Top-rated smartphones in 2022 for any budget

Because you deserve a phone that does everything, we test and rate the top phones. The best phones have great cameras and the power to multitask. They also have enough battery life to last a whole day. These phones should be enjoyable to use.

We test hundreds of smartphones in the lab and out in the real world in order to help you choose the right smartphone for you. To find the best cameras phones, we also compare them side-by side.

There are strong options at all price points so you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get something good. A solid mid-range phone can be had for less than $500 and still deliver all the features that you want.

There is something for everyone on our top phones list, from great deals to flagships that are worth the price premium. Based on our testing, we have ranked all of the top smartphones. These are the best smartphones currently available.

Which phones are the best?

The iPhone 13 Pro Max has been rated the best smartphone currently available. The phone boasts a 120Hz ProMotion screen and the best cameras. It also features a macro mode. We tested it with over 12 hours battery life.

Keep in mind, the iPhone 14 series and the iPhone 14 Pro are both just around the corner.

The $799 iPhone 13 is a great option for those who don’t want to spend more than $1,000 on a phone. This flagship phone is the most affordable at the moment. It has a brighter screen than the iPhone 12, and better wide and ultra-wide camera that are leaps ahead of Android phones. Plus, it boasts a blistering performance from A15 Bionic processor and a long battery life.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra Premium is Android’s top choice. It has the most vibrant and colorful display we tested, an S Pen that’s 70% faster and better cameras. The Galaxy S22 is a cheaper version of the Galaxy S series. It offers many of the same great features as the Ultra and Galaxy S22 Plus, but at a lower price.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 4 or Galaxy Z Flip 4 are available for purchase on August 26. The Fold 4 features a 50MP main camera with better resolution, a more durable display, and a new taskbar that allows for multitasking. The Z Flip 4 has a larger battery, a faster processor, and a Flex mode that is more advanced. Our top-rated phone is the Fold 4.

Android lovers should not overlook the OnePlus 10 Pro. This great update by OnePlus continues the improvements in camera quality that started with the OnePlus 9 series. For those who are serious about photography, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro would be the best choice.

The Pixel 6a costs $449, which is a great option for those looking for lower-cost options. The Pixel 6a has excellent cameras and offers the best Android phone performance at such a low price. The Samsung Galaxy A53, at $449, is an excellent option. The $429 iPhone SE (2022), is the best option for iPhone lovers.

1. iPhone 13 Pro Max
The top phone overall

A number of upgrades have helped the iPhone 13 Pro Max win the title of best smartphone. The new 6.7-inch ProMotion screen is a stunning 120Hz display for smooth animations. It also features an A15 Bionic chip that delivers incredible performance and a remarkable battery life of more than 12 hours during our web surfing test.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s cameras are among the best in their class thanks to better sensors that capture more light, and a new photographic styles feature that allows you to modify the look of your photos. The best camera features include a macro mode that allows you to capture amazing close-ups, and a Cinematic mode that creates a captivating bokeh effect with automatic focusing.

2. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung’s best phone

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Android phone is for power users. The built-in S Pen works just like the Galaxy Note and offers 70% lower latency, which results in smoother performance. This 6.8-inch panel is the most impressive we have tested. It has a class-leading brightness level and color saturation. It’s great for viewing movies and shows outdoors.

Another reason to purchase the Galaxy S22 Ultra are the improvements in the camera. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a bigger main 108MP sensor, which allows in more light. This means brighter photos without the need to use Night mode. Even better photos can be taken with Night mode than the iPhone 13 Pro Max. You have a winner when you add in fast 45W charging and sleek design. But we wish the battery life was a little longer.

3. iPhone 13
The best phone price for money

The iPhone 13 is the best smartphone for the price. It offers a great camera experience in a small design. The main camera now gathers more light and the ultra-wide camera captures a greater portion of the scene. The powerful A15 Bionic processor gives Cinematic mode for video a Hollywood-like depth and focus.

The iPhone 12 also features a larger 6.1-inch screen and a smaller notch at the top, which gives you more screen real estate. Battery life is the biggest improvement. We saw 10.5 hours of battery endurance. This is an increase of more than 1.5 hours over the iPhone 12. This iPhone is a great choice for $799, with a 128GB base storage.

4. Google Pixel 6
Get the best Android experience at a great price

If you are looking for the best Android experience, the Google Pixel 6 is the smartphone to choose. This is especially true now that Google has begun using the Tensor chipset as the phone’s power source. Tensor is able to keep up with the Snapdragon 8888 in most top Android phones. But, more importantly, it provides the machine learning-driven experiences that make Google phones so unique.

Although the main lens is 50MP, the software powering the cameras includes Tensor, which allows you to remove people from your photos and Motion Mode, which makes action shots more dynamic. You can upgrade to the Pixel 6 Pro for $899 if you need a telephoto lens or a larger display.

This is $300 more than the Pixel’s starting price, and it also includes one of the best features of the phone. It is difficult to find a lower starting price for a premium device.

5. Google Pixel 6a
The Best Phones Under $500

The same Tensor processor powers the Google Pixel 6a. This means that the same AI-driven features found on the premium Pixel 6a phone are also available on the sub-$500 version. Google has added new capabilities to the Magic Erase photo editing tool.

The Pixel 6a continues the Google tradition of budget phones that offer superior photo-taking abilities. Although the Pixel 6a’s camera hardware is not the best, Google’s computational photography skills mean that the Pixel 6a’s photos will be better than similar-priced cameras. Some photos may be even better than those produced by a premium handset.

Although we wish the Pixel 6a had a longer battery life, sometimes you have to make compromises in order to get a lower price. The best thing about the Pixel 6a? Those sacrifices are rare.

6. Samsung Galaxy A53
Android lovers will love this low-cost phone

The Galaxy A53 is one the most affordable phones that you can purchase for less than $500. That’s at least until Google’s Pixel 6a arrives so we can test its cameras. The Galaxy A53’s fast-refreshing display and expandable storage will be a big plus even after that. The A53 is one of many phones that doesn’t have a fast refresh rate. Many phone manufacturers also sacrifice microSD expansion slots.

In our camera testing, the Galaxy A53 was able to keep up with the Pixel 5a. However, it could not match the output of Google’s phone. The battery life of the Galaxy A53 is average, but the Exynos 1280 chipset that powers it can keep up with mid-range Android devices. The Galaxy A53 is a great value for $449. There are very few trade-offs with its low price.

7. iPhone 13 Pro
This flagship is a powerhouse with great battery life

The 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max is the perfect phone for those who want the same power as the iPhone 13 Pro Max but in a smaller package. The flagship features the same outstanding performance and features as its larger brother, including a 3x Telephoto Zoom camera, 120Hz ProMotion display, and support for ProRes video.

The iPhone 13 Pro has a longer battery life. This iPhone was able to last over 11 hours in our web surfing battery test. The charging speed is a bit slow. A brighter display, an impressive Cinematic mode for video and amazing macro photography make this a great phone.

8. OnePlus 10 Pro

The OnePlus 10 Pro Android phone is a powerful Android device with a beautiful design, stunning display and one of the best cameras we have ever seen on a OnePlus smartphone. In the past year, the Chinese phone manufacturer has made significant improvements in photography power. It can sometimes match the Pixel 6 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The OnePlus 10 Pro is a great choice for any task, thanks to its outstanding battery life and high performance. The new cooling system makes the phone a great gaming device. Because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor isn’t as hot, it doesn’t have to throttle as often as other Android phones.

The OnePlus 10 Pro lasted nearly 12 hours with its adaptive 120Hz refresh rate mode during our battery life testing. This is a significant improvement on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and it’s close to the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro Max. With 65W charging, the phone can be charged from empty to full in just 30 minutes. All this is available for only $899.

9. Google Pixel 6 Pro
Excellent flagship value

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the premium Android phone, but the Google Pixel 6 Pro is the flagship smartphone for the OS. Google made a major change last year with its Pixel 6 series. It introduced a completely new design and an internal chipset. Tensor is a system-on-chip that specializes in AI, machine learning and other applications.

The Pixel 6 Pro also offers the class-leading Pixel camera experience. The Pixel 6 Pro comes with three rear cameras. This includes a telephoto that can zoom out to 4x. The front-facing camera is capable of zooming out to take ultra wide selfies. The Pixel 6 Pro’s greatest flaw is its poor battery life. You could blame an older 5G modem.

The Pixel 6 Pro is also at the top of the line for Android updates and will be eligible to receive the Android 13 betas later in the year.

10. iPhone SE (2022)
The iPhone with the lowest price

The iPhone SE (2022) is a great value for money. The newest budget iPhone is $429 and outperforms all other phones in its price range. It even surpasses the most expensive Android phones. The iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic powers the iPhone 13 SE, and the SE is just as powerful.

It recycles the iPhone 8’s body, just like its predecessor. This means that there are large bezels but you also get a Touch ID home key. The tired design and lack of Night mode won’t please everyone. This is why the iPhone SE does not rank higher. You also miss out on Verizon’s Ultra Wideband network.

The iPhone SE (2022), which offers many features and is among the most affordable phones under $500, is a great choice. The iPhone SE trades with the Pixel 5a. This means that iPhone buyers on a tight budget have two options. The other option is the iPhone 11 LTE-only for $499.