Best US market phones of 2021 - buyer’s guide

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is Apple's best iPhone in 2022 and we think it’s the best phone you can buy in the US. It has a ProMotion 120Hz display, now with an Always-on option, a redesigned notch that’s now a feature called Dynamic Island, and a more prominent camera upgrade with a 48MP sensor for the main camera with 2x lossless zoom, a better ultrawide camera, and an improved selfie one with autofocus.

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max offers amazing dust and water resistance, plus its Ceramic Shield is incredibly crack proof. Of course, the latest iPhone is unmatched when it comes to performance. If you are an iPhone type of person, the 14 Pro Max is a no-brainer. If you are after the best flagship - that's also this iPhone 14 Pro Max but you should be willing to give Apple iOS a chance. It's not bad, it's just different.

All of these apply to the regular Pro, in fact. It's up to you to decide which size suits you best. No matter the hardware differences, you will still get the same experience. Got to love Apple for that.

The Galaxy Z Fold4 is among the best smartphones right now and it has the wow factor and unique looks. Sure, there are other foldables, but the Fold is the only one that’s available everywhere and is jam-packed with features.

The Galaxy Z Fold4 offers Samsung’s best displays and chipset, some of the best cameras, and it even supports S-Pen if that’s your thing. And being a foldable tablet surely puts it ahead of the competition for its versatility and usability.

Indeed, those who are after productivity are unlikely to find a superior package than the Fold4 - in smartphone or smartphone-like form, that is. The combination of the new Android for large screens, Samsung's proprietary One UI add-ons, and the stylus support, is simply unrivaled.

The Fold4 all-round excellence continue with its speakers, battery life, connectivity. In fact. The only things that fail to impress on this Fold4 are the charging speed and the still present screen crease.

Ultimately though, these are small enough as to be largely immaterial and Galaxy Z Fold4 is the best flagship right now.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is one of the best flagships for many reasons. First, it’s not only a Galaxy S Ultra, but also a Galaxy Note Ultra. Yay, the Note lives! It also gathers all the cutting edge tech Samsung can offer to the public so far, short of a foldable screen, of course.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra has one, if not the best mobile OLED screen with all the bells and whistles, and with native S Pen support, of course. And now that the S-Pen comes integrated within the Ultra, you won’t need to purchase a pen-holding case.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra also offers excellent battery life (for a flagship), the latest-gen fingerprint reader, and loud and clear stereo speakers.

One of the most important aspects of the Galaxy S22 Ultra are its cameras. A quad setup means you get two teles on this Galaxy Ultra going all the way up to 10x. And all of these cameras, plus the selfie, deliver excellent photo and video quality.

The continued regional divide that leaves the bulk of the world with what some perceive as the inferior Exynos chipset is hardly ideal. The good news is that the US market is getting the Snapdragon-powered model, so here is another reason to get it.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max is now cheaper and it remains among the best iPhones you can get today. Arguably, if the price is right, it might be the better one to get if you are not hell bent on having the new Dynamic Island feature.

The 13 Pro Max has a ProMotion 120Hz display and a versatile camera with a large 12MP sensor for the main camera, a 3x telephoto, and an improved ultrawide camera with macro mode.

The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max offers fantastic dust and water resistance, plus its Ceramic Shield is incredibly crack proof. Of course, the iPhone also offers top-notch performance. If you are an iPhone type of person, the cheaper iPhone 13 Pro Max is a no-brainer.

All of these apply to the regular Pro, in fact. It's up to you to decide which size suits you best. No matter the hardware differences, you will still get the same experience. Got to love Apple for that.

The iPhone 14 Pro is the smaller Pro model, which has everything the Max has, but the battery life due to the smaller battery capacity. It is still one of the two best iPhones in 2022. We’ve already explored the Max here in this chapter, but in case you need a refresh – the iPhone 14 Pro, and Max, offer some of the best screens, cameras, designs, and chipsets on the market right now.

So, if you are after the latest iPhone but don’t want to get the Max, the regular Pro would serve you well, too.

The Motorola Edge+ (2022), also known as Edge 30 Pro across the European markets, has unique selling points but also some notable shortcomings. On the first list is the 144Hz display - we can appreciate the smoothness but can't quite see it as a substantial advantage over the 120Hz of the competition. We do appreciate the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 hardware, of course.

We also enjoyed the 'stock' Android 12 build, sweetened by Moto enhancements and we can even come up with use cases for the 'ready for' platform. It's in those cases that the latest-gen Snapdragon comes in handy and it doesn't hurt that the Edge 30 Pro shows one of its more stable implementations that we've seen.

The lack of a telephoto camera stands out and it's compounded by all too simple video recording capabilities. Slight missteps in the display and battery departments, while hardly dealbreakers, place the Edge 30 Pro in a somewhat trailing position. Add to that the missing waterproofing in a sea of properly sealed competitors and some odd choices in the BoM and the phone isn't looking very premium either.

With all that said, the Motorola Edge+ / 30 Pro isn't a bad package. On the contrary, it's a balanced offering that's easy to recommend.

The Samsung Galaxy S22+ is an excellent Android flagships at quite an attractive price in the US.

The Galaxy S22+ comes a 1080p 120Hz AMOLED and flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 hardware. It has an improved camera system since the controversial S21 – now we have a 50MP OIS primary, a 10MP OIS 3x telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The selfie camera is the flagship-grade 10MP AF unit we’ve seen on the S21. All cameras deliver top-notch quality in stills and video, day and night.

The Galaxy S22+ offers a decent battery life, too. Overall, it’s a great deal and we do recommend it.

The Galaxy Z Flip went from a fashion-centric device to a full-blown flagship in just a couple of generations. The Flip4 is what the Flip3 should have been from the get-go - a powerful foldable smartphone with excellent camera performance, decent battery life and charging speed.

And indeed, we can say a lot of positive things about the new Z Flip4 - it has a superb water-proofed design that will hit the nostalgia notes across many users. It's a compact flip phone, one that clicks simply great.

The Z Flip4 offers an excellent AMOLED screen, good battery life, good charging speed, and the speakers are nice. It also packs the most powerful Android chip to date, though the thermals lead to throttling. And the camera performance is superb across the board, photo and video, day and night.

We consider the Flip4 as the most affordable foldable smartphone of the current generation, one of the most compact, too. And for its reasonable price, it delivers an outstanding set of features.

It's not an ideal smartphone - it takes a while to get used to its design and form factor. Then you need to live with the crease and the plastic screen protector over the screen. Dust gets in various places, too. But we are recommending it to people who'd like to own a unique phone, small, and yet powerful and capable; to users that will take it with all of its good and not so good aspects

Pixels have historically lacked mainstream appeal, and the lack of truly global availability is no small part of why that is so. This year, the list of countries with official Pixel presence has been expanded to 16, and maybe that will drive sales numbers up, even if a lot of the world will still be missing out.

And there's quite a lot to be missing out on. The camera system is the single biggest Pixel 7 Pro selling point that comes to mind, and it brings some welcome improvements, even if a bit modest. That, of course, comes on top of what is a hard to quantify character that you simply can't get on anything that's not a Pixel.

The Pixel 7 Pro is certainly not the best flagship right now - battery life is markedly worse than on a current iPhone, and a Galaxy will likely get you better longevity too. Neither Apple nor Samsung are industry leaders in charging speed, but Google has become an industry... trailer? Two hours for a full charge can turn into an actual issue in day-to-day use, we reckon.

But as far as consistently good and reliable photo and video quality is concerned, the Pixel is one of the best. It is a compelling package that can easily win over other brand loyalists if given a chance, and the enticing pricing helps a lot.

The iPhone 14 Plus is one of the best iPhones Apple has ever made, as usual. It does exactly what it is supposed to do - offering the non-Pro experience on a larger display. A big bonus from the new size is the larger battery capacity and hence - the better battery life.

The iPhone 14 Plus is one of the lightest 6.7-inch smartphones around with a flagship-grade design, screen, speakers, battery life, performance and video quality. Meanwhile, its new cameras, including the AF-capable selfie one, are as controversial as usual - it's like their quality hasn't changed for generations because of the heavy processing and over-sharpening.

Still, this iPhone 14 Plus finds its way to the hearts and pockets of people despite the lack of a high refresh rate screen or zoom camera. A lot of users won't mind this. It is well worth considering if you don't need the extra features that the Pro models bring.

The same reason we picked the iPhone 13 Pro Max applies to the 13 Pro. It's still one of the best iPhones with standout features like the 120Hz ProMotion display, the large main camera sensor and the improved ultrawide camera capable of excellent macro photography.

Just like the Pro Max, the standard Pro model also offers water and dust-proofing and Ceramic Shield for increased resistance to drops and scratches. The chipset powering up the handset is one of the most powerful solutions on the market. It's mostly about the OS, though, as iOS might not be everyone's cup of coffee, but given how popular iPhones in the US are, we have a feeling most of the users won't mind it. In case the 14 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max are too big for you, and you are in for a high-end iPhone but don’t want to spend as much, the 13 Pro seems like a logical choice.

OnePlus 10 Pro is the company’s current flagship and it’s one of the best phones you can get right now at about $900. It comes with an outstanding LTPO2 OLED display, superb sustained performance, and offers reliable camera performance. The best part – the phone is water-resistant for the US market!

One thing you should know is that the camera system is simply worse than the OnePlus 9 Pro due to downgrading of the ultra-wide camera. While the quality difference isn't massive, it is still objectively and measurably worse and also drops the macro functionality in favor of a frankly pointless fisheye effect.

The 10 Pro is certainly a strong contender, but that might depend on who you ask. If you're looking to buy into an expansive ecosystem, you might want to look elsewhere. Otherwise, the 10 Pro does have a capable all-around camera with enough features to keep photographers and casual picture-takers happy while also catering to content creators who appreciate a color-accurate display.

The iPhone 14 is very much a familiar affair. It is an incremental upgrade over last year's model. It has a major internal redesign that makes it more easily repairable, particularly a back panel or a display swap is now much less of a pain. The iPhone 14 has only a slightly larger battery pack but notably better battery life and even faster charging. The chipset is last year's A15 Bionic, but with five GPU cores, 6GB of RAM (50% more), Bluetooth 5.3, a more energy-efficient Qualcomm 5G modem, new satellite connectivity for SOS messages and new Crash Detection.

The camera department has a new larger 12MP main camera with a 1/1.65" sensor, 1.9-micron pixels, a new 12MP ultrawide and a new 12MP, f/1.9 selfie camera now with autofocus onboard. There is also the new Action Mode video stabilization, 4K Cinematic mode at 30 fps and a new Photonic Engine for better low-light photos.

It's not an insignificant list of changes once you really dig in. Some are obviously more impactful than others, and it will be up to the individual user to judge what constitutes enough reason for an upgrade. The way we see it, anybody on an iPhone 13 has little to no incentive to jump ship. Unless you really need autofocus on your selfie cam, all of those other camera improvements only realistically result in shorter capture times in low light. We would even go as far as to say that iPhone 12 users shouldn't feel too tempted by the 14 and can hold off upgrading for at least another year.

If you are running any iPhone older than that and you are looking to upgrade, then the iPhone 14 is nothing short of a solid and dependable way to go. Sure, it is a bit on the boring side in more ways than one, but you definitely know what you are getting into. For the more adventurous or frugal, there is also the option of picking up an iPhone 13 and potentially banking on some extended software support now that the A15 Bionic has gotten a new lease on life in the iPhone 14. Either way, you will be getting a great phone for the years to come.

As we mentioned as part of our iPhone 14 entry, the iPhone 13 is an equally attractive offer as it is almost an identical phone, cheaper at that. The iPhone 13, just like the 14, does lack a high refresh rate screen – its most notable omission. But the iPhone 13 is still one of the most durable and powerful phones on the market, yet lightweight and comfortable. The OLED screen is great; it has reduced though still huge notch, offers outstanding contrast and brightness, Dolby Vision and HDR10 support.

The iPhone 13 has the powerful Apple chip with 5G, there is also latest Apple dual-camera with Cinematic mode, you get stereo speakers, fast charging, and even MagSafe support.

The Asus Zenfone 9 is probably among the best compact Android flagship you can get. It has commendable qualities across the board. It's built as flagship as it can be - IP68 rating, GG Victus front and a metal frame. There is the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 5G chip with great performance. The camera quality turned out brilliant, no matter day or night, photo or video, or the type of camera you are using.

That's not all. The Zenfone 9 impressed us with its speakers quality, the excellent OLED, and rich connectivity options, including a 3.5mm jack.

Finally, the Zenfone 9 may be a flagship, but its price of $700 is quite reasonable by today’s standards.

The Pixel 7 is definitely one of the best options in the $600 price range, especially when considering camera quality. It has a flagship-worthy performance, although a bit lower than you'd expect; it's one of the best phones for mobile photography, if not the best-in-class, and it has bright OLED, great-sounding stereo speakers, long battery life (with the size category in mind) and exceptional software ensuring timely updates and smart features.

Sadly, there are a few caveats to consider here. There's no true telephoto camera; the display is limited to 90Hz; some of the most advanced software features are region-dependent, and the charging solution is just way too outdated for a 2022 flagship release.

But we do recommend it- at that price, the Pixel 7 offers a unique combination of ultra-premium camera experience, long battery life and AI-based features that make it the smartest kid on the block.

The OnePlus 10T is a $600 smartphone with large Fluid AMOLED screen with 1B colors and 120hz refresh. It also packs the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset with proper cooling solution that helps for great sustained performance.

Of course, there is more. The phone has a reliable enough camera system, good battery life and plenty fast 150W charging. The stereo speakers turned out quite nice, too.

It’s not all so flagship-grade, through – the camera system is so-so, there is no zoom camera, no IP rating, and the press images have already revealed the absence of the alert slider. That last bit, coupled with the fact that OnePlus and Oppo Android overlays have been steadily converging, may also put off long-time fans of the brand.

In its essence, the OnePlus 10T is an upper-midrange phone with a top-tier chipset and class-leading charging capability. We'd say it's priced accordingly and is worth what OnePlus is asking.

Okay, the Galaxy S20 FE might be two years old, but it’s still a solid offer for its all-round premium specs. The S20 FE is an IP68-rated smartphone with a good 120Hz OLED screen, powerful hardware, and a capable triple camera on the back.

The Galaxy S20 FE also offers superb battery life and good stereo speakers.

And don’t let its age scare you, the Galaxy S20 FE has been updated with Android 13 and One UI 5, so you will have the latest available software.

With the holiday season upon us, we believe the Galaxy S20 FE should be making it to quite a few shortlists.

The Motorola Edge (2022) is available for $600 in US, $500 if you get it on sale. And it’s an incredibly attractive deal – the Edge has a smooth 144Hz OLED screen, powerful enough Dimensity 1050 5G chipset, and good triple-camera on the back with a 50MP OIS primary.

The Motorola Edge (2022) also offers loud stereo speakers, like most of the Moto phones, one large battery and a variety of charging options including wireless.

Finally, being a Moto, also guarantees a clean Android experience and a couple of major updates in the future.

OnePlus is having a field trip in the US with its balanced offerings there. The OnePlus 9 Pro is the company's top smartphone for 2021, but even in 2022 it's still an easy recommendation in the US market with all the bells and whistles.

The handset packs one of the best displays around (LTPO AMOLED at 120Hz), blazing-fast charging and a versatile and capable camera setup. Sure, it's not on par with the flagship-level competition in this regard, but it gets the job just fine.

The clean-ish Android experience and 3-year-long software support are a breath of fresh air in the Android segment in the US. Although OnePlus' recent direction change when it comes to software is rather polarizing and that's definitely something worth considering by the pure Android fans. In any case, the good price/performance ratio remains a staple of OnePlus' phones in the US.

The OnePlus 9 Pro retails for $600, but it can also be found on sale for as low as $400.

The OnePlus 9 is another all-round smartphone that deserves a spot on this list. It did not make it to the flagships, or the flagship killers, but its current price of about $600 makes it an excellent contender in its price bracket. Even better, OnePlus is now selling it for $300 as part of its Black Friday deals.

The OnePlus 9 has a superb 6.55-inch 120Hz Fluid AMOLED screen with HDR10+ support, and it employs the most current Snapdragon 888 5G chipset. We found its primary and ultrawide cameras on the back to be quite capable with a good photo and video quality.

The good OnePlus traits continue with powerful stereo speakers and the incredibly fast 65W charging.

The OnePlus 9 is not without a few caveats, of course. The international model has no ingress protection, there is no zoom camera on the back, the selfies aren't that good, and most importantly - the battery life is uninspiring.

Still, those omissions aren't enough to distract us from this excellent versatile smartphone, and we do recommend exploring it.

Then there's the Pixel 6a 5G that’s quite the deal. It packs a compact HDR OLED screen, offers excellent performance and top-notch camera quality via the dual-camera system on the back. The phone is also IP67-rated for dust and water resistance.

The Pixels are among the first phones to get the new Android versions, which is nice. The only issue we have with this 6a model is the lack of a high refresh rate support for the screen.

Apple released a new SE in 2022 and it's among our top picks for its incredibly compact and lightweight body. It's hardly perfect though, but Apple has the iPhone 13 mini and 12 mini for those seeking perfection. So, the SE has a dated a form factor introduced years ago and reuses a lot of the iPhone 8 bits. That means a single camera, a small battery, giant screen bezels and - TouchID.

The best bit about the iPhone SE 2022, outside its incredibly compact and lightweight body, is the chipset – it employs the Apple A15 Bionic chip with 5G, the same one behind the latest iPhone 13 generation. The A15 chip is more powerful than even the beefiest Android, and it'll remain capable for years to come, during which time it'll keep getting software updates - the iOS way. It's a very affordable entry into that iOS world too.

The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G is still an excellent offer even if it’s a 2-years old phone. It has an AMOLED screen and flagship-grade performance in addition to its great battery life and photography skills. It even offers 5G connectivity at that price.

There is a catch, though. The screen is 720p resolution, and charging the beefy battery takes longer than we'd have liked it. Then again, at that price ($400 or lower, depending on the carrier), we are getting plenty, more than we would have hoped for, in fact.

If you want a rugged, powerful and yet affordable smartphone – the Samsung Galaxy Xcover6 Pro might be just for you. It’s a $500 phone with a 120Hz LCD screen, a powerful Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset, and a capable duo of cameras over at the back.

This Xcover6 Pro is part of the most recent update schedule by Samsung and will get Android 13 with OneUI 5. DeX support is also avaialble.

The Apple iPhone 12 mini is quite cheap via T-Mobile ($499) and it’s one of the smallest flagships you can buy today.

The iPhone 12 mini packs a 5.4" OLED screen of 1080p resolution and the powerful Apple A14 chip with 5G connectivity! It has the same dual-camera as the regular iPhone 12 with great photo and video quality. It also enjoys loud stereo speakers. The mini is one of the most durable phones to date as it has the same Ceramic Shield and IP68 waterproofing as the standard and Pro models.

The Galaxy A53 is a very good offer even if it’s a downgrade since the Galaxy A52s. The A53 is now competitively priced and offers IP67-rated design, a great 120Hz Super AMOLED screen, snappy performance with 5G, a reliable versatile camera setup with OIS.

The Galaxy A53 supports up to 25W fast charging, but the charger is sold separately. The missing Wi-Fi 6 and audio jack from the A52s are baffling. But even with these, it is one solid allrounder and deserves a spot on this list.

The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) can be found at about $300 and it’s an outstanding mid-range phone with a 120Hz display, good performance and incredibly reliable camera. The large battery is a thumbs up, too.

The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) also offers clean no-nonsense Android experience. IF you can find this phone at about $300, you should get it.

Motorola's One 5G Ace, also available as Motorola's One 5G UW Ace for Verizon handset is a recently discounted powerful smartphone with the same Snapdragon 750G SoC and a big 6.7-inch HDR10-compliant screen. It definitely gives these Samsungs a run for their money. It has a powerful, unrivaled Snapdragon 750G chipset for the money, a big 6.7-inch display, HDR10 at that, and a solid 5,000 mAh battery to run all that.

The One 5G Ace uses the same camera setup as its rivals and doesn't miss on the microSD card, NFC and 3.5mm audio jack. More importantly, in typical Motorola fashion, the company made it splash-resistant - a nice bonus to have when buying a budget handset these days. And in case you are wondering, yes, the One 5G Ace works with Verizon, you just have to get the UW Ace version of the phone. It's the same phone but compatible with Verizon's 5G network.

In the context of the US market, OnePlus is in a great position with T-Mobile and Metro to be offering smartphones in its Nord lineup that are well-equipped and intended for the pre-paid market. The Nord N20 brings a great AMOLED screen with in-display scanner, excellent battery life, all packed in an attractive and sleek plastic body.

Overall, the Nord N20 is a well-equipped device with enough features to satisfy the above-average smartphone user. It plays games very well - with minimal throttling - and it yields excellent battery life. Not to mention, it charges up very quickly thanks to the included SuperVOOC charger.

This display, although not a high-refresh rate one, is still brighter and produces a nicer image than equivalent LCD panels in this class. To wrap it all up, the Nord N20's Snapdragon 695 also brings 5G to this affordable price point.

Nokia G400 is a very tempting offer in this affordable category. It has a 120Hz LCD screen and is powered by the rather good Snapdragon 480+ 5G chipset. The phone also features three cameras on its back and comes with a large 5,000mAh battery.

The Nokia G400 has no-nonsense design and runs on a clean Android 12. If you budget is around $300, you should give this one a try.

The $200 Galaxy A23 deserves a spot here. It has quite a few nice features like excellent battery life, a likable design, fast 90Hz screen, good photo camera quality (OIS available), and Android 12 with the latest One UI.

On the other hand, the Galaxy A23 is a slow phone due to the sluggish Snapdragon 680 chipset. It also lacks some basic features like ambient light and proximity sensors (virtual sensing). And the screen quality is not as we hoped it to be – read not excellent, but not that bad either.

While far from perfect, we can see why the Galaxy A23 can make sense for some people – it comes from a popular brand with the latest software and offers enough to be a good daily driver – like excellent battery life and good camera.

The $199 Samsung Galaxy A13 5G has a rather good 90Hz LCD screen and a large 5,000mAh battery. Its triple camera on the back is quite basic, but still better than many of the competitors in this price bracket have to offer.

The Galaxy A13 5G offers adequate performance via its Dimensity 700 5G chipset. It has no ultrawide camera or stereo speakers, though, not that we expected them at this price.

The $199 Moto G Power has a 90Hz LCD screen and a large 5,000mAh battery – and that’s why it is one of the best phones under $200.

The G Power (2022) comes with water-repellent coating and offers adequate performance. It has no ultrawide camera or stereo speakers, but at this price point – we didn’t expect such features anyway.

The Galaxy A03s is a good entry-level smartphone - that's undeniable. It has a good screen, a reliable battery, a recent Android OS with OneUI interface, and a non-nonsense primary camera.

It is a cheap phone with rather cheaper screen and subpar performance, but at $169 we just cannot ask for more.

The $100 Moto G Pure has a large 720p LCD screen and a 4,000mAh battery. It is a cheap phone with clean Android, which also offers decent smartphone experience.

The G Pure can be found even cheaper across various retailers, so if you want the cheapest smartphone possible, keep an eye for this one.