We have reached that point of the year where the top of the range smartphones have been unveiled for everyone and with the latest iPhones and Pixels the circle closes the premium range of 2022. Something could still come between the foldables or special editions but the real flagships are on the market and we have already evaluated them .
It is therefore time to take stock, between smartphones that exalt and others that disappoint, we have selected the best we had available by reasoning on why yes and why not for each one. As always, the perfect smartphone does not exist but in this 2022 many have worked on refinements, often with excellent results. We see everything in our analysis.
In order not to weigh down this piece too much, we do not repeat the considerations expressed in our long chat, therefore you will find below a focus on the photographic sector and an evaluation paragraph on each smartphone.
INDEX
- PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION
- SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 ULTRA: PROS AND CONS
- iPHONE 14 PRO MAX: PRO AND CONTRO
- OPPO FIND X5 PRO: PROS AND CONS
- SONY XPERIA 1 IV: PROS AND CONS
- XIAOMI 12 PROS: PROS AND CONS
- GOOGLE PIXEL 7 PRO: PRO E CONTRO
- VIVO X80 PRO: PROS AND CONS
PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION
Beyond the aesthetic aspect, the power, the quality of the display, the autonomy, where everyone is more or less a fan, the photographic sector is the point on which the real battle is played out. Each brand puts the best at its disposal , trying to raise the bar more and more against its rivals.
Making a complete analysis of the photographic sector is really complex with so many products in play, and it is even more so because looking at the images, you will realize that the differences emerge in the small details and very often the shooting conditions adapt better or worse to the different hardware, going to shuffle the cards.
To make a real ranking it would be advisable to compare smartphones two by two on many more shots, here we were more interested in identifying the typical patterns of each one to shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of each in the photographic field.
NIGHT WITH MAIN CAMERA
In the three photos at night with the main one, some facts emerge: Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro have an enviable consistency of performance. They are the two best smartphones, even if the approach is not the same: iPhone has improved considerably at night compared to last year, now it tends to preserve more details, even at the cost of exposing itself to disturbing noise (always very fine), Pixel instead it favors the globality of the photo with an impeccable white balance, however it mixes the smallest details a bit if not well lit.
The Vivo X80 Pro is impressive in how it manages to bring out light where it doesn’t exist, images are clear and noise is handled perfectly. Unfortunately, he often exaggerates with the reconstruction of the pixels, returning unreal images. We will see that the pattern is also repeated during the day, with an oversaturation that partially ruins the final result.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is also quite good, the software tries to recover details with the negative side of a bit of disturbing noise, especially in large monochromatic areas such as the sky or a body of water. Xiaomi 12 Pro and Oppo Find x5 Pro are practically on the same level but have different flaws. The Oppo simply tends to blur the image to avoid noise, so details are lost if the subjects are far away. A little too much contrast instead for Xiaomi 12 Pro, with the shadows that are excessively dark.
The Sony is inferior to the others, except in the second photo where it manages to express good quality. Using it for a while at night you can understand how difficult it is in low ambient light situations, i.e. when computational photography assumes greater importance than good hardware.
NIGHT WITH ULTRAWIDE
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We will also see it in other photos, OPPO Find X5 Pro is superior to all on the wide angle, slightly surpasses Vivo X80 Pro (but we are really close), Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Xiaomi 12 Pro, both still capable of juggling well when light is scarce .
So-so Pixel and iPhone, which are more or less on par but the level clashes with the results achieved by the main cam. Sony is confirmed as problematic, which has not understood anything in this photo.
MAIN DAY
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Pixels and iPhones again above all, practically impeccable photos. Oppo Find x5 Pro and Vivo X80 Pro are champions of “pumping colors”, when HDR intervenes they exaggerate dramatically, ok both Samsung and Xiaomi, Sony once again closes the ranking.
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In this backlit photo, the Google Pixel 7 Pro was the more balanced one, capable of making the green of the leaves better, by zooming in a bit, however, we see that many fine details have been lost. Not very well iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra, both have lost the details by closing the shadows too much. Like them also the Sony,
Oppo is definitely oversaturated, as is Vivo X80 Pro, but the latter has an absurd quality managing to keep noise at bay without sacrificing sharpness. Too bad for this tendency to exaggerate, because he would have the potential to beat everyone.
Well in this Xiaomi 12 Pro image, compared to the past Xiaomi has worked well by smoothing out some of the historical defects of the processing software, we are not yet at the top but the road is the right one.
ULTRAWIDE DAY
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You have to do a bit of cropping to find the differences, Oppo Find X5 Pro however confirms itself as solid on the wide angle, Xiaomi 12 Pro does very well. For both colors are fired and Vivo X80 Pro is also added to the group. high, but to a more trained eye the photos will not be so pleasant.
iPhone is balanced, overall the image is successful, a similar discourse also for Pixel 7 Pro, which is also much more conservative and careful in color rendering.
The Sony is the most natural of all, overall satisfactory quality even if there are defects such as a magenta tint, some aberrations and blurring at the edges. (again here comes the shortage when the software comes into play).
The ultrawide of Galaxy S22 Ultra is half a disappointment, or rather, the quality is there, the photos are satisfactory, but while last year the S21 Ultra paid off for everyone, now the opponents have taken big steps forward, while the Samsung flagship it has practically stopped.
MACRO WITH ULTRAWIDE
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All but Xiaomi 12 Pro have the ability to take macro photos with the main camera, the best are certainly iPhone, Vivo X80 Pro and Pixel, but in general the results are excellent for everyone. If you don’t get too close, however, even with Xiaomi 12 Pro you can get beautiful macros, perhaps even using the 2X tele.
TELEPHOTO
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In this set of images we tried the maximum optical zoom range available. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the one with the highest magnification (10x), it is also accompanied by a second 3X telephoto lens. Then there is a group of smartphones with 5X periscope led by Pixel 7 Pro, capable of expressing the best quality, in addition to the Google phone we find Vivo X80 Pro and Sony Xperia 1 IV.
Just the Sony deserves a separate discussion being the only one with variable magnification between 3.5 and 5.2x. The system is technologically advanced but the results leave much to be desired, both in terms of versatility and quality.
iPhone 14 Pro Max has a good stabilized sensor and is capable of taking beautiful photos, but in reality, however, compared to Apple’s big claims it fails to emerge from the others. Finally we find Oppo Find X5 Pro and Xiaomi 12 Pro which are limited to a not even stabilized 2X. Between the two, the Xiaomi wins but we are faced with optics that are useful above all for portraits and not very expendable as real telephoto lenses.
Finally, let’s add that the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max can take advantage of an intermediate 2X magnification without loss of quality, thanks to the AI ​​algorithms that compensate for the crop on the sensor.
PORTRAIT
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In the portraits, Google Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max stand out again, they win over the others especially at night. During the day the level evens out, apart from the Sony which is in difficulty, the others manage to express a good overall quality.
We reward the Vivo X80 Pro for the natural and progressive bokeh, the Samsung also does well, the Oppo Find X5 Pro is average, while for Xiaomi the lack of refinement of the simulated bokeh has a certain weight, which is rather unnatural.
SELFIE
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In selfies there is a good fight at the top, the Galaxy S22 Ultra really does very well thanks to its autofocus, a feature that it exploits better than the iPhone 14 Pro, which is the other equipped with the same technical detail.
Vivo X80 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro are also very good. Oppo Find X5 Pro is sufficient, the Sony Xperia 1 IV is very bad, the quality of Xiaomi 12 Pro also leaves something to be desired.
VIDEO
In videos it is very complicated to make an analysis, just placing 7 clips side by side it is difficult to realize the differences. You must therefore trust our considerations.
In general, in iPhone video it is a step above , because it is the most constant in relation to recording conditions and the most versatile for recording formats (even ProRes), it is the one with the best HDR and the best audio capture from microphones.
Pixel and Galaxy S22 Ultra follow, with Samsung having a slight advantage for a slightly better video quality without particular flaws even if slightly inferior on the stabilization side, Pixel excellent on almost everything, even capable of recording in 4K at 60 fps with all cams, but suffers tremendously from video noise in shadow areas.
Vivo X80 Pro has fantastic image quality but lacks in stabilization, conversely Xiaomi is excellent in stabilization but image quality is inferior. Oppo Find X5 Pro is a good compromise between everything, it’s not the best but it’s satisfactory.
Finally, the Sony that we have to reject, in 4K at 60 fps the stabilization is not very effective, almost useless by placing the smartphone vertically. For this smartphone the discussion on videos is long, so we refer you to the complete review of Xperia 5 IV for which the same considerations apply.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 ULTRA: PROS AND CONS
After so many months since the launch, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has proved to be a valid product , even if it has never really managed to convince 100% due to a valid SoC in terms of consumption, but not perfect in terms of performance due to the GPU made by AMD on which Samsung has not yet squared the circle, although over time the updates have greatly improved the initial performance and stabilized the bugs that afflicted the system.
It is a very large and unique product of its kind thanks to the integrated stylus , it probably has the most complete and most updated software of all and offers great versatility on the photographic front, despite having lost the scepter of the best compared to its predecessor S21 Ultra.
Positive judgment therefore for this beautiful beast, also considering that it came out first and has almost a year on its back, nothing can be reproached.
- SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 ULTRA REVIEW
Hardware
€924
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, Charger included, Android Smartphone without SIM 128GB 6.8??¹ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 5 Cameras, 108MP, Burgundy 2022 [Italian Version]
€ 999 Â
iPHONE 14 PRO MAX: PRO AND CONTRO
Fresh off the shelf, it is objectively the best from many points of view : display, autonomy, video, partly on photos. However, it is also enormous and weighs 240 grams, evaluate this aspect carefully because its little brother iPhone 14 Pro has practically the same characteristics in more human dimensions, and only forces you to compromise on the two full days of autonomy.
It’s a world apart, it’s the world of Apple, which is great for some things, it’s perfect if you’re already in the ecosystem but it will make you damned in other respects. Niccolò, for example, while appreciating it technologically could never use it for work, and the same thought is also shared by yours truly.
Finally, it is the most expensive, look elsewhere if you pay attention to your wallet, remaining in the Apple sphere, its predecessors will allow you to save something without major sacrifices.
- REVIEW OF THE IPHONE 14 PRO MAX
Hardware 9.3
Quality Price
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
BEST PRICE
€1,489
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Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (128GB) –
1489 €Â
OPPO FIND X5 PRO: PROS AND CONS
It is the smartphone of balance , we have also recently re-evaluated it after the updates to Android 13 and it has proved to be pleasant and reliable, with software that has taken a decisive step forward. It is never the best smartphone in the various points of comparison with its competitors, however it always ranks in the first places and has no real important flaws, if not perhaps a list price that started very high and is still struggling to get down to the street price.
Its handicap is the lack of a telephoto lens with more extreme magnification and in general of a telephoto lens with higher quality since the present one leaves something to be desired, its strengths are an ultrawide camera above all the competition and a particularly refined design, with a truly luxurious ceramic back cover.
It is among the most compact and easy to use with one hand, complete (note the 256 GB of storage), well balanced, we recommend it.
- OPPO FIND X5 PRO REVIEW
Hardware8.3
Quality Price
Oppo Find X5 Pro
BEST PRICE
€839
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OPPO Find X5 Pro Smartphone, AI Tripla Fotocamera 50+50+13MP, Refresh rate 120HZ WQHD+ 5000mAh, RAM 12GB+ROM 256GB, Android 12, Bianco (Ceramic White), Display 6.7?
1129.99€Â
SONY XPERIA 1 IV: PROS AND CONS
Sony has made a smartphone at Sony , great in some ways, problematic in others. Compared to the beginning, the overheating problems have been solved, partly limiting the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but those with the photographic sector have remained, unfortunately disappointing with respect to its potential .
It is an elegant, original, light and well-built product, it has a 4K 120 Hz display that beats all the others in terms of resolution, but then gets lost in software management and UX. It winks at content creators and those who want to watch a movie with a well-calibrated screen and high-quality audio, but then have a series of photo and video applications that create confusion and are not very effective in real use.
The two faces also continue on the photo sector, which on the one hand offers an innovative technology that we may only see on other smartphones in a few years and with announcements with great fanfare, on the other hand, however, is very incomplete in computational photography which is essential on smartphones and insists on a “mirrorless” approach that creates more harm than good when the smartphone is used 90% of the time for “point and shoot” photos.
In short, Sony must change gears , retrace its steps a bit and abandon some concepts that the competition has long since surpassed. Force!
Hardware
€923
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Sony Xperia 1 IV 16.5 cm (6.5) Dual SIM Android 12 5G USB Type-C 12 GB 256 GB 5000 mAh Black
1368.82 €Â
XIAOMI 12 PROS: PROS AND CONS
To tell the truth Xiaomi 12 Pro would not be the real top of the range of the company, there is the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, which we have tried and is actually superior in the photo sector, unfortunately it does not arrive in Italy. A great pity because that smartphone could have had its say in this comparison.
Xiaomi 12 Pro which however is appreciated for a good general balance , is not officially water resistant, but between the very fast recharge, the excellent performance, an autonomy that leaves you calm and the well-balanced photo compartment, he knows how to juggle in the middle to the other giants with good cards, one above all the excellent value for money.
Now on the street price which is now really convenient, it is also well structured as a memory endowment. Why not? The stupid virtual proximity sensor that will sometimes make you damn, even if a lot depends on the type of use, as we explained to you in our test.
- REVIEW XIAOMI 12 PRO
Hardware9.2
Quality Price
Xiaomi 12 Pro
BEST PRICE
€739
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Xiaomi 12 Pro Gray 12GB RAM 256GB ROM
957.9 € See offer
GOOGLE PIXEL 7 PRO: PRO E CONTRO
As the iPhone 14 Pro Max enjoys its young age, it has just arrived on the market but unlike the Pixel 7 Pro iPhone, it is already one of the most convenient and certainly unbeatable in terms of quality / price ratio, taking into consideration the price list positioning .
Google Pixel 7 Pro is a mature and ready product, decidedly refined compared to its predecessor. In the review we wrote that for once Google didn’t behave like Google, so the project hasn’t been revolutionized since 2021 and the new model can take advantage of all the know-how accumulated in the past few months.
As far as photos are concerned, it’s the best together with the iPhone , it debuts with Android 13 and will receive constant and lasting support for the next few years. It’s easy, intuitive, very pleasant to use every day. Its real Achilles heel is the SoC not so performance in terms of raw power, but more focused on machine learning tasks. The gap compared to competitors is important on paper, but we can guarantee you that in everyday life you will have nothing to complain about.
Google nailed it this time.
- RECENSIONE GOOGLE PIXEL 7 PRO
Hardware
€846
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Google Pixel 7 Pro – Unlocked Android 5G smartphone with telephoto, wide angle and battery that lasts 24 …
€ 899 Â
VIVO X80 PRO: PROS AND CONS
X80 Pro is the symbol of Chinese arrembanza , after the rise of Huawei, that of Xiaomi and that of OPPO, now Vivo is a candidate to become popular in the coming years and this X80 Pro is a perfect manifesto of what they can do . An extraordinary product from different angles.
It is elegant, built with skill, has a very complete technical data sheet and in the photographic sector it throws all the others into crisis . The software is still a bit immature and this emerges both in the UX and in the photographic data processing algorithms, which highlight a tendency to want to overdo it: too much saturation, too much sharpness, too much light at night.
Impressive , this is the adjective we repeated the most, like its ultrasonic fingerprint reader that others dream of , or the perfect gradual bokeh reconstructed in portraits, moreover made with a camera stabilized on a micro gimbal, sci-fi stuff .
In all of this, the list price is very high and it is difficult to convince people to take the latest arrival in the presence of sacred monsters such as the S22 Ultra or iPhone 14 Pro, which have a long history in their name. In the meantime, hats off, it will be fun with Vivo.
Hardware
€1,154
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vivo X80 Pro 5G Smartphone, 12GB RAM + 256GB ROM, ZEISS 50MP, Android 12 Mobile Phone, 6.78 Inch AMOLED Display 4700mAh Battery, 80W FlashCharge Dual SIM Mobile Phones
€ 1299Â
THE ABSENT TO CONSIDER
We limited ourselves to 7 smartphones for a numerical question and to be able to layout, create and share with you a comparison that wasn’t infinite. However, we reserve the right to offer you other similar content with smartphones that we have not currently included but which are still absent and which could be chosen even at a lower cost.
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| Honor Magic 4 Pro
74.7 x 163.6 x 9.1 mm |
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
73.5 x 161.76 x 8.39 mm |
OnePlus 10 Pro
73.9 x 163 x 8.55 mm |
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
75.8 x 157.4 x 7.6 mm |
Which other smartphones would you like in the next comparison? Tell us in the comments!
- Google Pixel 7 Pro is available online from eBay for 873 euros .
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is available online from Amazon for 1,489 euros . The value for money is excellent and it is the best device in this price range.
- Sony Xperia 1 IV is available online from eBay for 923 euros .
- vivo X80 Pro is available online from eBay for €1,154 .
- Oppo Find X5 Pro is available online from Phoneshock for 839 euros or from eBay for 929 euros . The value for money is good and it is the best device in this price range.
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is available online from eBay for 924 euros .
- Xiaomi 12 Pro is available online from Pskmegastore for 739 euros or from eBay for 789 euros . The value for money is excellent and it is one of the best devices in this price range.
(updated October 30, 2022, 3:00 pm)
