2022 so far: Sony and Moto think different, Apple and Samsung keep it safe

So far, this is shaping up to be an interesting year. The Samsung Galaxy Note was officially replaced with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the next iPhone 14 is shaping up to finally drop the notch in favor of cutouts, and Google's folding phone seems to finally be on its way.

But let's turn away from Samsung and Apple for a moment and check out two of the more underrated smartphone makers, and what they seem to be up to in 2022.

Motorola is going to challenge the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Note series with its own stylus flagship

The Motorola Edge Plus (2022) is shaping up to be quite a pleasant surprise. It's the first flagship phone from Moto to come with smart stylus support, and as such, it will directly challenge the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Granted, the S22 Ultra's stylus comes included and slots into the phone, so it's always there with you, while the Motorola Edge Plus' stylus you'll have to buy separately with a case. But besides that, it would appear that Moto isn't holding any punches – it's trying to offer an alternative to everything that makes the Samsung Galaxy experience great.



The S22 Ultra has Samsung DeX, which turns the smartphone's interface into a Windows-like one with windowed apps and a taskbar. All you have to do is connect your flagship Galaxy phone to a larger display, get an optional Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and off you go using your Samsung phone like it's a computer!

Well, Moto has developed its own desktop interface that the upcoming Motorola Edge Plus (2022) will have, called Ready For. The name might not have the same ring to it as Samsung DeX, but it offers pretty much the same core features that power users will enjoy – windowed apps, a Windows-like taskbar and desktop… Great!

In addition, Samsung's Note and now S22 Ultra have air gestures (a.k.a. Air Actions) support for their S Pen stylus, and surprise – Moto's phone will also support such stylus air gestures. On the Galaxy phones, you can use those to remotely take photos with the camera with just the stylus, from a distance; you can also control any music and video playback, and more.

So clearly Moto isn't skimping on adding the kind of flashy power user features Samsung already offers, in order to make its upcoming flagship phone a proper challenger. Of course, the Moto Edge Plus (2022) will also pack flagship specs, a smooth display (up to 144Hz, which is slightly more than the 120Hz S22 Ultra), and it will even cost less. When it launches in the US "soon" (we don't know exactly when), the new Motorola flagship will cost $899.99.

Until now, Moto has only released budget stylus phones, coming with very basic capacitive styluses, like the Moto G Stylus (2021). But clearly in 2022 the company wants to try something bigger. Something that will (hopefully) hold its own in the extremely competitive flagship smartphone market.

Sony keeps doing its own thing, trends be damned

Ah Sony. What an underdog, yet such a huge and beloved brand by many. A few weeks back leaked Sony Xperia 1 IV render images showed us that even in 2022, Sony continues to resist the smartphone industry trends, and that's pretty admirable at this point.

We're yet to know when this upcoming Sony flagship will come out, but so far, it's looking solid, and very "Sony". What does that mean? Well, it has a rather flat-edge and boxy design with symmetrical top and bottom bezels around the display. Which itself appears to be flat too, as we can see from the leaked images.

The phone will also have a pill-shaped vertical camera array, which most companies have moved away from by now. Instead, we see horizontal camera modules (like on the Pixel 6 Pro), square ones (iPhone 13) or P-shaped ones (Galaxy S22 Ultra).

There aren't that many flat-edge phones in particular, besides the current iPhones, and as a fan of that design, I for one am happy that Sony will keep doing its own thing.

Of course, we also expect this phone to pack some killer flagship specs. The to-be-released Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus processor will likely be paired with at least 12GB of RAM and of course, we can reasonably expect a big, beautiful AMOLED display.

Unfortunately we should also be prepared for this phone to cost well over $1,000 like the Sony Xperia 1 III did, which we loved, as it's jam packed with pro user features, but… $1,300. Now there's a trend I'd love to see Sony step away from – grossly overpricing its phones.

Meanwhile Apple released the same iPhone SE… But hey, it's what's on the inside that matters, right?

It's tough to slam Apple for releasing the most powerful 2022 "budget" phone that will likely not be beat, but I was secretly expecting it to get an updated design, perhaps reusing the case of the iPhone X. But alas, to keep it distinctly separate from the flagship iPhones, Apple instead reused the 5-year-old iPhone 8 design for the brand new iPhone SE (2022).

Still, while Apple's recently-released and affordable iPhone didn't surprise us with a modern makeover, it does indeed pack the kind of updated specs that make it outperform even flagship Android phones, so again – it's hard to complain.

Apple also has the iPhone 14 series coming near the end of this year, and by some accounts that one's most defining visual change will be the removal of the iconic notch. Instead, Apple might start using punch holes for the front camera and the Face ID sensor array. It's not much, but I'll take it! Plus, of course, there's still time for surprises. Stay tuned for iPhone 14 leaks and updates!

Samsung released the same Galaxy S series, albeit the S22 Ultra became a rebranded Note

On one hand, Samsung retired its uniquely iconic Galaxy Note series, as we previously mentioned – those phones for Android power users that came with a slot-in stylus. But as we also mentioned, the new Galaxy S22 Ultra is now essentially a Note, so technically, the idea lives on under a different name – which is great! Android power users still have that amazing option.

But other than the S22 Ultra, Samsung's 2022 S series don't offer much in terms of changes or surprises. The Galaxy S22 is made out of glass, as opposed to its plastic predecessor, but the design is essentially the same, and so are its features.

It comes with a safe, predictable incremental processor and camera upgrade, but nothing to write home about. The display size and battery size actually even got a slight downgrade over last year, while the RAM and screen refresh rate are the same. Check out our Galaxy S22 vs Galaxy S21 comparison if you're interested in learning more on that.

2022 might be the year to try something different that's not an iPhone or a Galaxy

So, with all that in mind, this could really be the year to try something new and different, if you're feeling adventurous.

Besides those two upcoming Sony and Moto phones we just talked about, we have other great suggestions in our dedicated list with the best Android phones in 2022.

One of my personal favorites, the Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, still packs some of the craziest specs and by far the best dual front speakers, while Google's Pixel 6 Pro could steal your heart with its unique design and distinctly Google stock(-ish) Android experience.

Let us know in the comments what upcoming phones you're excited for in 2022, or which newly-released phones have disappointed you. And – let us know if there are any other great smartphone brands you consider underrated, deserving of some love and attention!