Best new phones coming in 2022
Samsung Galaxy A53 - 1 April
Samsung has updated its mid-range line-up with the Galaxy A53, which goes on sale on 1 April.
An updated processor, bigger battery, and 5G are the main changes from last year's A52, but it still has the same great features including IP67 water resistance and stereo speakers - rarities in a phone at this price.
Throw in Samsung's promise of four years of Android updates, and this looks like a phone that comfortably bests the iPhone SE.
OnePlus 10 Pro - 5 April
The next generation of OnePlus flagship has now arrived globally, having first launched in China in January and making its way overseas on 31 March. It's just the Pro model though, and for now it looks like that may be the only official OnePlus 10 phone at all.
The top-tier 10 Pro features a novel new camera module design, along with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and improved battery and charging - though there aren't too many other improvements from last year to be found.
Xiaomi 12 - 15 April
Xiaomi has finally launched the Xiaomi 12 series internationally, and the phones will arrive in the UK on 15 April, though pre-orders will actually begin two weeks earlier on 1 April.
The Xiaomi 12 is an unexpectedly compact handset with a 6.28in display, but it still packs in a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, powerful triple camera, and super-fast charging.
The larger 12 Pro has an even better camera setup and faster charging speeds, while the cheaper 12X is the same size as the 12 but drops to the older Snapdragon 870 and ditches the wireless charging option.
Samsung Galaxy A33 - 22 April
The Galaxy A33 is a cheap and cheerful Samsung phone that actually looks pretty great, and it's on sale from 22 April.
At £329 it's a little cheaper than the A53, offering only a 90Hz display and some small camera downgrades. But you'll still get stereo speakers, IP67 water-resistance, and a powerful chipset for an excellent price - plus three years of Android version updates.
Poco F4 - Mid-April
In 2021 the Poco F3 launched in March, so we were hoping to see the F4 in turn arrive in March 2022. That didn't happen, so we're now expecting a mid-April release date, but we haven't had confirmation of that: despite a flurry of rumours, the phone itself hasn't even been officially announced by Xiaomi yet!
Likely to be based on the Redmi K50 series, you can expect a Dimensity 7000 chipset, 100W fast-charging and IP68 water-resistance rating.
Honor unveiled the Magic 4 and Magic 4 Pro at MWC 2022, with a UK and European release planned soon - though we don't know the exact date yet.
The two phones are big and powerful, with 6.81in displays, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips, and high-resolution triple camera setups. The 4 Pro is even more exciting thanks to 100W wireless charging - the fastest you'll find in any phone.
Vivo V23 - Q2 2022 (for UK)
Vivo has confirmed that the V23 and V23 Pro - which have already launched in India, Germany and Spain - will be coming to other European countries eventually, and that should include the UK sometime in the second quarter of the year.
The two phones share the same eye-catching gold design, which subtly shifts to turquoise as it moves through the light, but have very different builds: the V23 has iPhone-esque straight sides, while the curved Pro is a more traditional Android phone.
Both use MediaTek chipsets, 90Hz displays, and triple rear cameras - along with dual selfie shooters, giving you both a high-resolution 50Mp main selfie camera and an 8Mp ultrawide.
Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro - Q2 2022
Xiaomi has unveiled the Pro variant in the Poco X4 series, with a Poco X4 NFC and GT expected to turn up at some point too.
At the phone's unveiling, we were told that the X4 Pro 5G would be made available starting 2 March, with a release date in India slated for 28 March. However, as of 1 April, the phone wasn't available to buy from Flipkart, as we'd been led to believe it would. This means an early Q2 release is now the most likely scenario.
The Pro packs a 120Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 695 chip, and 108Mp main camera, all with an eye-catching design upgrade from the rather chunky X3 Pro.
Red Magic 7 Pro - Q2 2022
Nubia has launched the Red Magic 7 in the UK already, but the Pro will follow some time in Q2.
This pair of gaming phones both feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, together with Nubia’s own Red Core 1 chip, which helps manage some gamer-specific features.
6.8in AMOLED screens feature on both too, with high refresh rates and touch sampling rates, and the Pro even features an under-display camera.
Read more about the Red Magic 7 series.
OnePlus Nord 3 - Q2 2022
OnePlus has teased a phone coming in Q2 this year with 150W wired charging - and we think that's the Nord 3.
The next OnePlus mid-ranger is tipped to include that upgraded charging spec - capable of a full charge in just 15 minutes - alongside a new Dimensity 8100 chipset and a larger, 6.7in 120Hz display.
The camera spec isn't expected to change as much though, with the same 50Mp IMX766 main camera as the Nord 2, joined by an 8Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro.
Nokia X50 - Q2 2022
The X50 is the rumoured name for the next Nokia flagship, which we're expecting to see some time this spring or summer.
Solid specs are thin on the ground, but point to a device at the lower end of the flagship range, with a Snapdragon 7-series chipset - though some think a Pro model with an 8-series chip may also be coming.
Read more about the Nokia X50
Sony Xperia 1 IV, 5 IV & 10 IV - Q2 2022
Last year Sony unveiled its trio of high-end phones together in the spring, so we're expecting to see the Xperia 1 IV, Xperia 5 IV, and Xperia 10 IV also arrive together soon.
The 1 IV will be the company's main flagship, likely with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and upgraded camera system. The 5 IV will likely deliver similar specs in a smaller size, while the 10 IV should be a powerful mid-ranger at a more affordable price point.
Google Pixel 6a - May 2022
Google is expected to repeat its usual patterns and release a cheaper 'a' branded version of its Pixel 6 flagship some time this year - most likely on 11 May at Google I/O.
Last year's 5a never launched outside of the US and Japan, but the chip shortage was partly to blame, so we're expecting a wider release this time round.
Expect the design to follow the lead set by the Pixel 6 but in a smaller size - already revealed in the render here, based on leaks. The camera is likely to stick with the hardware used in the Pixel 5a however, though should still impress for the price.
Google Pixel Foldable - Summer 2022
This is a bit of a wild card - but leaked internal documents and bits of code suggest that Google may be working on a Pixel-branded foldable device. We thought it might launch in late 2021, but it now looks more likely to appear in May 2022 along with the public launch of Android 12L at Google I/O.
Beyond the device's existence there haven't been many leaks with details of what sort of foldable device it will be, or what specs it will have, but we know a lot of people will be curious about a Google-branded folding phone with that Pixel camera.
Nothing Phone (1) - Summer 2022
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei's new company, Nothing, has only released one pair of headphones so far - but the company has finally confirmed that a phone is coming this summer.
We know that it will be called the Nothing Phone (1), and that it will run new software called Nothing OS - though this will just be a software layer on top of Android.
We don't know what specs to expect, but teasers suggest wireless charging, and the company has hinted that while affordable, the Phone (1) is intended to rival flagships.
Vivo X80 - H1 2022
Sadly the UK and Europe never got the Vivo X70 series, which only launched widely in Asia, but we're hoping that the company was just holding its shot for the upcoming X80 line.
Going by the previous generations we can probably expect three main phones: an X80, X80 Pro, and X80 Pro+.
Early leaks point to the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 in at least one of them, paired with a 120Hz Full HD+ display, and a 50Mp gimbal-stabilised main camera.
Asus ROG Phone 6 - Q2 2022
Asus doesn't launch every ROG Phone in the UK - and sometimes they just come late, like the recent ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro - but we have good odds of getting the ROG Phone 6 in summer 2022.
After all, we did get the ROG Phone 5 right on schedule, and this is likely to be a more meaningful follow-up to that phone.
We're not sure exactly what to expect - though the 360Hz touch sampling rate from the 5s series seems like a safe bet. Otherwise expect tweaks to the design, the next-gen Snapdragon flagship chipset, and likely more novelties like the rear OLED display found on the 5 Pro.
OnePlus Nord 2T - Q2 2022
OnePlus hasn't yet announced the Nord 2T, but rumours point to a launch some time in April or May.
As the name suggests, this is likely to be a tweaked version of the excellent Nord 2, with a possible upgrade to the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 chip and 80W charging, though most other specs will probably stay the same.
Realme GT Neo 3 - Q2 2022
Realme has already revealed the GT Neo 3 in China, but we're hoping it will reach the UK some time in Q2 2022.
The phone is powered by the Dimensity 8100 chip and there are actually two versions: one will feature Realme's new 150W wired charging, which is fast enough to top the phone up to 50% in a mere five minutes, while the other includes mere 80W charging but with a slightly larger battery to make up for it.
You can grab it in a regular black finish, but we much prefer the two racing stripe designs inspired by Le Mans '66.
OnePlus 10 Ultra - Q3 2022
We don't know that OnePlus is making a 10 Ultra, but it's beginning to look likely.
The company has never put out an Ultra phone before, but multiple leakers have reported on one in the works, which will apparently boast the company's first periscopic zoom lens.
Parent company Oppo has also promised 150W fast charging in an upcoming OnePlus device - will the Ultra be the one?
Motorola Razr - 2022
We don't know when to expect it, but Motorola is almost certainly going to release an updated Razr foldable in 2022.
The success of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 almost guarantees that Motorola will release a new take on its own iconic clamshell foldable.
This will be the third foldable Razr (the original was followed by a 5G version) and we're hoping to see a streamlined design and upgraded specs that make it a true flagship competitor to Samsung's offering.
Huawei Mate 50 - 2022
Now that Huawei has released the P50 Pro worldwide, fans have started anticipating the Mate 50.
While these would normally have launched in autumn 2021, we're now expecting to see Mate 50 phones some time in 2022. Expect a Chinese launch first, with Europe and the rest of Asia to follow a few months later - maybe.
Not much is known about the specs, but expect a 4G Snapdragon chipset, with top-tier display and camera chops to make up for slower signal speeds.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 - August 2022
Samsung hasn't confirmed that it's working on another Z Flip, but it seems a safe bet that one is in the works and will launch around August this year.
Rumours point to a similar size device, though Samsung is apparently working on making it lighter, while improving the hinge and upgrading the IPX8 water-resistance even further.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 - August 2022
The Z Flip 4 is almost certain to bring with it the larger Z Fold 4, also likely to launch in August.
We don't know much about what to expect, but improvements to the under-display camera are almost certain - and rumour has it that the same camera may also appear on the phone's outer display this time around.
Tweaks to the hinge and water-proofing have also been predicted, along with the usual spec and camera boosts.
iPhone 14 - September 2022
The iPhone 14 may still be a while away, but we have our first leaks of what to expect from the next Apple flagship.
Renders based on leaks sourced by Jon Prosser reveal the alleged end of the controversial notch - supposedly replaced by a punch-hole camera, with the rest of the Face ID tech hidden under the display itself.
Round volume buttons return, while the camera lenses are now flush against the body - achieved in part by making the phone itself thicker.
It's too far off to know if this is what the iPhone 14 will look like for certain, but it's already enough to get us excited.
Pixel 7 - October 2022
October is Pixel season, so that's when we're expecting Google to unveil the Pixel 7.
After last year's design overhaul we're not expecting anything quite so radical this time around, but patent applications suggest this could be the year we see the company adopt an under-display selfie camera, along with the second-generation of its Tensor chip.
Foldable iPhone - 2022/2023
A folding iPhone has been rumoured ever since the first foldable display tech existed pretty much, but thanks to leaks and rumours we have pretty good reason to believe Apple is at least working on a foldable iPhone - even if it's probably years away.
Apple is rarely the first to market with new tech, though given that Samsung has already released several iterations of its folding tech there's a risk Apple will look backwards if it doesn't follow suit until 2023 - though if it can perfect the tech in that time it may well be worth the wait.
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