As the year comes to a close, it’s time to take a look at the best Android phones that are available in 2022. There are many great options on the market right now, so it can be hard to decide which one is the best for you. But we’ve put together a list of the best Android phones that are available in 2022, based on our research and feedback from our readers.
- Google Pixel 2 XL The Google Pixel 2 XL is one of the most popular Android phones on the market right now. It has an amazing display and is very powerful for its price point. It’s also great for those who want a phone with a lot of features and options.
- Amazon Kindle Oasis The Amazon Kindle Oasis is another great option for those looking for an affordable Android phone with good features and performance. It has an 8-inch display and is very lightweight, making it easy to carry around. Plus, it has many features that make it stand out from other Android phones on the market.
We’ll be throwing a lot of technical jargon at you in this list. Processors, RAM, megapixels, refresh rates, and more are mentioned in this list. The good news is you don’t necessarily need to worry about all the tech specifications. There’s not one single “spec” that makes or breaks a phone.
The whole smartphone package is what matters, and that’s how we’ve approached this list.
Best Android Phone Overall: Samsung Galaxy S22
Samsung releases a lot of phones in a year, but there’s one that usually hits the sweet spot. The regular non-plus/non-Ultra model fits the bill. That’s the Samsung Galaxy S22 in 2022. It’s got many of the same great features as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but it’s in a more palatable package.
✓ Sweet spot size✓ Beautiful display✓ Same performance as the Ultra✓ 4 years of updates
✗ Not as many cameras as the Ultra
The Galaxy S22 has a nice 6.1-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and a 3,700mAh battery. If you peek down at the Best Premium Phone, you’ll notice this one has many of the same specs as the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
It doesn’t skimp on the cameras either. You’re getting a 50MP main camera, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide on the back of the device. The front selfie camera is 10MP. It’s a very comparable camera setup to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Having a telephoto and ultrawide lens opens up a lot of photo possibilities.
There are a couple of things you don’t get if you opt for this model over the Ultra, the premium Android phone pick. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has one more camera, a 10MP 10x telephoto camera. It also has a bigger 6.8-inch display, up to 12GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage.
Another benefit of Samsung phones is software support. Samsung offers 4 years of software updates for its One UI Android skin. That’s actually better than what Google offers for its own Pixel phones.
One of the best things about the Galaxy S22 is its price. The phone starts at $800, which is considerably cheaper than the S22+ ($1,000) and the S22 Ultra ($1,200) for many of the same features.
Best Budget Android Phone: Moto G Play (2021)
The days of crappy cheap Android phones are (mostly) behind us. There are a lot of great options out there now, many of which go for under $200. The best of the budget phones is certainly the Moto G Play (2021).
✓ Big display✓ 3GB of RAM is good at this price✓ Clean software✓ Only $150
✗ Poor cameras
You won’t be sacrificing screen size for a low price here, as the Moto G Play has a 6.5-inch 720p display. It does suffer a little in direct sunlight, but at this price point, you generally have to accept little downgrades like this.
The area where you’ll feel the price the most, however, is with the processor. Motorola has equipped the Moto G Play with the Snapdragon 460 and 3GB of RAM. That’s a solid combo for typical daily tasks, but try to do any serious gaming and the Moto G Play won’t be able to keep up.
The Moto G Play has a basic camera setup of one 13MP camera on the back and a small 2MP camera on the front. You’ll get fine photos in well-lit conditions, but low-light will suffer.
Motorola uses a light version of Android without much bloat, which is important for a budget device. You can usually grab a Moto G Play (2021) for around $150, which makes it one of the cheapest phones around.
Best Mid-Range Android Phone: Google Pixel 6a
The Pixel 6a hits a sweet spot on the edge of mid-range and budget. For under $500 you get mostly the same camera experience and many other specs as the more expensive Google Pixel 6.
✓ Shares two cameras with the Pixel 6✓ Only costs $450✓ Fast software updates✓ Good RAM and processor
✗ Middling battery life✗ Not full water resistant
The Pixel 6a has the same 12.2MP and 8MP selfie cameras as the standard model, plus a wide-angle camera. However, it does not have a 50MP main camera, but cuts need to be made somewhere to drop the price. And since this is a Pixel phone, you also get Google’s great portrait mode, Night Sight, Astrophotography, and one of the best standard camera apps in general.
The Pixel 6a hits the lower price tag with a few other changes. First of all, the Pixel 6a’s 6.1-inch display has a refresh rate of 60Hz, whereas the Pixel 6’s is at 90Hz. That isn’t a big deal to most people.
The Pixel 6a also has 6GB of RAM, compared to the 8GB on the Pixel 6. However, they both have the same processor, Google’s Tensor chip, so you’ll get a smooth performance, albeit a little slower sometimes.
Google Pixel phones may not be the beasts of the Android world regarding raw specs and performance, but they make up for it with refined software and fast updates. For example, Android 13 will be on Pixel phones first, so you’ll be able to use the latest operating system while other phone manufacturers are playing catch-up.
Things you miss out on with this mid-range phone are IP68 water resistance and wireless charging, but you are getting great cameras. All of that for $450 is a pretty sweet deal.
Best Premium Android Phone: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
If there’s a word that describes “premium” smartphones, it’s “ultra.” The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the most beastly Android phone you can buy. It’s got every feature you could imagine, including a stylus.
✓ Five total cameras✓ 5,000mAh battery✓ High-end performance✓ Beautiful display✓ Great software support
✗ Very expensive✗ Very large
Let’s start with the cameras. The Galaxy S22 Ultra features five total cameras—four on the rear. The main camera is 108MP and it’s flanked by a 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 10MP 10x telephoto. The front selfie camera is 40MP. All of these cameras put you in a good position to capture any situation. You have ultrawide for stepping back, and telephoto for zooming in.
Is battery life important to you? The Galaxy S22 Ultra has that covered too. It has a beefy 5,000mAh battery, but that large capacity also means a large footprint. The Ultra has a big 6.8-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Looking underneath that big display, you’ve got the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, wireless charging, fast charging, and IP68 waterproofing. When Samsung says Ultra, they mean Ultra. This is the “kitchen sink” phone of the Android world.
Speaking of Android, Samsung has some of the best software support you can get. The Ultra comes with four years of major Android updates. That’s better support than you’ll get with Google’s own Pixel phones.
Obviously, a premium phone like the Galaxy S22 Ultra isn’t going to be cheap. The base model costs $1,200. If you want the best of the best, this is what it looks like. You pay for what you get.
Best Android Phone for Gaming: ASUS ROG Phone 6
If you’re looking for a great gaming phone, ASUS’s ROG series has been a solid choice for a few years. The ROG Phone 6 continues in that tradition as it replaces our previous pick, the ROG Phone 5S.
✓ Huge, high refresh rate display✓ Powerful processor✓ 16GB of RAM✓ Big battery
✗ Very large✗ Expensive
The ROG Phone 6 has a massive 6.8-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, perfect for gaming. It’s also powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and up to 16GB of RAM. That’s enough to handle even the most resource-intensive games. Finally, the 6,000mAh battery will keep you playing for hours.
For those non-gaming moments, you’ve got three cameras on the rear. That’s a 50MP main camera, 13MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro camera. The selfie camera is 12MP. That’s a pretty good array of cameras for a device focused on gaming performance. You’ll be able to take some great pictures in between gaming sessions!
All that gaming potential doesn’t come cheap, though—the ASUS ROG Phone 6 costs around $1,000. If performance for gaming is important to you, the price is worth it.
Best Android Camera Phone: Google Pixel 7 Pro
Except maybe our budget phone recommendation, any phone in this guide will give you good photos. However, the Pixel 7 Pro is above the rest. On top of that, the Pixel 7 Pro is a good contender to the Galaxy S22, our best Android phone overall.
✓ The camera is mind-blowingly good✓ The display is spacious and vibrant✓ Great speakers, calls, and connections✓ Android 13 and the Pixel UI do the job right
✗ Battery life is so-so✗ The occasional pause in speed✗ Awkward placement of volume button
The Pixel 7 Pro has a massive 6.7-inch display with 1440 x 3120 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It’s certainly a large phone, but that big size comes with many extra benefits.
For starters, you get a big 5,000mAh battery, which provides much better battery life than its smaller sibling. It also has Google’s Tensor processor and 12GB of storage. Extra goodies include wireless charging and water resistance.
Let’s get to the most important part, the cameras. The main camera is 50MP, it’s joined by a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. These cameras make sure you are equipped for any situation you should come across. Whether far-away subjects, group shots, or anything else, it’s all good on the Pixel 7 Pro.
The Pixel 7 Pro costs $900, and comes with 3 years of Android updates. You’ll always get those updates first, and the software is the cleanest version of Android you can find.
Best Battery Life: Moto G Power (2021)
When you’re looking for a phone with great battery life, it’s usually a good sign when “Power” is in the name. The Moto G Power (2021) will do the job, and it only costs around $200.
✓ Can get up to 3 days of battery life✓ Big 6. 4-inch display for the price✓ Costs around $200
✗ Cameras aren’t great✗ Low powered
The Moto G Power has a 5,000mAh battery, but that alone isn’t what makes for great battery life. The combination of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor and 6.4-inch 1080p display is great for battery life since it’s not pushing all the pixels of a giant 4K screen.
Camera quality is not the selling point of this phone, but the Moto G Power does have a respectable 48MP camera and a 2MP macro camera on the back. The selfie camera is 8MP. Just don’t expect any amazing phones in low-light.
Like our budget pick, the Moto G Power runs a clean version of Android. That also helps with the battery life. You can snag the Moto G Power (2021) for around $200 and never worry about battery life on your next weekend excursion.
Note: While Motorola has released a 2022 model of the Moto G Power, we do not recommend it currently. Both professional and user reviews have been less than stellar, stating an underpowered processor that the 2021 version beats out. While the battery life of the two models is roughly the same, the better performance of the 2021 model makes the older model the best choice.
