Top 10 Best Smartphones Today, According to Business Insider

iPhone 13 Pro Max offers the best battery life of any phone I've used or heard of. It's simply amazing. With the iPhone 13 Pro Max, you can easily get an average of two days of usage from a single charge. While it’s the top choice, it’s also expensive, priced at $1,200. There are other phones that offer great battery life, including some budget options like the Motorola Moto G Power 2021. However, if battery life is your top priority, I'd avoid the Samsung Galaxy S22 series.

Pros:

• Best battery life
• Excellent camera
• Impressive performance
• 120Hz display
• Scratch-resistant ceramic shield glass

Cons:

• iPhone 13 Pro Max is quite heavy
• Expensive, with no fast charging included

The phone you choose for your child largely depends on the ecosystem you're using as a parent or guardian, whether it's Apple's iOS or Google's Android. You should also pick a durable case for the phone, no matter which model you go for. Apple's iPhone SE is a great choice. It's the cheapest and smallest iPhone with up-to-date specs, ensuring solid performance.

Smaller and more affordable phones like the iPhone SE are easier for young children to manage, and if the phone gets lost or damaged, it's less costly to replace compared to higher-end models. While it's a budget-friendly phone, it still holds up well. Apple Care+ is also a great safety net for kids' iPhones.

Pros:

• Most affordable iPhone
• Good performance for long-term use
• Decent camera
• Long-term security updates

Cons:

• Phone is two years old
• Battery life is not exceptional

For Android families, the best kids' phone is the Google Pixel 5a. Priced $50 less than the Pixel 4a 5G, this affordable phone offers a smooth introduction to Android with built-in parental controls. Its performance is suitable for both younger and older children. Even better, the Pixel 5a features a fantastic camera that exceeds expectations for its price.

Google also offers its own extended warranty, called Google Preferred Care, which covers up to two accidental damage incidents. This is especially helpful for kids. While the Google Pixel 5a may look basic, it delivers solid performance, great camera quality, long battery life, and a reasonable price.

Pros:

• 5G connectivity
• Good battery life
• Dual-lens camera
• Reliable performance for long-term use

Cons:

• Costs $50 more than the iPhone SE
• Security updates only until 2024

Samsung Galaxy S21 may not offer the top-tier specs and power of its predecessors, such as the Galaxy S20, which once led this list. However, the strength of the S21 lies in its value. It’s a powerful phone at a more affordable price compared to many competitors. With a 120Hz refresh rate and excellent brightness, the Galaxy S21’s screen will impress most users.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is an excellent option for many, thanks to its solid specifications, great design, and more affordable price than the Galaxy S21 Ultra and its predecessors. The battery life is impressive, lasting all day on a single charge, with its 4,000mAh battery offering plenty of use before needing a recharge. The S21 Plus even offers better battery performance with its larger 4,800mAh cell.

Pros:

• Good battery life
• Solid ultra-wide camera
• Excellent sound quality

Cons:

• No microSD card support
• The screen isn’t the best available

Google Pixel 6 debuted in October 2021 with a lot of excitement surrounding its new Tensor chip, designed by Google. The Pixel 6 features a 6.4-inch OLED display with Full HD Plus resolution (2400 x 1080) and a 90Hz refresh rate for smoother app browsing and gaming. The vibrant colors on the OLED screen, combined with the dual front-facing speakers, make it a great device for streaming.

The Pixel 6 is a significant upgrade over the Pixel 5, though it still has its drawbacks, such as average battery life and a redesigned physical appearance. However, it's priced lower than both the iPhone 13 mini and the Samsung S21. The 6.4-inch OLED display delivers crisp visuals with Full HD Plus resolution and a smooth 90Hz refresh rate for better app performance and gaming.

Pros:

• Elegant new design
• Excellent camera and software
• Great display

Cons:

• Average battery life
• Pixel 6 pricing varies by internet service provider

Galaxy Z Flip 3 offers a high-quality build and top-tier processing power with the Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G chipset and the Adreno 660 GPU, which is designed for fast graphic rendering, including Volumetric VR video. The device features a sleek new design for a foldable smartphone. It includes two screens: the 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X that serves as the main display, and a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED cover screen. Performance is excellent thanks to the powerful processor and GPU, and the stereo sound system, optimized by AKG, ensures great audio quality. However, it lacks a mm headphone jack for wired audio devices.

Pros:

• Compact foldable design that offers a new experience and smaller size when held or stored in a pocket.
• Runs Android 11 as the default operating system.
• Offers two large internal storage options: 128GB or 256GB.
• Includes Samsung's Knox security system to protect data from malware and security threats.

Cons:

• No expandable memory slot.
• No infrared sensor.
• Lacks a mm headphone jack.
• Camera performance could be better.

OnePlus 9 Pro is a flagship device that addresses one of the key weaknesses of previous OnePlus phones — their cameras. This phone can compete with other high-end devices, and some users may even prefer its camera quality over others on this list.

While OnePlus has focused on improving the camera of the OnePlus 9 Pro, it remains an all-around impressive smartphone offering top-tier performance, a fantastic display, and most of the features you'd expect from any high-end phone. Its battery life isn't the absolute best, but it's still strong enough to last the entire day. The OnePlus 9 Pro boasts the best camera system OnePlus has ever made.

Pros:

• Best camera system from OnePlus
• Incredible performance

Cons:

• Price is on the higher side
• No microSD card support

The most user-friendly smartphone to recommend to almost anyone is Apple’s iPhone 13. It strikes the perfect balance in terms of price, design, display quality, performance, features, battery life, and camera quality compared to any other smartphone.

Apple is known for offering the best long-term support with updates to iOS and security, meaning iPhones tend to last longer than most other phones. While Samsung is improving its Android update support, it still doesn't quite match Apple's track record: the iPhone 6S from 2015 is still running the latest iOS version. Additionally, Apple devices work seamlessly together, with handy features like answering calls across Apple devices, AirDrop, iMessage, FaceTime, and instant hotspot connectivity.

Pros:

• Premium design, excellent performance
• Great camera quality with the Apple ecosystem

Cons:

• Does not include a charger, still uses Lightning instead of USB-C for charging
• The 60Hz display feels less smooth compared to the 90Hz or 120Hz screens found on Android competitors

Galaxy S22 Plus by Samsung is the best Android phone you can buy in 2022, offering the ideal blend of design, performance, features, and camera quality. Although it's on the pricey side, Samsung and carriers provide some fantastic deals.

There are countless premium Android devices out there, but in the U.S., Android users are mostly limited to options from Samsung, Google, Motorola, and OnePlus. Among these, the Galaxy S22 Plus stands as the best and safest choice for 2022. It features a luxurious, sleek design and is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor in the U.S. However, in other markets, the S22 series is equipped with Samsung's own Exynos chipset, which hasn't been as well received.

Pros:

• Premium design
• Latest high-end specifications
• Top-tier performance on Android
• Triple-camera setup
• Gorgeous 120Hz display
• Rapid 45W charging

Cons:

• Battery life falls shorter than expected

The Galaxy S22 Ultra from Samsung takes mobile photography to the next level, offering incredible flexibility with its quad-camera system. With four distinct camera lenses, this device provides the most comprehensive and versatile photo capabilities we've seen on any smartphone. The S22 Ultra can shoot 4K video at both 30fps and 60fps, and even records 8K video at 24fps.

Featuring a 108MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP 3x zoom lens, and a 10MP 10x optical zoom lens with a digital zoom capacity of up to 100x, the Galaxy S22 Ultra excels in long-range zoom. While most phones offer a 3x or 4x optical zoom with digital zoom up to 20x, the S22 Ultra sets a new standard. It also performs exceptionally well in low-light conditions and delivers stunning portrait shots. With a suite of pro-level camera options and settings, it's perfect for those seeking greater control over their photos.

Pros:

• Four camera lenses with a 108MP sensor for highly detailed shots
• Unmatched zoom capabilities, offering the best zoom on any phone

Cons:

• Expensive price tag