th time in 2022.