The Best Smartphones of Spring 2022 - 30 Smartphones in Review

All current smartphone reviews in comparison Spring is here, and it brings new and exciting smartphones. Not only at the top premium level but below. Find out what our own personal favorites are in this review.

Florian Schmitt, 👁 Florian Schmitt (translated by Finn D. Boerne), 04/25/2022 🇩🇪 🇷🇺

The Best of the Best – These Smartphones Achieved the Highest Ratings

A total of nine phones managed to secure a “Very Good” rating in the last three months.

The best of the bunch is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, a culmination of Samsung’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Note with support for the S Pen. The greatest advantage is that with this phone one does no longer have to decide between best camera or stylus support. However, the new SoC showed some weaknesses in gaming and the display failed to adjust its refresh rate as extensively as advertised by Samsung. We hope that Samsung is going to fix these issues with a software update or no later than with the next iteration of the device.

The second-highest scoring smartphone was the Oppo Find X5 Pro, a great high-end smartphone made by Oppo equipped with a Hasselblad camera akin to the OnePlus 10 Pro. And while it, too, is not free of flaws that we would have preferred not to experience in a 1,300 Euro device, it does offer an overall well-balanced and well-rounded package.

Third place was secured by the Huawei P50 Pro, a great smartphone with excellent cameras which tragically has to make do without support for 5G, Google services, and microSD card support due to the ongoing US sanctions against Huawei. This in itself will most likely scare away many potential customers in the West.

Samsung manages to place yet another device in the top 5. The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is a more affordable flagship smartphone equipped with an older SoC and a very bright and color-accurate AMOLED display. However, in order to be competitive this device has to be significantly more affordable than the Galaxy S21 itself so keep an eye on its price.

Sony’s Xperia Pro-I is without a doubt the most unique and unusual smartphone reviewed by us in the last three months. For $1,800 you get a large sensor akin to compact digital cameras with extensive software support and a multitude of settings and options. Unfortunately, it is unsuitable for occasional quick snaps and amateur photographers as it requires extensive knowledge in order to produce exceptional and great photos.

The Xiaomi 12X is a slightly more compact smartphone with great performance. Its build quality and camera are on a par with its competitors. However, it requires a certain amount of care and attention considering it is not IP certified.

The Oppo Find X5 is more affordable yet almost exactly as good its Pro counterpart. Its older SoC remains slightly cooler while offering almost the same level of performance. Other benefits include its fast charging times and long battery life.

Motorola’s Edge G20 Pro turned out to be somewhat disappointing in some regards. Its successor, the Edge 30 Pro, was improved significantly and now features exact location services, a matte case, fast Wi-Fi, and pure vanilla flavor of Android 12. It even supports stylus input, and its only limitations are its slightly limited video recording capabilities.

And last but not least is the Xiaomi 12, a compact smartphone offering plenty of power with good cameras, which barely hit the threshold to secure a “Very Good” rating.

Our Personal Favorites – Editors’ Choice Awards of Spring 2022

Based on the scores achieved in this time period we ask our editors for their favorites and assign editors’ choice awards. As usual we reward smartphones that stand out from the competition by their overall package, their individual performance in specific categories, or their particularly noteworthy price-performance ratio, and that our editors considered to represent particularly attractive options in their respective categories.

realme GT 2 Pro

What we found most enticing about the realme GT 2 Pro are not just its mint green color and its backside made of a material that feels like paper but its high level of performance paired with its long battery life for a relatively competitive price of just 749 Euros.

Other benefits include its fast charging and its main camera’s overall decent photo quality. In return, it does not support wireless charging and Wi-Fi 6E, both of which are indicators of the corners that had to be cut to meet the price point. Nevertheless, the realme smartphone is our recommendation for everybody who can do without these high-end gimmicks.

Motorola Moto G200 5G

The Motorola Moto G200 is our recommendation if you want the sheer power of a Snapdragon 888 Plus but only want to pay mid-range prices for the resulting device. US prices start at $550 for the imported international unlocked GSM-only version, and the device is not officially sold by Motorola USA. Prices in Europe have already dropped below Motorola’s official MSRP of 450 Euros.

Its IPS display may not be perfect but at least it runs at a high refresh rate of 144 Hz. The phone also supports fast Wi-Fi, 5G connectivity, and features decent cameras for overall good photo quality.

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The Best Smartphones of Spring 2022

Gesamtbewertung	Modell	Bewertung Gehäuse	Größe	Dicke	Bewertung Gewicht	Gewicht	Bewertung Display	Display Type	Auflösung	Pixeldichte	Seitenverhältnis	Screen-to-Body-Ratio	Bildschirm Helligkeit	DeltaE Colorchecker	Bildwiederholfrequenz	Bewertung Kamera	DeltaE Colorchecker lowlight	DeltaE Colorchecker daylight	Bewertung Anwendungsleistung	PCMark for Android Work 2.0 Score	Bewertung Gaming Leistung	3DMark for A. Sling Shot Ext. (ES 3.1) Un.	GFXBench Aztec Ruins H.T. Onscreen	PUBG Mobile HD	Bewertung Akkulaufzeit	Akkulaufzeit WiFi 150 cd/m²	Bewertung Temperatur	Oberseite Idle	Oberseite Last	Bewertung Audio	max. Audio Output (dB)	Bewertung Touchscreen Eingabe	Bewertung Konnektivität
80.4 %	Motorola Moto G41 Helio G85, Mali-G52 MP2	84.1 %	6.40"	8.3 mm	89.9 %	178 g	89.7 %	AMOLED	2400x1080	411 PPI	20:9	82.7 %	712 cd/m²	1.1	060 Hz	62.2 %	28.25	7.06	55.6 %		15.7 %	1434	5.4	29	91.3 %	905 min	89.9 %	30.2 °C	38.3 °C	82.2 %	82.6 dB	92.2 %	47.7 %
89 %	Oppo Find X5 Pro SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730	93.1 %	6.70"	8.5 mm	87.7 %	221 g	91.3 %	AMOLED	3216x1440	526 PPI	20.1:9	89 %	744 cd/m²	0.9	120 Hz	80.2 %	26.72	7.26	83.6 %		57.4 %	10005	36	58	90.4 %	788 min	92.3 %	28.6 °C	36.1 °C	77.6 %	89.2 dB	95 %	65.9 %
87.8 %	Oppo Find X5 SD 888 5G, Adreno 660	90.5 %	6.55"	8.7 mm	88.3 %	196 g	90.7 %	AMOLED	2400x1080	402 PPI	20:9	92.7 %	718 cd/m²	1.3	120 Hz	78.2 %	23.39	4.57	88.6 %	12769	56.2 %	8029	51	30	91.4 %	937 min	91.3 %	29.6 °C	37.5 °C	72.2 %	88.7 dB	95 %	51.6 %
80.5 %	realme 9 Pro SD 695 5G, Adreno 619	83.3 %	6.60"	8.5 mm	88.4 %	195 g	84.8 %	IPS	2412x1080	400 PPI	20:9	83 %	541 cd/m²	4.42	120 Hz	61.2 %	44.28	13.43	70.7 %		33.5 %	3085	12	30	91.6 %	1047 min	86.4 %	31.2 °C	42.5 °C	60 %	84 dB	92.2 %	45.6 %
83.8 %	realme 9 Pro Plus Dimensity 920, Mali-G68 MP4	84.3 %	6.40"	8 mm	89.5 %	182 g	88.4 %	AMOLED	2400x1080	411 PPI	20:9	84 %	558 cd/m²	1.8	090 Hz	67.2 %	32.45	8.2	85.7 %		40.9 %	4227	17	40	90.9 %	956 min	84.3 %	36.1 °C	44.5 °C	70.8 %	91.6 dB	93.9 %	46.9 %
87.5 %	Xiaomi 12 SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730	83.9 %	6.28"	8.66 mm	89.8 %	179 g	90.4 %	OLED	2400x1080	419 PPI	20:9	89 %	867 cd/m²	1.7	120 Hz	73.4 %	32.23	10.05	87.1 %		59.7 %	10618	69		89.5 %	760 min	91 %	32 °C	37 °C	75 %	90.7 dB	96.1 %	55.3 %
89.3 %	Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G Exynos 2200, Xclipse 920	93.9 %	6.80"	8.9 mm	87.5 %	228 g	93.8 %	Dynamic AMOLED	3088x1440	501 PPI	19.3:9	90 %	1093 cd/m²	1.2	120 Hz	80.6 %	19.84	6.12	86.1 %		56.3 %	8612	31	30	90.4 %	844 min	92.6 %	28.1 °C	36.1 °C	74 %	90.2 dB	93.9 %	71.6 %
87.1 %	realme GT 2 Pro SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730	86.3 %	6.70"	8.2 mm	88.9 %	189 g	86.3 %	AMOLED	3216x1440	526 PPI	20.1:9	90 %	732 cd/m²	3.25	120 Hz	76.8 %	31.38	9.09	80.8 %		63.1 %		37	60	91.2 %	1053 min	85.3 %	31.5 °C	44.5 °C	75.8 %	89.5 dB	95.6 %	49.3 %
88.7 %	Huawei P50 Pro SD 888 4G, Adreno 660	92.4 %	6.60"	8.5 mm	88.4 %	195 g	91.9 %	OLED	2700x1228	393 PPI	19.8:9	92 %	771 cd/m²	1.2	120 Hz	83.4 %	25.16	5.96	80.9 %		56 %	9322	31		88.2 %	590 min	92.8 %	30 °C	35.1 °C	81.8 %	86.4 dB	92.2 %	65.8 %
83.8 %	OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G Dimensity 900, Mali-G68 MP4	83.7 %	6.43"	7 mm	90.3 %	173 g	86.1 %	OLED	2400x1080	409 PPI	20:9	84 %	596 cd/m²	3.35	090 Hz	67 %	44.83	8.52	74 %		41.2 %	3874	15	40	91.8 %	962 min	86.1 %	35 °C	42.2 °C	74.8 %	88.3 dB	92.8 %	53.2 %
87.9 %	Xiaomi 12X SD 870, Adreno 650	83.9 %	6.28"	8.16 mm	90.1 %	176 g	91.8 %	OLED	2400x1080	419 PPI	20:9	89 %	908 cd/m²	0.8	120 Hz	73 %	44.18	8.84	83.1 %	10459	57.7 %	8576	30		92 %	1028 min	92.7 %	31.1 °C	33.8 °C	78.6 %	90.1 dB	96.1 %	53.1 %
87.7 %	Motorola Edge 30 Pro SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730	86.6 %	6.70"	8.8 mm	88.3 %	196 g	91.4 %	AMOLED	2400x1080	393 PPI	20:9	86 %	649 cd/m²	1.18	144 Hz	73.6 %	34.93	10.44	85.6 %		63.1 %		60	60	90 %	816 min	84.4 %	37.5 °C	44 °C	80 %	90.3 dB	96.1 %	52.1 %
84.7 %	Nubia RedMagic 7 SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730	82.3 %	6.80"	9.5 mm	87.8 %	226 g	85.4 %	AMOLED	2400x1080	387 PPI	20:9	84 %	685 cd/m²	3.6	165 Hz	61.6 %	47.28	5.16	91.7 %		72.5 %	11528	60		88.7 %	667 min	93.7 %	30.7 °C	32.2 °C	74.6 %	91.8 dB	93.9 %	59.9 %
85.9 %	Huawei P50 Pocket SD 888 4G, Adreno 660	83.9 %	6.90"	7.2 mm	88.9 %	190 g	91.2 %	Foldable OLED	2790x1188	439 PPI	21:9	86 %	768 cd/m²	1.1	120 Hz	77.6 %	27.94	7.14	81.3 %		60.4 %	7544	25		79.8 %	482 min	93.4 %	29.5 °C	35.7 °C	78.6 %	90.1 dB	91.7 %	62.1 %
78.5 %	Nokia G21 T606, Mali-G57 MP1	82.3 %	6.50"	8.5 mm	88.9 %	190 g	82.9 %	IPS	1600x720	270 PPI	20:9	82 %	484 cd/m²	6.02	090 Hz	59.6 %	46.11	9.26	65.9 %		11.4 %	959	6		91.9 %	1087 min	85.4 %	35.7 °C	44 °C	72 %	85.6 dB	93.3 %	45.3 %
88 %	Sony Xperia Pro-I SD 888 5G, Adreno 660	90.6 %	6.50"	8.9 mm	87.8 %	211 g	89.2 %	OLED	3840x1644	643 PPI	21.02:9	83 %	570 cd/m²	2.8	120 Hz	74 %	46.84	6.66	84.9 %		66 %	8324	38		88.7 %	665 min	91.1 %	32.1 °C	39.8 °C	77.8 %	85 dB	93.9 %	62.3 %
87.4 %	Xiaomi 12 Pro SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730	81.7 %	6.73"	8.66 mm	87.9 %	204 g	91.6 %	AMOLED	3200x1440	521 PPI	20:9	90 %	977 cd/m²	1.1	120 Hz	76 %	13.48	12.17	84.8 %	11906	57.3 %	9149	27	58	89.2 %	766 min	92.1 %	28.2 °C	37.6 °C	81.2 %	84.2 dB	97.2 %	55.3 %
80.2 %	Motorola Moto G51 SD 480+, Adreno 619	82.1 %	6.80"	9.1 mm	87.9 %	208 g	87.8 %	IPS	2400x1080	387 PPI	20:9	83 %	541 cd/m²	3.51	120 Hz	59.6 %	43.79	14.52	68.1 %		27.6 %	2596	9.8	30	91.6 %	1069 min	91 %	26.7 °C	39.1 °C	68 %	80.4 dB	91.7 %	45 %
85.3 %	Motorola Moto G200 5G SD 888+ 5G, Adreno 660	84.9 %	6.80"	8.9 mm	88 %	202 g	86.4 %	IPS LCD	2460x1080	395 PPI	20.5:9	86.5 %	488 cd/m²	3.42	144 Hz	64.6 %	45.48	14.14	81 %		60.7 %	8234	33	60	91.9 %	905 min	86.1 %	29.6 °C	43.7 °C	75.6 %	81.2 dB	93.9 %	48.5 %
78.4 %	Samsung Galaxy M32 Helio G80, Mali-G52 MP2	79.7 %	6.40"	8.4 mm	89.7 %	180 g	90 %	Super AMOLED	2400x1080	411 PPI	20:9	84 %	720 cd/m²	1.94	090 Hz	58.6 %	46.22	12.11	54 %		15.2 %	1367	5.1	30	90 %	1098 min	88 %	25.2 °C	43.3 °C	64 %	79.8 dB	93.3 %	45 %
88.6 %	Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G SD 888 5G, Adreno 660	89 %	6.40"	7.9 mm	90 %	177 g	90.3 %	Dynamic AMOLED 2X	2340x1080	403 PPI	19.5:9	87 %	758 cd/m²	1.5	120 Hz	74.2 %	47.34	7.54	80.9 %		61.6 %	8366	42	60	89 %	594 min	92 %	31.8 °C	35.4 °C	73.6 %	88.9 dB	96.7 %	66.8 %
84.1 %	Microsoft Surface Duo 2 SD 888 5G, Adreno 660	88.3 %	8.30"	5.5 mm	86.6 %	284 g	88.4 %	AMOLED	2688x1892	396 PPI	12.8:9	78 %	661 cd/m²	3.5	090 Hz	66.2 %	39.35	12.07	87.8 %		64.7 %	7454	39		75.7 %	438 min	91 %	28.9 °C	39 °C	76.6 %	83.3 dB	91.1 %	65.8 %
79.4 %	Vivo Y52 5G Dimensity 700, Mali-G57 MP2	80.4 %	6.58"	8.5 mm	88.6 %	193 g	87.1 %	IPS	2408x1080	401 PPI	20:9	85 %	437 cd/m²	3.28	060 Hz	63.6 %	43.55	7.05	65 %		25 %	2434	8.1		91.2 %	987 min	90.6 %	28 °C	38.9 °C	64 %	85.8 dB	87.8 %	44.8 %
76.9 %	Honor 50 Lite SD 662, Adreno 610	82.4 %	6.67"	8.5 mm	88.7 %	192 g	87.1 %	TFT-LCD	2376x1080	391 PPI	19.8:9	89 %	456 cd/m²	2	060 Hz	56 %	46.65	6.68	59.3 %		12.2 %	1153	4.2		89.5 %	767 min	92.2 %	33.5 °C	35.2 °C	75.2 %	89.1 dB	81.7 %	47 %
80.5 %	Fairphone 4 SD 750G 5G, Adreno 619	85 %	6.30"	10.5 mm	87.6 %	225 g	86.9 %	IPS	2340x1080	409 PPI	19.5:9	79 %	492 cd/m²	2.96	060 Hz	64.6 %	46.9	6.2	77 %		28.8 %	2955	11		89.8 %	804 min	84.2 %	31.6 °C	45.2 °C	64 %	83.9 dB	90.6 %	47.2 %
73.8 %	Xiaomi Redmi 9C Helio G35, PowerVR GE8320	79 %	6.53"	9 mm	88.3 %	196 g	82.6 %	IPS	1600x720	269 PPI	20:9	81 %	417 cd/m²	4.14	060 Hz	52.8 %	46.97	8.44	40 %		5.2 %	491	4.8		90.5 %	905 min	90.5 %	29.1 °C	39.3 °C	50 %	77.7 dB	92.2 %	35 %
75.1 %	realme C25Y T610, Mali-G52 MP2	80.7 %	6.50"	9.1 mm	88 %	200 g	81 %	IPS	1600x720	270 PPI	20:9	83 %	402 cd/m²	4.51	060 Hz	47.6 %	43.48	14.62	61.6 %		16.1 %	1565	12		91 %	968 min	86.1 %	22.7 °C	49.4 °C	40 %	83 dB	93.3 %	39 %
78.6 %	Motorola Moto G31 Helio G85, Mali-G52 MP2	81.3 %	6.40"	8.6 mm	89.6 %	181 g	87.3 %	OLED	2400x1080	411 PPI	20:9	83 %	425 cd/m²	1.58	060 Hz	57 %	45.03	12.95	57.1 %		15.8 %	1430	5.4	30	91.8 %	1032 min	92.5 %	23 °C	38.2 °C	71 %	80.7 dB	90 %	45.4 %
80.5 %	Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G Dimensity 810, Mali-G57 MP2	81.1 %	6.60"	8.75 mm	88.4 %	195 g	84.8 %	TFT-LCD	2400x1080	399 PPI	20:9	85 %	499 cd/m²	3.3	090 Hz	65.6 %	47.08	4.95	70.5 %	8824	28.6 %	2770	9.3	30	90.6 %	966 min	93.1 %	32.4 °C	34.7 °C	71.8 %	89.3 dB	87.8 %	49.9 %
76.5 %	Vivo Y21s Helio G80, Mali-G52 MP2	82.6 %	6.51"	8 mm	89.5 %	182 g	82.2 %	IPS	1600x720	270 PPI	20:9	82 %	386 cd/m²	4.87	060 Hz	50.4 %	46.17	16.7	76.7 %		16.3 %	1368	9.5		91.1 %	973 min	90.2 %	22.8 °C	42.6 °C	50 %	80.1 dB	85.6 %	43.5 %

The table above depicts all smartphones reviewed during the above-mentioned period with their total score as well as category scores as achieved during our extensive review as well as a selection of important paramenters and benchmarks. All scores and details can be found in the respective reviews.

This table can be sorted by each column by simply clicking the column title, e.g. weight.

Other Interesting Smartphones Released in Early 2022

The most intriguing concept is Microsoft’s second edition of the Surface Duo 2, a foldable smartphone with two completely separate screens made for running two apps simultaneously. Unfortunately, it requires some serious refinement and only managed to secure a “Good” rating.

The Fairphone 4 exhibited a few flaws as well, chief among which were its high heat emissions under load, but it turned out to be a modern sustainable smartphone with individually replaceable and upgradable components made under fair conditions with a long warranty. Unfortunately, all this comes at a price.

A readers’ favorite is the Motorola Moto G41. Its reviews was only published very recently, towards the end of the quarter, yet it turned out to be the review with the highest number of views. Like many Motorola smartphones the Moto G41 is not officially sold by Motorola USA and only available as an international unlocked GSM-only version on Amazon with prices starting at $430.

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Editor of the original article: Florian Schmitt - Managing Editor Mobile - 926 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2009

I initially wrote about gaming laptops when I joined Notebookcheck in 2009. I was then involved with the setup of the comparison portal Notebookinfo and worked with social media concepts for large companies like BMW and Adidas, while also returning to work for Notebookcheck in 2012. Nowadays, I focus on smartphones, tablets, and future technologies. Since 2018 I have been Managing Editor for mobile device reviews, working alongside my colleague Daniel Schmidt.

contact me via: @FloSchmi26, LinkedIn, Xing

Translator: Finn D. Boerne - Translator - 450 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017

Born in the United States and raised in Germany I became acquainted with both languages from an early age and turned this into my profession later in life. Computers have always played an important role in my life, and my love for all things digital is a huge part of my daily routine. Virtual Reality has captured my imagination and interest in particular, and I cannot wait to see what the (near) future will bring.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > The Best Smartphones of Spring 2022 - 30 Smartphones in Review

Florian Schmitt, 2022-04-25 (Update: 2022-04-26)