The Google Pixel 7 Pro is our 2022 Readers' Choice Phone of the Year
Last week, the Android Police staff declared their winners for the Editors' Picks of 2022, selecting the Pixel 7 Pro as thebest smartphoneof the year. Of course, it’s not just our voice that matters. Our readers love to dive deep into new devices as much as we do, which is why we anxiously watched ourReaders' Choice pollover the last week to see who would take the top spot. With the results now in, we can finally declare a winner — and wouldn’t you know, it’s a familiar model.
After just shy of 5,000 total votes, thePixel 7 Promanaged to sweep the Readers' Choice poll with a third of responses. With this win, Google’s flagship takes the top prize for the fourth year in a row, dating all the way back to thePixel 4 in 2019. Samsung managed to collect second place, with theGalaxy S22 Ultrascoring 22 percent of the vote. The smaller Pixel 7 earned a bronze medal, as readers were won over by its small footprint and affordable price.
These results shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The Pixel 7 Pro is a step up from its predecessor in nearly every way. From the refined design to its camera array — not to mention its much-improved software — Google managed to improve on the Pixel 6 Pro while keeping its price locked at a relatively affordable $900. Even without factoring in those incredible Black Friday deals, it’s obvious that the Pixel series remains a bargain hunter’s dream.
As amazed as we’ve all been by the Pixel 7 Pro — staff and readers alike — I do think it’s worth highlighting some of the other top choices on this poll. The Galaxy S22 Ultra remains one of the most impressive phones of the year, a device that brought the Note series back to life and really brought Samsung’s camera performance to a new level. If that particular phone wasn’t ten months old, I think it would’ve had a better chance of winning over readers' hearts. Samsung die-hards take note — theS23 Ultra isn’t too far away.
ThePixel 7is also a noteworthy runner-up, featuring a smaller, more comfortable design and an affordable price tag. Personally, it’s my favorite of the year, though it’s hard to compete with the Pixel 7 Pro’s telephoto lens.
Some other highlights of the poll worth noting: thePixel 6aandGalaxy Z Fold 4both received near-equal amounts of love, despite being on opposite ends of the price spectrum. TheNothing Phone 1andAsus Zenfone 9also saw nearly 200 votes each, enough to put them ahead of theGalaxy Z Flip 4. It’s clear that, at least in our readers' eyes, phablet-sized foldables remain the ones to buy. Finally, pour one out for the OnePlus Nord N20, which — despiteearning an impressive 9/10 in our review earlier this year— received less than 20 votes in this poll.
Overall, it was a solid year for smartphones; although nothing revolutionary hit the market, each manufacturer managed to step up their respective game in some key ways. It’s unclear whether 2023 will be another year of small changes to existing designs, or if something new will blow us away. But withmore foldables on the horizon— not to mention new startups looking to make their way into the scene — next year could be chock full of surprises.
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