Bravo to all the brands that listened in 2022

The frustrating thing about reviewing is hearing the same complaints over and over again year after year. Although we don’t enjoy repeating the same lines, it is very disappointing when lingering issues prevent us form making a strong recommendation. Great phones.

We’re focusing our attention on brands that have taken customer feedback into account and have improved their products for 2022.

The past two years have been spent screaming at every brand, large or small, to keep up to consumers’ buying habits and keep their phones updated for longer. Finally, the message finally got through.

Samsung is moving with a stretch The industry-leading upgrade pledgeIn 2022, you will have access to four operating systems and five years’ worth of security. This is better than Google which offers only three years of operating system updates for its Pixel phones and five years of security patches. Samsung put the industry to shame by bringing the same policy for its new mid-range Galaxy A smartphones.

Later in the year, sister companies will be available OppoAnd the As promised by OnePlusThere were four major OS updates, and five years worth of security patches. cool stuff. These pledges are only valid for select flagship phones that were launched in 2023. Existing owners will continue to have access to more mid-ranger phones and more budget-oriented customers in the next year.

Although Android brands still trail Apple in sales, 2022 is a step in the right direction. We will just have to keep pushing the boundaries on superhumans and applying pressure to bring similar long term policies to affordable phones.

Continue reading: Update policies from every major Android brand

After the success of Pixel 6, Google did the best thing for the Pixel line It stays consistent. This is what we thought about before we launched a program. Pixel 7 seriesGoogle was on the same wavelength once.

Even the best devices can’t last for a whole day. While we would like to have all-day battery lives by default, it is essential to be able quickly to top up a phone’s battery with a powerful charger. Samsung has addressed both of these issues and we are grateful that they did. Galaxy Z Flip 4.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s internal battery is slightly bigger than the Galaxy Z Flip 3, with 3,700 mAh in comparison to 3,300 mAh. Samsung has also increased the power of the phone’s charger from 15W up to a more reasonable 25, As long as you use a USB PD PPS chargerThis makes things more complicated.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 took 75 minutes to complete. It won’t win the award of fastest charging phone, however, it’s something. Samsung, thanks for listening. We still want to get at least four to five hours of screen-time next year.

Sony’s Xperia 5 series combines the most powerful Xperia 1 models into a compact and affordable device. This was an important job in 2022. Xperia 5 IVThe flagship’s retail price of $1600 is higher than the flagship.

After years of waiting, Sony finally brought wireless charging to the smaller model. The 5 IV has the same content creation apps as the big brother and even a revamped the brand’s selfie mode that was available before the 1 IV. You will also find the same 4K video recording at 120fps, IP65/67 rating and Wi-Fi6E hardware features in the 5 IV. Xperia 1 IVThis is one, if not THE, compact flagship on the market.

The phone’s execution was not flawless. Will do Miss some Sony camera innovationsYou can choose the Xperia 5 IV. You can add one to our 2023 wishlist, along with an LTPO Screen and long-term support.

We also have to thank Asus for their 2022 construction of a compact flagship. Zenfone 9It isn’t as powerful as the Xperia’s multimedia capabilities and it doesn’t have wireless charging. It’s still a great $700 phone and well worth a look if it’s your favorite.

Oppo’s decision to cancel OnePlus in some areas was one of the most controversial smartphone decisions of 2021. It had acquired the Hasselblad Partnership and wanted the premium market. Oppo was preparing OnePlus to be stripped of its remaining identity, by replacing it with another. The beloved Oxygen OSWith unified operating system platform.

Brands become a sensation after a sensation. They backed away from their unifying ambitions for the operating systemIn early 2022. Two distinct identities will be retained by Oppo’s Color OS (OnePlus’ Oxygen OS) for the foreseeable. Nothing can make a boardroom scream like internet rage.

A unified operating system is still a viable concept. Oppo and OnePlus have more resources together than ever, including software development. So, Color OS and Oxygen OS add their own flavors to a common code base. It remains to see if this will be sufficient to satisfy loyal fans. We aren’t convinced yet. We will have to wait and see what 2023 holds.

Those were the highlights of our conversations with brands as they listened to us and our consumer feedback in 2022. We also applaud companies that kept their prices close to the previous generation. As the economy continues to plummet, almost everyone wants phones affordable.

Is there any other thing that should be on your list? Comment below to let us know.