TOP 5 flagship smartphones of 2022

A quick glance at the Xiaomi 12S Ultra from the side of the leather “back” reveals a huge block of the main camera, stylized as a camera lens. This design was chosen for a reason - potentially the smartphone is one of the best photo flagships of our time.

The model was the first sign from Xiaomi, created in collaboration with the reputable company Leica. The specialists of the German manufacturer of photographic equipment had a hand in the optical design of the lens of the main camera and introduced several proprietary shooting modes into the software shell of the camera (as on Leica cameras). The leading image sensor of the rear camera of the smartphone is built on an inch Sony IMX989 matrix with a resolution of 50.3 MP. It uses a highly effective HyperOIS optical stabilization system, and two additional sensors of 48 MP each are responsible for shooting at a wide angle and with 5x optical zoom. The smartphone shoots video in Dolby Vision HD format at resolutions up to 8K.

The screen of the device also deserves exceptional praise. This is an LTPO 2.0 AMOLED panel with a curved surface shape. The display is characterized by a resolution of 3200x1400 pixels, has a diagonal size of 6.73 inches, and an adaptive refresh rate of the picture in the range from 1 to 120 Hz is also declared for it. A fingerprint scanner has settled in the sub-screen layer to unlock the smartphone by fingerprint.

The hardware part of the device is headed by a 4-nanometer Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. Its heat is very hot and even the “insides” cooling system does not help to cool it – throttling is pronounced during prolonged intense loads. However, on all other fronts, Xiaomi 12S Ultra fully corresponds to the title of a charged flagship: the model is armed with Harman Kardon stereo speakers, supports fast wired and reverse wireless battery charging, carries an infrared port and advanced communication modules (Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth v 5.3) on board , possesses water protection of the case IP68. The model definitely deserves close attention.

At the very dawn of 2022, the OnePlus smartphone podium was headed by the top model 10 Pro. Why is she interesting? Let's sort it out in order.

From the front panel, the smartphone meets the user with a curved screen on a Fluid AMOLED matrix substrate with LTPO 2.0 technology. The last feature allows the display to automatically adjust the refresh rate in increments of one unit from 1 to 120 Hz. The screen of the device stretches diagonally by 6.7 inches, the image is displayed on it in high resolution 3216x1440 pixels. By default, the smartphone runs at Full HD + resolution, and increased detail must be activated in the settings.

On the back of the device, you can see a large ceramic platform with a Hasselblad nameplate. Inside it you can see a trio of main camera lenses and a ring flash. The leading sensor here is represented by a 48 MP sensor with optical stabilization. Together with him, there is a 50 MP ultra-wide with a field of view of about 150 ° and an 8 MP telephoto lens with a 3.3x zoom. Hasselblad has had a hand in tweaking the artificial intelligence algorithms (in the Natural Color Optimizer 2.0 shooting mode) and added a couple of branded presets with playback of film development rituals.

The performance of the smartphone is powered by an eight-core Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. To cool it, the model uses a highly efficient heat dissipation system. She is also responsible for cooling the internal components during the high-speed procedure for charging a 5000 mAh battery - the battery is charged via wire in just 32 minutes. at a power of 80 watts. The 50W wireless charging provides a full battery charge in about 47 minutes. Of the flagship attributes, the smartphone lacks only the official water protection of the case. However, in fact, there is one, it's just not stated in the technical documentation for the mobile device.

While the screen sizes of modern smartphones are inexorably increasing, Asus has relied on a compact version of the flagship. The ZenFone 9 model from it is equipped with a relatively small display of 5.9 inches diagonally.

The screen of the mobile device is based on a fast Super AMOLED type panel with a resolution of 2400x1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Note that the frame rate here is not adaptive - it only switches between values of 120, 90 or 60 Hz. In the upper left corner of the screen, you can see a "hole" under the lens of a 12 MP selfie camera, which takes high-quality self-portraits and records videos in 4K at 30 fps.

The main camera of the model is “two-eyed”. Its huge lenses stand out as a bright spot against the background of the polycarbonate back cover of the device. The leading rear camera image sensor of the smartphone is based on a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor with an advanced gimbal stabilization system. The built-in stub effectively compensates for shaking when walking and allows you to take pictures at slower shutter speeds handheld. The second module of the main camera is represented by a width of 12 MP. But there is no TV here.

The flagship smartphone rightfully relies on top-end hardware - the model has the most powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, coupled with 8/128 GB of non-expandable memory. The hardware platform easily handles the heaviest applications, while remaining energy efficient. It's no joke, a full charge of a 4300 mAh battery is enough for a smartphone for 7-8 hours of screen time. The battery is charged only by wire at a power of 30 watts. In addition, Asus ZenFone 9 got hold of stereo speakers, each of which is equipped with its own Qualcomm Aqstic WSA8835 amplifier, and the smartphone case is protected from dust and moisture according to the IP68 standard.

In the context of peers in the flagship line of Samsung Galaxy S22, the model with the Ultra prefix looks completely different. It is built in a case with right angles and can stand on the bottom end.

When developing the "ultra", they were apparently inspired by the Samsung Galaxy Note family. The smartphone is most similar to smartphones from it. In addition, the screen of the device supports working with the active S Pen, which is stored for the period of inactivity directly in the body of the device. The input delay when drawing with the stylus is 2.8 ms, and "smart" artificial intelligence algorithms predict the trajectory of the stylus on the screen. The role of the display with sloping sides in the design of the smartphone is performed by the Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a high resolution of the displayed image of 3088x1440 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz.

In terms of hardware, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was equipped with the most powerful components in the class. For the global market, the device comes under the control of the flagship homebrew Exynos 2200 5G processor, and for the North American region - with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. The model has 12/256 GB of memory without the possibility of expanding the storage capacity by external means. The smartphone components are powered by a 5000 mAh battery that supports fast wired charging (45 W) and wireless charging technology in both directions.

The rear camera of the mobile device is made in the quadro format. Its main protagonist is the main 108 MP image sensor, based on a matrix with physical dimensions of 1 / 1.33 "and with an advanced Dual Pixel AF autofocus system. Also in the main camera there are two stabilized telephoto lenses of 10 MP each (optical zoom 3x and 10x ), they are backed up by 12 MP super-wide... The smartphone shoots selfie frames on a 32 MP front camera lens in the island hole of the display.

Taking care of the environment and the environment, Samsung no longer puts a charging box in the box with a smartphone. And this is the only claim to the model. In all other respects, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a true flagship without the slightest compromise. It has the highest-grade "stuffing", and a wonderful screen, and an up-to-date set of the most modern communications, and even water protection of the case in accordance with the requirements of the IP68 standard.

"iPhones" traditionally hold the palm in the category of flagship mobile devices. In the line at number "14", the most advanced is the model with the prefix Pro Maximum

The large iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch diagonal screen. The display of the smartphone is called Super Retina XDR OLED. The image on the screen is broadcast at a resolution of 2796x1290 pixels, the frame refresh rate varies from 1 to 120 Hz, and the peak brightness of the panel reaches 2000 nits. Instead of a monobrow in the central segment of the upper part of the screen, there is a cutout in the form of an oblong Dynamic Island tablet. Various interactive elements and notifications emerge from the "island". The smartphone also debuted the long-awaited Always-On Display feature to display important information on the locked screen.

Under the hood, the focus is on the six-core Apple A16 Bionic processor, complemented by an advanced neural engine and a five-core GPU. The device got 6/256 GB of memory - the possibility of increasing the capacity of the standard storage is not provided. The main sensor of the main camera of the smartphone has a resolution of 48 MP, but the pictures on it are taken according to the standard in the former resolution of 12 MP (by combining four neighboring pixels to improve the quality of photos in low-light conditions of the frame). The leading sensor boasts matrix stabilization, in close proximity to it there are 12 MP ultra-wide and 12 MP telephoto (3x) lenses. Also in the block of the rear camera there is a “lidar”.

If there is no cellular coverage in the vicinity, the iPhone 14 Pro Max can send messages to emergency services via satellites. From the start, residents of the United States and Canada can use the Emergency SOS function. At the same time, the smartphone notifies rescuers about the user getting into an accident - the corresponding shock effects are recorded by an accelerometer and a gyroscope. Finally, for the American market, the model is produced without a physical slot for a SIM card, which brings the device's invulnerability to a humid environment to a new qualitative level.