The best new phones coming to the World this year - and next

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Xiaomi 12, OnePlus 10 Pro and more are on the way to the UK in the next few weeks and months

By Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor  | 28 Dec 2021

We're almost at the end of 2021, which has seen enormous - and brilliant - phone launches from all the usual favourites. It's a year that saw iPhone batteries get good again, Samsung fix its foldables, and Google switch to its own silicon for the Pixel 6 line.

We have plenty to look forward to though. The first of 2022's biggest releases have actually been unveiled in 2021, with the Motorola Edge X30, foldable Oppo Find N, and Xiaomi 12 series all revealed in China. Then we're getting the OnePlus 10 in just a few days, some time in January.

The Motorola and Xiaomi are both powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which will also power next year's flagship launches like the Oppo Find X4 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S22.

The Snapdragon will have competition from the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 though, which for the first time has matched its rival on specs - how many big brands will make the jump away from Snapdragon for their biggest 2022 releases?

Before long we'll be back around in time for the iPhone 14 and Pixel 7 - not to mention software upgrades like Android 13 and iOS 16.

Read on to ensure your next smartphone purchase is not immediately followed by regret, tying you into an unnecessarily lengthy contract. (Remember that there is a chance you could upgrade your contract early.)