Top 20 phones of the year 2022

2022 has seen the launch of several hundred smartphones, some more successful than others. Now that we’ve said goodbye to the year, it’s time to look back at some of the top models measured by one very important metric – their popularity among you, our readers.

Here are the top 20 phones you’ve searched for the most in the last 12 months. We’ve included some phones that technically debuted in 2021, but it didn’t seem fair to exclude those that started shipping on December 31.

The Top 5 most popular phones in 2022

Like last year, Samsung Galaxy phones occupy 9 positions in the Top 20. The undisputed leader (by far) is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G. However, the other two members of the S22 have fallen behind the Galaxy S21 FE, so Samsung may want to reconsider the fate of the Fan Edition series. Also note that out of the 9 Samsung phones, there are 5 Galaxy A models and four of the S series.

Xiaomi holds 6 places in the ranking – the Redmi Note 11 secured third place, just behind the Galaxy A53 5G. Its sibling, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 11 Pro 5G, although less popular, is also on the list. The Xiaomi 12 Pro and Xiaomi 12 (the December 31 phones we mentioned) were also among the most popular phones of 2022, the 12S Ultra could have been too if it had launched earlier or was globalized.

Most popular phones of 2022: #6 to #10

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is the most popular Apple phone this year, not even close to the rest of the 14 series. The affordable iPhone SE is Apple’s second entry into the Top 20, although did not rank as highly as its predecessor in 2020.

OnePlus is historically one of the most popular brands in our database, so it’s no surprise that the OnePlus 10 Pro made the list. No Nord this year, however. Still, that’s not a bad performance for a company that’s younger than most of the other brands on the list. Most, but not all – the Nothing Phone (1) is the brainchild of OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, and it managed to generate enough interest to land in the Top 10.

Most popular phones of 2022: #11 to #15

Google is also getting some recognition this year, but not for the much-reviewed Pixel 7 series – it’s the humble Pixel 6a that represents Google phones this year (we hear a Pixel 7a is coming soon).

Finally, a few noteworthy items. We don’t know how many Sony Xperia Pro-I units were sold, but the phone lit up people’s imaginations and almost cracked the Top 20.

Then there’s the iPhone 14 Plus, the new addition to the family after the mini’s departure. It ranked well below any other model in the iPhone 14 series (the 14 Pro is not far off the Top 20).

Most popular phones of 2022: #16 to #20

Another thing to note is the absence of any foldables in the Top 20. In fact, the most popular foldable is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, but that’s even outside the Top 50. As you can see from After the number of affordable phones in the chart below, price is still a major factor and foldables aren’t ready for mass adoption. Maybe in 2023 – we’ll meet you here in 12 months to discuss it.