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Our expert tech tester considered display, camera quality and battery life
From large-screen phones to folding displays, our top 13 have you covered
This model looks like last year’s iPhone 13 pro max (apart from the new deep purple colour option), yet there are plenty of changes. First, the true-depth camera system, which enables Face ID, has shrunk to a tiny lozenge of blackness instead of a bigger cut-out. This area is home to the Dynamic Island, which changes shape as the phone performs different tasks, and makes for a new, even more intimate experience as you use the phone.
Sony’s bravia TV division has helped to create this phone, with its 4K ultra HD screen. It’s also introduced a brilliant camera system, thanks to Sony’s alpha digital imaging section. It means this phone has an optical zoom, something other smartphones almost universally lack. It’s done using a periscope lens that uses a mirror to reflect light along the inside of the body, to keep the phone thin.
The reno 8 pro is a stunning-looking phone, with the camera panel rising out of the body of the phone, rather than dropped onto it, as on most phones. The cameras are good, though most of the firepower is in the wide camera (50MP). The ultrawide and low-res macro cameras are not a match for the best here. The display is big, with narrow bezels that keep the handset a manageable size (though only just) and the fingerprint sensor is buried in the display itself, which works well. Battery life is good and lasts a full day, and recharging is fast – just half an hour from flat to full.
Huawei’s phones offer stunning design and outstanding cameras. There are three rear cameras here, though, for design’s sake, they sit in a block of four – the fourth “lens” is just for show.
The new phone from Google looks similar to last year’s Pixel 6 pro, though the distinctive bar containing the cameras is now polished aluminium instead of glass. Because it’s made by Google, which also makes the Android software that powers most phones, it has a pure, simple version with none of the bloatware some manufacturers add. It also means it gets software updates faster than others.
OnePlus released its flagship OnePlus 10 pro earlier in 2022 and this is a more affordable successor, with some corners cut in the phone’s photographic capabilities. However, it also improves on the 10 pro in some ways, such as a newer processor and faster charging speeds. Unlike Google, Apple and Samsung, OnePlus still includes a charging plug in the box, and this one is very powerful – charging the phone from flat to full in around 20 minutes. The phone’s battery life is not especially long but, as you can recharge so quickly, this may not be an issue.
The Xiaomi 12 pro charges from flat to 100 per cent in less than 20 minutes, which is pretty remarkable. There’s also wireless charging, and this is fast too, though not as fast.
If you want maximum screen size in a device that’s still pocketable, a folding phone may be the answer. When folded, this is a chunky device with a 6.2in display. Unfold it, though, and it’s suddenly a thin, highly usable tablet with a rather squarish 7.6in screen. You can use this tablet in lots of different ways, with the display flat or folded up like a little laptop. You can feel the crease between the two halves of the display, though when you’re watching video it’s scarcely noticeable. You can have multiple apps open at once, so there is genuine versatility here. Unlike some earlier folding phones, this one has top-flight cameras, including a 50MP main camera.
If the siren call of the folding phone is luring you but you want something that fits your pocket more easily, the latest Motorola is highly appealing. It has a big screen – 6.7in when unfolded, the same as the iPhone 14 pro max – but it folds down to something that will fit in almost every pocket.
Apple released the iPhone 14 alongside the iPhone 14 plus, iPhone 14 pro and iPhone 14 pro max in 2022, and while there’s no significant design change from the iPhone 13 (which is available at a lower price), the internal upgrades are important. A new camera system is designed to make for better low-light photographs and video – it also has the action mode for video found on the 14 pro. The new crash detection feature is also on board.
Nothing is a new name in mobile phones, and those behind setting up the company include Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus. It is a strikingly different phone: the overall shape is similar to the iPhone but it has a clear glass back dominated by hundreds of LEDs, which can flash individual patterns to show who’s calling without you having to turn the phone face up. The aim is to ensure your interactions are more meaningful: you’ll only pick up the phone if it’s someone you need to speak to, for instance.
This smartphone from Nokia looks much slicker than its price suggests, and boasts fast updates, thanks to an almost pure version of Google, apart from the Nokia camera. It’s built to last longer, with three years of software and security upgrades. The 6.43in display is detailed and attractive, not least thanks to a faster 90Hz refresh rate than some phones at this price.
Vivo is known for its excellent cameras, and that’s certainly the case here, but just as striking is the size of the display, which, at 6.78in, is bigger than most rivals. The screen looks great and has an under-screen fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone. This tech is quite common but it’s a much bigger sensor here, which makes it easier to use.
You’re halfway to the train station when you realise you’ve left your smartphone at home. Do you turn round and hurry back for it, even if it’ll make you late? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone.
The smartphone has become an essential accessory, replacing our wallets, for a start. It means we can take great pictures without a standalone camera; upload those photos instantly to social media; provide video distraction during the commute; get directions in a strange city, and even (did you know?) make phone calls.
Mobile phones have grown in size over the years, with displays that, thanks to tiny bezels around the edges, can still fit in the hand (though only just, in some cases). So, it’s worth trying the phone in your hand before you buy. If you’ve had a large phone before, downsizing can make for more room in your pocket or bag, but you may find it hard to go back to a smaller display.
Meanwhile, smartphone cameras are now so advanced, you can safely leave your dedicated snapper behind in most situations – all the phones included in this round-up take decent pictures and some have advanced extra features, such as image stabilisation for great action shots or videos, or machine-learning that recognises what you’re taking a picture of and adjusts accordingly.
The phones in our list are also long-lasting, which helps offset the initial outlay, which isn’t always cheap.
Every aspect of these phones has been put through its paces, from ease of setup to simplicity of day to day use. The smartphone cameras have been tested in a variety of situations. We checked out how the screen looks to see how smooth it is when watching videos, playing games or just scrolling through menus. Smartphones are sophisticated devices, but they need to be resilient too, so we checked out how much or little they scratch or take on damage during everyday usage. Above all, we tested how long the battery would last: the slickest phone in the world becomes an unwanted weight if it runs out of juice halfway through the day.
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This model looks like last year’s iPhone 13 pro max (apart from the new deep purple colour option), yet there are plenty of changes. First, the true-depth camera system, which enables Face ID, has shrunk to a tiny lozenge of blackness instead of a bigger cut-out. This area is home to the Dynamic Island, which changes shape as the phone performs different tasks, and makes for a new, even more intimate experience as you use the phone.
Then there’s the new camera system, which sees the 12MP main camera replaced with a 48MP sensor. This cleverly combines four adjacent pixel sites, so they react as one, enabling the camera to perform brilliantly, even in low light. There’s also a new front-facing camera, designed to do better in dim situations too. Meanwhile, a new action mode for video makes it easier to capture fast-moving subjects, even if you’re on the move yourself, with minimal judder.
There are also new features such as crash detection (common to all iPhone 14 models). If you are involved in a car crash, the iPhone can send your location to emergency services.
This is the most advanced and satisfying iPhone yet. However, it is very big – if you want the benefits of the pro max in a smaller size, the iPhone 14 pro is identical in every way except screen size, battery life and price. Battery life on the pro max, by the way, is extremely good.
Sony’s bravia TV division has helped to create this phone, with its 4K ultra HD screen. It’s also introduced a brilliant camera system, thanks to Sony’s alpha digital imaging section. It means this phone has an optical zoom, something other smartphones almost universally lack. It’s done using a periscope lens that uses a mirror to reflect light along the inside of the body, to keep the phone thin.
There are three 12MP cameras – in point-and-shoot mode, they’re fine, but with manual options they really excel. The xperia 1 IV has a longer display than rivals and the 21:9 aspect ratio means it’s an easier fit in the hand than other big phones. It also means there’s no camera peeping through the display, as on rival phones, which would spoil the effect for video playback. This is also a rarity among premium phones, because it includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can connect high-quality wired headphones.
The reno 8 pro is a stunning-looking phone, with the camera panel rising out of the body of the phone, rather than dropped onto it, as on most phones. The cameras are good, though most of the firepower is in the wide camera (50MP). The ultrawide and low-res macro cameras are not a match for the best here. The display is big, with narrow bezels that keep the handset a manageable size (though only just) and the fingerprint sensor is buried in the display itself, which works well. Battery life is good and lasts a full day, and recharging is fast – just half an hour from flat to full.
Huawei’s phones offer stunning design and outstanding cameras. There are three rear cameras here, though, for design’s sake, they sit in a block of four – the fourth “lens” is just for show.
One of the cameras has a unique feature on a phone: an adjustable aperture. This feature, found on every SLR camera, enables you to adjust the depth of field – how much of the image is in focus. While it’s not as dramatic a change as on a dedicated camera, it’s a useful extra tool that is effective and easy to use. The telephoto is a periscope lens, which makes a 3.5 x optical zoom possible. Both these cameras have optical image stabilisation for better results and there’s also a 13MP ultra-wide. Huawei also has exceptional machine-learning that automatically adjusts the exposure according to what you’re shooting.
The mate 50 pro has great battery life and lots of fantastic features. But there are two downsides, because of the US government’s sanctions against Huawei. First, the processor, though fast, is 4G not 5G, as Huawei is not allowed to use 5G chips. Secondly, the company is not permitted to use Google Mobile Services such as Gmail, Google Maps and Play Store. This means, while there are excellent alternative apps (Huawei’s Petal Maps is tremendous), many popular apps are missing.
The new phone from Google looks similar to last year’s Pixel 6 pro, though the distinctive bar containing the cameras is now polished aluminium instead of glass. Because it’s made by Google, which also makes the Android software that powers most phones, it has a pure, simple version with none of the bloatware some manufacturers add. It also means it gets software updates faster than others.
The cameras last time around were spectacularly good, and that excellence continues here, with a mixture of decent sensors and glass combining with computational photography skills, such as portrait-blurring for videos, an improved magic eraser to simply remove extraneous elements from photographs, and more.
This phone comes in at a price noticeably lower than many rivals too. Battery life is extensive, well over a full day, and the phone is a good fit in the hand, despite the large screen size.
OnePlus released its flagship OnePlus 10 pro earlier in 2022 and this is a more affordable successor, with some corners cut in the phone’s photographic capabilities. However, it also improves on the 10 pro in some ways, such as a newer processor and faster charging speeds. Unlike Google, Apple and Samsung, OnePlus still includes a charging plug in the box, and this one is very powerful – charging the phone from flat to full in around 20 minutes. The phone’s battery life is not especially long but, as you can recharge so quickly, this may not be an issue.
The cameras are not as good as on the 10 pro, with no ultra-wide camera and one lens (the 2MP macro) which is of limited capability. Design is strong, with neat colours to choose from: moonstone black and jade green.
The Xiaomi 12 pro charges from flat to 100 per cent in less than 20 minutes, which is pretty remarkable. There’s also wireless charging, and this is fast too, though not as fast.
This is also a phone with very capable cameras: three 50MP sensors work together to create photos with depth, sharpness and faithful colours. The main camera has the biggest sensor, and is the most useful. The ultra-wide lacks autofocus, which limits its effectiveness a little. Similarly, the telephoto only offers a focal length equal to two-times the main, which is less of a leap than many here. But the Qualcomm sensor contributes to fast performance, which is great for gaming as well as watching video.
If you want maximum screen size in a device that’s still pocketable, a folding phone may be the answer. When folded, this is a chunky device with a 6.2in display. Unfold it, though, and it’s suddenly a thin, highly usable tablet with a rather squarish 7.6in screen. You can use this tablet in lots of different ways, with the display flat or folded up like a little laptop. You can feel the crease between the two halves of the display, though when you’re watching video it’s scarcely noticeable. You can have multiple apps open at once, so there is genuine versatility here. Unlike some earlier folding phones, this one has top-flight cameras, including a 50MP main camera.
If the siren call of the folding phone is luring you but you want something that fits your pocket more easily, the latest Motorola is highly appealing. It has a big screen – 6.7in when unfolded, the same as the iPhone 14 pro max – but it folds down to something that will fit in almost every pocket.
Where earlier iterations of folders from Motorola have been hobbled by less than exemplary build quality and under-powered components, this model is solid, strong and well-specced. These things help with performance and the user’s peace of mind. The chip here is the Snapdragon 8 plus gen one, which is fast and powerful, and works well. Battery life is strong and the cameras on board are great.
Folding phones inevitably have a crease in the middle of the display, though this one is much less visible than most. Motorola has cute little specialities, such as its unique gestures: a quick double karate chop movement turns on the torch, while a double-twist launches the camera.
Apple released the iPhone 14 alongside the iPhone 14 plus, iPhone 14 pro and iPhone 14 pro max in 2022, and while there’s no significant design change from the iPhone 13 (which is available at a lower price), the internal upgrades are important. A new camera system is designed to make for better low-light photographs and video – it also has the action mode for video found on the 14 pro. The new crash detection feature is also on board.
Apple has also launched its first 6.7in-screen iPhone that’s not a pro model, called the iPhone 14 plus, which boasts the longest-ever iPhone battery life and costs £100 more than the iPhone 14.
Nothing is a new name in mobile phones, and those behind setting up the company include Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus. It is a strikingly different phone: the overall shape is similar to the iPhone but it has a clear glass back dominated by hundreds of LEDs, which can flash individual patterns to show who’s calling without you having to turn the phone face up. The aim is to ensure your interactions are more meaningful: you’ll only pick up the phone if it’s someone you need to speak to, for instance.
The display has symmetrical bezels all around, something only the iPhone matches, which adds to the visual appeal, augmented by a distinct software style. It’s extremely good value, too.
This smartphone from Nokia looks much slicker than its price suggests, and boasts fast updates, thanks to an almost pure version of Google, apart from the Nokia camera. It’s built to last longer, with three years of software and security upgrades. The 6.43in display is detailed and attractive, not least thanks to a faster 90Hz refresh rate than some phones at this price.
Camera performance is excellent with strong colours and good low-light results from the main 50MP sensor. It even has a dark-vision setting for when there’s no light at all. This is a solid, effective phone at a keen price.
Vivo is known for its excellent cameras, and that’s certainly the case here, but just as striking is the size of the display, which, at 6.78in, is bigger than most rivals. The screen looks great and has an under-screen fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone. This tech is quite common but it’s a much bigger sensor here, which makes it easier to use.
A fast processor means it’s a strong performer, with long battery life as well, almost lasting two days, and recharging quickly. Vivo’s trademark camera feature is a gimbal built into the telephoto camera to ensure great image stabilisation. Across the four cameras, Vivo is particularly strong in low-light situations.
The best smartphone does everything we need with so little fuss that you barely notice it’s there – you just focus on the task you’re doing. That’s why the iPhone 14 pro max stands out, thanks to dazzlingly fast performance at all times, cameras that take exceptional pictures and a design that, when you do notice it, is gorgeous. Sony’s xperia 1 IV offers a remarkable display, pleasingly slim shape and cameras with pro features. For the purest Android experience, it’s hard to beat the Google pixel pro 7, which also has an outstanding camera on board.
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