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Most Popular Cell Phones for 2022

Dec 28, 2021 •

The past year has seen debuts of some great cell phones, such as the iPhone 13 series, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and the OnePlus 9 Pro. The coming year promises to continue this trend of great new smartphones, improving all of the aforementioned and including a few other notable new models.

IPhone 14 Max

The entire iPhone 14 lineup is sure to draw attention, but the iPhone 14 Max will likely be a particular favorite. Most upgrades are expected to focus on camera, design, and screen size. The 14 Max is expected to take that least focus to a new level — sporting a super-sized 6.7-inch screen.

The iPhone 14 Max’s 6.7 inches pushes the boundaries of what a cell phone is, without officially entering into tablet territory. Its size and screen will be one of the best to stream movies, play games, and even navigate spreadsheets on. Expect the entire iPhone 14 lineup in Q3 2022.

IPhone SE 3

The iPhone SE 3 will be Apple’s first budget-model upgrade in four years. The phone should keep the ~$400 price point, while significantly improving capabilities compared to its SE 2 predecessor.

Specifically, the iPhone SE 3 should sport Apple’s newer A15 Bionic processor — that’s the same chip as powers the current iPhone 13. 5G connectivity and Face ID could also be included. Otherwise, expect the phone to maintain a balance between power and price when it comes out in Q1-Q2 2022 (per MacRumors).

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

Samsung’s budget phone, the Galaxy SE20 FE delighted users this past year, with 5G connectivity, a multi-lens camera and a price well below comparably equipped models. The new Galaxy 21FE will take this already great model and improve it even further.

The Samsung Galaxy 21FE is anticipated to improve camera lenses with 32-megapixel, 12-megapixel, and 8-megapixel lenses for different photography needs. Ii might also have a powerful Snapdragon 888 processor.

Watch for the Galaxy 21FE’s European debut in January 2022. The phone will likely come to North America later in the year.

Samsung Galaxy S22

The Samsung Galaxy S22 could be largely similar to its Galaxy S21 predecessor, except with one major improvement. Rumors suggest that the Galaxy S22 will feature a sleeve for the S-Pen, and might even come with one as a standard accessory. Anyone who uses a Galaxy S21 knows how useful that stylus is — and how frustrating it is to not have a palace for keeping the stylus.

The Galaxy S22 also may have a continuous-zoom camera. Samsung has updated the Galaxy lineup during Q1 of past years.

OnePlus 10 Pro

OnePlus has a growing group of followers who appreciate the phone maker’s performance and price point. The OnePlus 9 proved to be a capable phone that cost far less than many of the other models here.

Rumors suggest that the OnePlus 10 Pro may have cameras that rival the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Little else is known about what other upgrades the phone might feature. Look for the OnePlus 10 Pro in Q1-Q2 2022.

Xiaomi 12

From a lesser-known smartphone maker, the Xiaomi 12 promises to be as much a camera as it is a cell phone. The phone’s 50-megapixel camera is among the most powerful of all phones’ — and even outdoes many point-and-shoot and mirrorless cameras. There’s also going to be an ultra-wide and a telephoto camera in addition to the standard 50-megapixel one.

In addition to the impressive camera, the Xiaomi 12 is reported to have fast-charging and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Priced below $1,000, this might be one of the best deals all year. The phone is scheduled to go on sale on December 28, 2021.

Sell Your Old Cell Phone for Cash

If you anticipate purchasing one of these exciting smartphones in 2022, sell your old cell phone for cash. It could be worth quite a lot if you have a recent model. A Samsung Galaxy S21 can fetch upwards of $250, and even a 2nd Generation iPhone SE is worth as much as $90. In both cases, that’s almost 25 percent of what a new model in the series might cost.

To find out how much your phone is worth, simply fill out our 6-step survey. We’ll tell you how much you’ll get if you sell the phone. Whatever the amount is, it could be in your Walmart Cash Pickup or Paypal account as soon as you bring the phone to a UPS Store location.