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Prices for flagship phones are higher than ever, and it’s unlikely that they’ll ever come back down. The absolutely premium phones, like the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, now cost well over $1,000, or about the price of a good laptop. But, as the ceiling gets higher, devices in the more reasonable $600 to $800 range have gotten even more capable. In fact, our pick for the best overall phone is the $829 Apple iPhone 13, and Google’s Pixel 6 included here is priced more like a midrange device than all-out flagship
THE BEST PHONES 2022
1. APPLE IPHONE 13
BEST IPHONE TO BUY IN 2022
Out of the four iPhone 13 variants that Apple launched in 2021, the $829 iPhone 13 (unlocked) hits the sweet spot between price, pocketability, and features.
It has a new processor, a bigger battery, 128GB of internal storage, and uses the same large camera sensor as the acclaimed iPhone 12 Pro Max, but you wouldn’t know it from its compact size.
In fact, the 13 looks almost identical to the 12 but is just a bit thicker and heavier, with substantially bigger camera bumps and lenses that swapped places. (No, you won’t be able to reuse your iPhone 12 case for the 13.) Otherwise, it has the same overall design, a brighter 6.1-inch OLED display, the same 12-megapixel selfie camera, the same Mag Safe wireless charging, the same water and dust resistance (IP68), and the same support for both sub-6GHz and mm Wave 5G networks. On top of all that, it comes in six colors (including pink), one more than you can choose from in the Pro models.
What’s different with the iPhone 13’s new A15 Bionic chip is that it should still feel fast in years to come, but it’s difficult to measure significant speed improvements with iPhones. The new chip helps the iPhone 13 run more efficiently, which lasts well into the evening without needing a top up.
Using the same camera sensor that made the iPhone 12 Pro Max the best smartphone camera for photos and videos in 2020, the iPhone 13’s main wide-angle camera has