The 10 Coolest Android Phones On The Market Right Now: The 2022 CRN Mobile 100
CRN showcases some of the top Android-based smartphones in 2022.
It’s so much fun to watch the race for smartphone dominance play out year after year. Far from being predictable, this battle royale features several usual suspects but also a couple underdog surprises. Providing a unique experience while taking cues from each other (and from a certain Cupertino tech behemoth), the latest and greatest smartphones with Android operating systems showcase the best of the modern tech world.
According to Research and Markets, the global smartphone market was valued at $273.9 billion in 2021 and is forecast to soar to $520.7 billion by the year 2030. The firm says the smartphone market is forecasted to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.4 percent. For the first quarter of 2022, research firm IDC showed shipments dipping 8.9 percent year of year due to supply chain issues, economic conditions and geopolitical concerns. Still, the firms see healthy growth on the horizon for the smartphone market despite current conditions.
Here are 10 of the coolest Android phones on the market:
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Ultra features an S-pen like those found in Galaxy tablets and in the discontinued Galaxy Note that was sorely missed by fans in last year’s lineup. The top-of-the-line phone also sports a whopping 108-megapixel main camera and new low-light photography capabilities (teased by the Samsung Unpacked promo trailers as “Breaking the rules of light”). The two secondary cameras include a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom and a 10-megapixel periscoping camera with 10x optical zoom. Other eye-popping specs include options of up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM—as much firepower as some laptop computing systems. Along with the spec upgrades, users can expect a curved 6.8-inch screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The Ultra starts at $1,199.
More Specs on Samsung.com
Google Pixel 6 Pro
The Pixel 6 Pro marked Google’s first foray into the high-end smartphone landscape dominated by Apple and Samsung. It not only held its own but made a real splash with some interesting features and top-of-the-line specs. The Pixel 6 Pro features a fantastic 6.7-inch OLED display with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate for crystal clear and bright viewing. The Pixel 6 Pro’s cameras offer strong competition to best-in-class competitors with a 50-megapixel Quad Bayer wide main rear camera. 4K video at 30 or 60 FPS is also supported. Pixel 6 Pro supports the latest 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E options for enhanced connectivity. Google’s flagship smartphone starts at a price of $899.
More Specs on Store.Google.com
Motorola Moto G Power
Lenovo’s subsidiary smartphone maker, Motorola was once a top dog in the mobile phone market. Of course, that all changed when Apple started releasing iPhones. But it would be a mistake to count Motorola out of the game, as evidenced by their value-driven Moto G Power entry. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G37 processor and sports a 6.5-inch screen at 1,600x720 pixels with a four-lens camera setup. The main camera is a 50-megapixel powerhouse capable of some fantastic photography. A 720-pixel screen does tend to pick up some visible pixels, but a 90Hz refresh rate keeps video running nice and smooth. The Moto G Power starts at a steal of $199.
More Specs on Motorola.com
Google Pixel 5A
The worst thing you could say about the Google Pixel 5A is that it’s not the Pixel 6. The 5A is a great phone on its own merit, lacking a few bells and whistles but making up for it with value and ample performance. And this mid-range phone is pretty impressive, considering Google is a newer player in the smartphone market. The phone features a Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G 5G chipset, an OLED HDR display at 6.34 inches with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels, 128GB of storage, and 6GB of RAM. A dual main camera gives you wide and ultrawide options at 12.2-megapixels and 16 megapixels while the front-facing camera gives you an ample 8-megapixel selfie shooter. The Google Pixel 5A is priced at $449.
More Specs on Store.Google.com
Samsung S21 FE
The Samsung S21 FE hit the market almost a year after its siblings in the S21 line, and right on the heels of the S22 releases announced in February. It was a bit of an odd duck placeholder considering the S22 range of improvements and pricing. The FE was meant to be an entry level contender to the high range line, much like the iPhone SE gave Apple lovers a bite of the best features from the iPhone range with a tamer price tag. The FE is nicely equipped with a Snapdragon 888 5G or Exynos 2100, up to 8GB RAM, and up to 256GB storage. The 6.4-inch screen utilizes the excellent Samsung AMOLED 120Hz panel with full HD+ resolution. We are treated to Triple rear cameras, and a 32-megapixel front camera. But the camera system is nowhere near as advanced as the S22 line. At $699, it might be advisable to wait for the soon-to-be-released S22FE.
More Specs on Samsung.com
Oppo Find X5 Pro
Oppo is a brand with guts. It’s trying to kick down a western smartphone market door currently held firmly by giants Apple, Samsung and now Google. But with a little help from legendary German camera brand Hasselblad, the Oppo Find X5 Pro might find a few fans in shutterbugs. The company’s flagship phone has a lot to offer starting with its Snapdragon 8 chipset with 8GB expandable RAM, excellent 50-megapixel f/1.7 main camera, 50-megapixel f2.2 ultrawide lens, but underwhelming telephone camera topping out at 13 megapixels. Is all that enough to wrest premium phone market share away from the major players? Probably not, but it’s fun to watch companies try. The Find X5 pricing starts at $1,390.
More Specs on Oppo.com
OnePlus Nord N200
Yet another company using the famed Hasselblad camera glass, China’s OnePlus is making a name for itself as a plucky competitor in the smartphone realm, even with some of its best entries unavailable in the U.S. With the Nord N200 (which is available in North America), OnePlus balances impressive specs with a friendly price. It’s almost unbelievable that a budget phone can offer a Snapdragon 480 5G with 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, a triple rear camera setup with a 16-megapixel front camera, a massive 5,000 mAh battery, and 6.5 inches of display at 2,400x1080 pixels with 90Hz refresh rate. You may need to pinch yourself to believe pricing on this flagship killer is an unreal $239.99.
More Specs on OnePlus.com
Xiaomi Mi 11
Where other smartphone competitors have lofty aspirations, Xiaomi’s third place grab in the global smartphone market proves the Chinese company has the chops to trade blows with Apple and Samsung when it comes to flagship battling. The Xiaomi Mi 11 served as a counterpunch to Samsung’s S21 toned down offerings (and probably a good portion of the reason the latter came out firing with its S22 releases). The Mi 11 dishes out Snapdragon 888 5G power, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 256 GB of storage. The gorgeous 6.81-inch AMOLED display serves up 3,200x1,440 pixels at a 120Hz refresh rate. Cameras come out blazing with a 108-megapixel main headlining the three-lens rear setup. This smartphone giant-busting unit will set you back $1,040.
More Specs on Mi.com
Realme GT2 Pro
Realme is a company that is usually focused on the bargain basement segment, so it was fun to see them wade into the premium smartphone waters with the GT 2Pro – an admirable flagship effort with few shortcomings. Released in January, the CT 2Pro offers up the powerful SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and up to 512GB of storage with up to 12GB RAM. The 6.7-inch display struts with an AMOLED screen at a resolution of 3,216x1,440 pixels with a refresh rate of 120Hz. Triple main cameras include two 50MP lenses and a 3MP microscope lens. The Realme gets you in the door with serious specs at a very competitive $785.
More Specs on Realme.com
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
It’s always fun to see what the global smartphone king will come up with, and its S series announcements didn’t disappoint. The S22 plus is the penultimate flagship for this year, and offers some standout groundbreaking features. Powered by the top-of-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with up to 256GB storage and up to 12GB RAM, the S22 plus delivers unreal speeds. The 6.7-inch display shows off Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz screen technology, delivering resolution of 2,400x1030 pixels. Samsung sunk a lot of effort into its photographic prowess, giving users a triple-camera setup featuring a 64-megapixel main camera, optical lens stabilization and excellent nighttime performance. Pricing starts at $999.
More Specs at Samsung.com