What is new with phones in 2022?
2022 is here, and we're expecting big things from the next 12 months of smartphones. We've already seen plenty to get excited about. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is already on sale, while the Galaxy S22 series and Oppo's Find X5 series have been unveiled too, with the Honor Magic 4 and Realme GT 2 joining them at MWC 2022. Then the OnePlus 10 Pro and Xiaomi 12 have both already launched in China ahead of a global release later this year. That's not even mentioning the new slate of foldable phones from Huawei, Honor, and Oppo. Plenty of these phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, though this has competition from the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 though, which for the first time has matched its rival on specs.
Realme GT 2 - 8 March
The Realme GT 2 is an impressive looking follow-up to one of our favourite mid-range phones of last year, but it's also joined by the GT 2 Pro - one of the first phones to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and Realme's first premium flagship. Both phones are getting a UK launch, with the GT 2 Pro out on 8 March, and the regular model a week later on 15 March. Both phones get 120Hz AMOLED displays and triple camera setups, including a 40x zoom microscope lens and a 150-degree ultra-wide - the widest on any phone in the world.
Red Magic 7 - 10 March
Red Magic 7 - 10 March Nubia has revealed the Red Magic 7 and 7 Pro in China, and the regular version finally goes on sale in the UK on 10 March - with the Pro to 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.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 - 10 March
The Nord CE 2 is another affordable ace from OnePlus, which packs a lot of specs into an impressive £299 price tag. It's on pre-order now, before hitting shelves on 10 March. You'll get a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 900 chip, 128GB of expandable storage, a 90Hz AMOLED screen, and pretty nippy 65W fast charging. All that in a phone that's slim, light, looks pretty slick, and even packs a headphone jack. What more could you want?
Samsung Galaxy S22 & S22+ - 11 March
Samsung revealed the Galaxy S22 series on 9 February, and while the S22 Ultra is on sale in the UK now, the other models don't launch until 11 March - though you can already pre-order them all. There are three phones this year. The S22 and S22+ look similar to last year's S21 models, but come with updated specs and significantly improved cameras - the new 50Mp main lens and 10Mp 3x telephoto have already impressed us in our time with the phones. There are bigger changes to the S22 Ultra though. This has a different design to the others, and takes heavy inspiration from Samsung's old Note phones, even including a slot to store an S Pen stylus. Expect even more powerful cameras, and top specs across the board.
Oppo Find X5 - 24 March
Oppo has unveiled the Find X5 series, which go on sale in the UK on 24 March - though pre-orders start earlier, on 10 March. We've already reviewed the Find X5 Pro, which boasts a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Hasselblad-branded camera, and beautiful display - all in an unusual curved ceramic design. The base Find X5 packs many of the same specs into a more traditional design, while as rumoured the Find X5 Lite is really a re-packaged Reno 7 - though still looks like a solid affordable option.
OnePlus 10 Pro - March 2022
The next generation of OnePlus flagships has now arrived in China - though a global launch is confirmed for March - and for now at least we're only getting to meet the Pro model. 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.
Honor Magic 4 - Q1 2022
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.
Xiaomi 12 - Q1 2022
Xiaomi revealed the Xiaomi 12 series in China in December, and we're hoping to see a global release early in 2022. The main phone 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.
Honor Magic V - Q1 2022
Honor is finally ready to get into the foldable arms race, with the Honor Magic V now officially launched in China. We're not certain if - or when - the phone will reach the UK, but if it does you can expect a flagship foldable powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, using the larger book form factor - similar to the Z Fold series.
Oppo Find N - Q1 2022
We've known for months that Oppo was working on a foldable phone, but the company finally revealed all at a Chinese launch in December 2021. We don't know if or when the phone will launch elsewhere, but we're holding out hope for a western release. Built in the same form factor as the Galaxy Z Fold phones - though with a wider aspect ratio - the Find N packs a Snapdragon 888, 50Mp triple rear camera, and wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy A53 & A73 - Q1 2022
Samsung is widely believed to be working on updates to its mid-range line-up, with the Galaxy A53 and A73 both tipped to launch some time soon. Both phones have appeared in leaked renders, and follow closely in the footsteps of the A52 and A72 when it comes to design language. The main changes are likely to be chipset updates, along with tweaks to the camera configurations and a few other specific specs to keep the two phones up to date with the market.
Honor 60 - Q1 2022
The Honor 50 only launched in the UK and Europe in November, but the company unveiled its latest generation of mid-range phones, the Honor 60 series, in December 2021. This is only the Chinese launch, mind, so we don't know yet if - or when - the Honor 60 series will reach the UK. But since the 50 did, it seems likely we'll see this phone eventually too. Both the Honor 60 and 60 Pro feature similar designs and specs, with large, curved 120Hz OLED panels, 7-series Snapdragon chipsets, and 108Mp main cameras - though the Pro packs an improved ultrawide, a slightly larger screen, and a slightly faster chip.
Vivo V23 - Q1 2022
Vivo has confirmed that the V23 and V23 Pro - which have already launched in India - will be coming to Europe eventually. 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.
Poco F4 - Q1 2022
In 2021 the Poco F3 launched in March, so we're hoping to see the F4 in turn arrive in March 2022. Likely to be based on the Redmi K50 series, you can expect a Dimensity 7000 chipset, 100W fast-charging and IP68 water-resistance rating.
Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro - Q1 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. 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.
Nokia X50 - Q1 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.
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 sometime this year - most likely in 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 - May 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.
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 - Q3 2022
Realme has confirmed that it's working on the GT Neo 3, and that it will launch the phone some time in Q2 2022. We don't know much more about the phone, except the confirmation that it will be powered by the Dimensity 8100 chip and feature Realme's new 150W wired charging, which is fast enough to top the phone up to 50% in a mere five minutes.
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.
Apple iPhone SE 2 or SE Plus – 2022
Apple's new iPhone SE went on sale back in April 2020, but rumours since have pointed towards the launch of either a follow-up or a Plus mode, due sometime in 2022. The long-rumoured SE Plus is not simply a larger version of the iPhone SE, mind you. Prolific Apple leakster Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the iPhone SE Plus will feature either a 5.5 or 6.1in display and, crucially, it’ll sport a “full-screen design” like that of the iPhone 11 range. It may also have Touch ID built into the power button.
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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