20 best phone deals in December 2022: Top iPhone and Android sales - ZDNet

• Current Price: $750
• Original Price: $900

It's twelvemonth 2 of Google's redesigned Pixel enactment and things person ne'er looked better. From ZDNET's testing, the flagship Pixel 7 Pro exceeded our expectations with a caller and improved Tensor G2 processor, a camera configuration that bests Samsung's, and a generous suite of practical, user-first bundle features.

The Pixel 7 Pro was ever undercutting manufacture flagships astatine $900, but for a precise constricted time, you tin inactive snag the latest Google telephone for conscionable $750 ($150 off). 

If you typically bargain your smartphones from the section carrier, it whitethorn beryllium successful your champion involvement to instrumentality to it implicit the vacation season. Right now, providers similar AT&T are moving promotions that volition get you the latest iPhone 14 for free. There are immoderate loopholes, of course, but they're little of a chore than you think. 

To get an iPhone 14 that's afloat discounted, you'll request to commercialized successful a suitable instrumentality and you'll besides person to beryllium nether a qualifying Unlimited plan, which includes Premium, Extra, and Starter. The discount is applied successful 36 monthly measure credits. 

• Current Price: $820
• Original Price: $1,000

Ever since Samsung made the propulsion for "Ultra" smartphones, the Plus exemplary has been near successful the dust, but not wholly forgotten. That's due to the fact that it mostly retains the big-phone features that travel with the Ultra but successful a much affordable, little polarizing signifier factor. I'd spell arsenic acold arsenic to accidental that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the sleeper prime for the champion all-around smartphone this year. 

It has a generous 6.8-inch level show that refreshes astatine 120Hz, a 50-megapixel main shooter that tin seizure videos arsenic crisp arsenic 8K, and is powered by Qualcomm's tried and tested Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Right now, Amazon has the telephone discounted by $260, nary strings attached. 

• Current price: $729
• Original price: $859

The iPhone 14 Pro was reviewed by ZDNET backmost successful September, and portion Apple's latest handset dazzled with improved camera features and its astir ambitious show diagnostic yet: Dynamic Island, it didn't consciousness similar a revelation compared to the iPhone 13 Pro from the twelvemonth before. That said, if you were hoping to bargain an iPhone for little going into the holidays, this $129 discount connected the fantabulous iPhone 13 Pro is surely worthy the look. 

The telephone is certified "refurbished" by Walmart, meaning it has been afloat inspected and volition look arsenic bully arsenic new. Barring that, you tin expect the aforesaid iOS 16 acquisition that 1 would get connected the more-expensive iPhone 14 Pro and a much accepted notched display.

• Current Price: $599
• Original Price: $700

Google's Pixel 7 is not arsenic flashy arsenic its Pro sibling but, successful galore ways, the smaller Pixel is really superior to the more-premium counterpart. Aspects similar the flat-edged display, the similarly-sized artillery capacity, and the information that you're getting each the bundle perks of the Pro variant for a cheaper terms marque the modular Pixel 7 1 of the champion great-value pickups inactive disposable during the vacation season.

The Pixel 7 close present is connected merchantability for $599, a $100 mark-down from the retail outgo of the 256GB model. 

Read the hands-on reappraisal here.

• Current Price: $1,095
• Original Price: $1,400

In the moving for champion smartphone of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, with its gorgeous 6.8-inch OLED display, up to 8K video recording, S Pen support, and a generous 5,000mAh battery, has proven to beryllium the Korean giant's astir implicit handset yet. Amazon has the 512GB variant discounted by $311, putting the Galaxy close beside the latest iPhone 14 Pro with 4 times the retention capacity.

• Current price: $230 (with activation)
• Original price: $300

Over the past 2 years, OnePlus has carved up a caller conception of smartphones that focuses connected bringing worth to cheaper terms points -- and it's gotten truly bully astatine it. The Nord N20 5G, released earlier this year, is among the fewer nominees for best inexpensive 5G phone in 2022. The reasoning is really beauteous simple. For one, it has a sharp-looking 6.43-inch AMOLED show -- a rarity successful this sub-$300 market. Then there's the 128GB of basal storage, 4,500mAh battery, and 33W accelerated charging that laps that of Motorola and Samsung's low-mid scope offerings. 

You tin snag the OnePlus Nord N20 5G for arsenic debased arsenic $230 close now.

When it comes to uncovering the champion deal, portion of the equation is looking for smartphones that users volition really bask using. By investigating astir of the handsets that deed the unfastened marketplace each twelvemonth long, ZDNET's squad of taxable experts tin connection the champion proposal connected what to bargain and what to avoid. 

The 2nd portion of the equation is determining whether oregon not a woody is existent oregon not. In immoderate cases, retailers volition people down a merchandise knowing afloat good that it has been discounted for weeks and months before. In different cases, similar the ones mentioned above, you're redeeming wealth connected the products similar ne'er before. 

Smartphone cameras are improving each year. They are fantabulous for casual photography connected the spell and portion traveling, but bash they measurement up to DSLRs?

The abbreviated reply is no. DSLRs person larger sensors and tin seizure much information. They besides thin to bash amended successful low-light oregon hard conditions, whereas smartphones execute champion successful well-lit environments. 

However, 1 of the differences that should beryllium noted is the usage of AI algorithms and astute technologies to optimize images. Older DSLRs deficiency these functions. When it comes to imagery, smartphones are convenient, but DSLRs connection acold much successful presumption of seizure and editing, and truthful are amended suited to nonrecreational photography.