
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
āļø Good day, and welcome to the Daily Authority! We had a spectacular thunderstorm last night, breaking into a fresh, cool morning. These are rare weather conditions for this part of the world, but Iāll take it after days of oppressive heat! Weāre expecting some more rain today, and I couldnāt be more excited!
This is the best phone of 2022

Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Speaking of rain, the torrent of 2022 retrospectives has started. Youāve probably been asked by your tech buddies what you think is the best phone of the year. For us, that decision is easy. Apparently, you all think so too!
After putting in hundreds if not thousands of combined hours into our reviews, we created a shortlist of the devices that racked up the highest review scores of the year. We ensure that every major brand is included across the sprawling price segments. Only then did our leadership team and experienced reviewers choose their top five phones, ranking them first to fifth. The points are then tallied, and the phone with the most points wins.
So, which device took the crown in 2022?
Hey Google, congratulations
- The Google Pixel 7 Pro is Android Authorityās best phone of 2022, and that isnāt too much of a surprise.
- Last year, we loved the Google Pixel 6 for its excellent value and feature set. This year, Google pushed on with its Pro model.
- It packs a refined but evolved design, including that now trademark camera bar at the rear.
- We particularly loved the Pixel 7 Proās camera features explored in depth during our review, from Photo Unblur to its expanded zoom capabilities.
- Beneath its skin, the Pixel 7 Pro benefits from its Tensor G2 chipset, from computational smarts to reliable performance.
- āAll of this, plus the return of Face Unlock, a plethora of Pixel-only features, long-term software support, the best haptics in the game, much-needed fixes to the fingerprint reader and network reception, and solid battery life all come together to create what is arguably Googleās greatest smartphone to date.ā
- Even then, Google somehow undercut its nearest competition by some $100.
The runners up
There were plenty of great devices launched in 2022. Although the Pixel 7 Pro comes out tops, it had to beat plenty of excellent competition. Here are the runners up.
- Google took home a one-two, as the Pixel 7 finished in second place.
- We particularly liked its approachable price, giving users the best core Pixel experience to date.
- The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra came in third.
- Itās a great camera phone inspired by the Galaxy Note series, but we just canāt look past its lofty price.
- The Galaxy S22 Plus comes in fourth thanks to its well-rounded feature set and much improved value.
- Finally, the Oppo Find X5 Pro placed fifth, capping off another great year for the Chinese brand.
Readersā Choice is our choice
Weāre not the only ones voting for our phone of the year. Each trip around the sun, we ask readers to tell us what their smartphone of the year was. After a shortlist of 20 smartphones, one stood out as the winner.
- The Google Pixel 7 Pro won over the hearts of our readers, narrowly beating the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
- It was a fascinating battle between the two phones, with the Samsung leading our opening and semi-final rounds.
- However, it was the Pixel that took home the crown, giving it Googleās first Readerās Choice Award.
Be sure to dig into the Readerās Choice Award article here, explaining just how close the race between Samsung and Google was. Itās riveting stuff!
Monday Meme
If youāve seen any highlights from the World Cup, you mightāve wondered why players donāt find more inventive ways to score goals. Leaping header? So boring. A smash from outside the box? Done before. And donāt get me started on penalties, sheesh.
Well, this meme posits one potential strategy that is, sadly, outlawed but no less funny.

Apparently itās also illegal to balance the ball on your head and walk into the net, too. If that isnāt a demonstration of skill and poise, I donāt know what is.
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