Google Fi has been around for many years now and it's easily one of the best carriers in the United States. This MVNO is all about flexibility and it supports a laundry list of devices, including both budget and the best phones. There's something for everyone to choose, so we wanted to highlight some of the best Google Fi phones you can buy in 2022. In addition to the phones you can buy directly from Google Fi, we're also including the unlocked ones that are compatible with this carrier. So feel free to explore all the options and pick the one you like.

Best overall: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is one of the best phones out there in 2022, and you can buy and activate it directly from Google Fi. Samsung flexed all its muscles for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, making it the ultimate successor to the Galaxy Note lineup. The Galaxy S22 Ultra represents the best of what Samsung has to offer in the smartphone space, so it comes with a lot of bells and whistles. From one of the most powerful SoCs to one of the most versatile camera systems in the Android space, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has it all!

One of the best things about the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is its massive 6.8-inch 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED screen. It doesn't get as bright as the new iPhone 14 Pro Max, but it gets brighter than virtually all the other Android phones out there in 2022, which is impressive. It also pumps out crisp visuals with vibrant colors, making it one of the best smartphone displays out there. It's an excellent canvas for the S Pen on which you can sketch, take notes, edit photos and videos, and more. The display is also bigger than what you get on most phones out there, so it's a great device for media consumption and multitasking.

Another aspect of the Galaxy S22 Ultra that we absolutely love is its versatile camera system. The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a potent camera system that includes an excellent 108MP sensor that takes in a lot of light. In addition to that, you get a 12 MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera for some impressive wide-angle shots along with a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS and support 3x optical zoom. Notably, there's also a 10MP f/4.9, 230mm periscope telephoto lens with OIS and support for 10X optical zoom. You can put these lenses to use and zoom all the way up to 100x with the Galaxy S22 Ultra if you want. We suggest sticking to 30X zoom or below to retain some shockingly good details though.

The performance of the phone is handled by either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, which is easily one of the best mobile chipset of 2022. Pair that with Samsung's feature-rich OneUI software, and you get a phone that's packed with great features and works well with S Pen for multitasking. The Galaxy S22 Ultra may not be one of the latest Android phones on the market, but it handily beats many of the top-tier phones out there with its technical prowess.

While purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra from Google Fi, you can either pay the full $1,199 asking price upfront or choose to make $50 monthly payments to make the purchase easier. Additionally, you can also get up to $500 when you trade in an eligible device for this one on Google Fi. The phone is available to purchase in all four colors -- Burgundy, Phantom White, Phantom Black, and Green -- and you get to choose between 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage as well.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is one of the best Android phones out there that represents the best of what Samsung has to offer in 2022.

Also great: Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is perfect for those who are willing to splurge a lot of money and are okay with carrying a massive smartphone with them at times. It comes with all the bells and whistles, but it's mostly targeted at power users. For everyone else, we think the Galaxy S22 Plus is perfect. It's not as small as the regular Galaxy S22, so you're not missing out on the screen real estate or the battery life. As we mentioned in our Galaxy S22 Plus review, it's the best Android flagship for the mainstream consumer. It's also fully compatible with Google Fi, making it a great addition to this list.

Just like its elder sibling, the Galaxy S22 Plus also looks a lot like its predecessor. The design changes from the Galaxy S21 Plus are subtle, and all you get are some new color options. You still get the contour cut design at the back, but it's not two-tone anymore. The camera housing on this phone matches the rest of the chassis, so keep that in mind. Samsung is using Gorilla Glass Victus along with an armored aluminum frame for added durability though.

Moving over to the front, you get a 6.6-inch FHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED panel. It's one of the best displays you can find on the market, and it looks every bit as elegant and vibrant as the one on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. You don't get curved edges on the Galaxy S22 Plus though. Unlike the smaller Galaxy S22 model, the display on the Plus version peaks at 1,750 nits, which is a pretty big deal, and it’s an improvement for outdoor performance.

The Galaxy S22 Plus is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset in the US. It may not be the fastest chip around, but it'll get the job done. As for the optics, the Galaxy S22 Plus sports a 50MP f/1.8 lens, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP f/2.4 3x zoom lens. This is an entirely new camera system compared to what we saw on the Galaxy S21 Plus. You can check out our full review of the phone (linked earlier in this section) to find more camera samples and read our thoughts on the camera system.

Some other noteworthy features of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus include a 4,500mAh unit with support for up to 45W charging. It's not as fast as the 65W charging offered by the OnePlus 10 Pro, but it's still an improvement from the regular Galaxy S22 model. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is available to purchase directly from the Google Fi store. You can pay the full $1,000 for it upfront or finance it for 24 months and pay $41.67 per month. You can also get up to $500 in credit or credit card refund with an eligible device trade-in. We would also recommend the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G as an alternate best phone, but it's not fully compatible with Fi and you may miss out on some features like network switching.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the mid flagship of the company's 2022 lineup, bringing over top of the line performance, display, and camera capabilities. It runs One UI 4.1 (based on Android 12).

Best Google phone: Google Pixel 7 Pro

Google's new Pixel 7 Pro has replaced the outgoing Pixel 6 Pro to become our pick for the best Google phone in this collection. The Pro model in the new Pixel 7 lineup is easily one of the best Android phones you can buy right now in 2022. It retains everything we like about the Pixel 6 Pro while bringing some noteworthy improvements of its own to offer a solid package overall. It's not the best-performing smartphone out there, but it makes up for it with its smart features, impressive set of cameras, and more.

The Pixel 7 Pro, as you can see, looks a lot like its predecessor. There are some subtle differences between the two, but the overall fit-and-finish of the phone remains largely the same. It has the same iconic camera visor on the back, an all-glass design, and rounded sides on the display. The metallic camera bar at the back has a glossy finish on the Pixel 7 Pro. It blends right into the side rails of the phone and looks quite elegant, but it seems to dent and scratch fairly easily. The phone is available to purchase in three fun colorways, so be sure to pick the one that you like the best.

The Pixel 7 Pro is powered by Google's second-generation Tensor chip called Tensor G2. It's the successor to last year's Tensor chipset that's powering the Pixel 6 Pro. Our detailed post highlighting the differences between Tensor G1 and Tensor G2 has all the details for you, so be sure to check it out while you're here. But the only thing you need to know is that Google appears to have listened to all the feedback and improved the original Tensor chip by making necessary adjustments. This translates to better performance compared to the Pixel 6 series models overall, which is great.

The new Pixel phones also have better optics. You may not see a significant difference coming from the Pixel 6 Pro, but there's plenty to like about the shots captured using the new Pixel 7 Pro. We suggest you check out our Pixel 7 Pro review to learn more about the cameras and find some samples. All things considered, the Pixel 7 Pro is a great smartphone overall. It rights pretty much all the wrongs of the Google Pixel 6 series to deliver a solid package overall. You can also save up to $200 on the Pixel 7 Pro if you bring your number to Fi. Additionally, you can also save up to $500 on your purchase when you trade in an eligible device.

The same deals also apply to the regular Pixel 7, meaning you can grab it for just $399 provided you bring your number to Fi. It's also one of our favorite Android phones this year, and an absolute steal at that price. You can read our Pixel 7 vs Pixel 7 Pro comparison to learn more about the differences between the two in detail.

Google Pixel 7 Pro

The Pixel 7 Pro is Google's best phone ever, with a refined, premium design and Google's second-generation silicon — plus awesome cameras, as usual. 

Best affordable phone: Google Pixel 6a

You can buy the Pixel 6a for as little as $349 or by paying just $15 a month with Fi's monthly installment plan. That's how affordable this particular smartphone really is. But don't let its affordable price tag make you think any less about the phone because it offers some great features that make it better than a lot of other phones in its price range.

One of the best things about the Pixel 6a is the fact that it brings a lot of the great features of the more expensive Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, at a relatively affordable price. This phone, for instance, is powered by the same Google Tensor chip, meaning you get the same level of impressive performance and AI smarts. Google's Tensor chip is also proven to be intelligent enough to handle Google's image processing, and it shows in the images produced by the Pixel 6a.

The Google Pixel 6a, in case you're wondering, uses a relatively old camera sensor that didn't sit well with a lot of enthusiasts until they saw the results. The Pixel 6a uses Google’s computational photography smarts to churn out some of the most impressive photos you'll get from a phone in this price range. Additionally, the phone also benefits from Google's impressive software and machine learning to gain some useful features like Magic Eraser which can intelligently remove objects and people from photos.

The Pixel 6a, as you can see, also looks a lot like the other two Pixel phones in the series. You get a unique design featuring a large visor-like camera strip and a two-tone colorway. The Pixel 6a also has a smaller 6.1-inch display on the front, meaning it's much easier to hold and use with one hand. It's not the most compact phone on the market, but it's certainly a lot better than your typical Galaxies and iPhones. Some other noteworthy features of the phone include an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, stereo speakers, and more.

You do miss out on a few things like a high refresh rate display on the front, which is perhaps the only drawback of an otherwise excellent phone for the price. Even the 60Hz display isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. For one, it's an OLED display which means it's vibrant and has good colors overall. Secondly, the 60Hz refresh rate goes easy on the 4,410 mAh battery to make it last longer between charges.

Unlike the other Pixel phones, the Pixel 6a is available to buy directly from Google Fi right now. You can also get it with a Pixel Pass which further sweetens the deal with free device protection, free subscription bundles, and $5 off Fi service. Even with the Pixel 7 series on the horizon, we expect the Pixel 6a to remain a strong budget phone in the US. So be sure to check it out if you want a reliable Android phone on a tight budget.

Google Pixel 6a

The Pixel 6a is a great mid-range smartphone, packing powerful cameras and Google's in-house Tensor chipset.

Alternate best budget phone: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is one of the best mid-range phones you can buy in the US right now. It brings a beautiful AMOLED display, a large battery, 5G support, and more for just $449, making it an easy recommendation. It's also fully compatible with Fi's network and all its features including network switching, making it a solid addition to this particular collection of the best Google Fi phones.

The Galaxy A53 features the same design language as the Galaxy A52 -- with a flat display and a plastic backplate. The phone looks very basic for the most part but we like how the camera bump eases and melts into the rest of the phone’s back. It's very similar to the camera bump on the OPPO Find X5 Pro. Despite the plasticky back and sides, as we mentioned in our Galaxy A53 5G review, the phone feels good in the hand.

One of the best things about the Galaxy A53 5G is that it features a 6.5-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel on the front. It's definitely better than what you get on most phones in this price range, so that's great. We also like how the Galaxy A53 comes with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, a microSD card slot that supports up to 1TB of expandable storage, and more. There's also an in-display fingerprint scanner that we found to be fast and responsive.

It's also worth highlighting that the Galaxy A53 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery which can easily last you through an entire day with heavy use. The previous version of this article had the Moto G Power (2021) as a phone with the best battery life. We think the Galaxy A53 5G takes that spot while offering a ton of other great features as well.

Samsung has cut some corners to keep the price low and it shows in some key areas. The cameras, for instance, struggle in low light. Only the main 64MP main camera performs adequately in low while the rest of the sensors struggle to keep up. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker for a phone that costs as much as it does, but it's something to consider while making a purchase decision. You can find more camera samples in our Galaxy A53 5G review that's linked earlier in this section.

Lastly, the Galaxy A53 5G also excels in the software department as Samsung is promising up to four years of major OS upgrades along with five years of security updates for it. The Galaxy A53 is available to purchase for just $250 from the Google Fi store at the time of writing this article. That's right, you can get up to $200 off the Galaxy A53 for a limited time when you bring your number to Fi. Additionally, you can also get up to $500 when you trade in an eligible device, which makes it easier to purchase the phone. It's only available with 128GB storage and in black color, so keep that in mind.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

The Galaxy A53 5G is a capable mid-range phone that offers a vibrant display, a solid main camera, and long-lasting battery life.

Best value: Moto G Power (2022)

While Google's Pixel 6a and Samsung's Galaxy A53 5G are incredibly good mid-rangers in this list, we wanted to add something that goes a little easy on the wallet. The Moto G Power (2022) is one of the latest Moto G series phones that gets a lot of things right for a relatively lower asking price. You can get the Moto G Power (2022) for just $99 at the time of writing this article, which is simply an unmissable deal. But even with its regular $200 asking price, it's the cheapest phone in this collection and offers superb value for the money.

The Moto G Power has a 6.5-inch LCD on the front with a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. The 720p resolution of the panel may be a letdown but it makes for it with a higher refresh rate. We've started seeing a lot of phones with high refresh rate displays in the mid-range segment but the Moto G Power brings it to the budget/affordable category, which is great.

The internal hardware components of the Moto G Power are also powerful enough to keep it relevant for at least a few good years. You get a Mediatek Helio G37 along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. These components may not be enough to score big numbers on benchmarking applications, but they're plenty to keep the phone running. The software on the Moto G Power also compliments the hardware nicely. You get a clean Android experience with some neat enhancements to improve your overall experience.

Moving over to the optics, the Moto G Power comes with a 50MP main sensor with two additional 2MP macro and depth sensors. Selfies, on the other hand, are handled by an 8MP selfie shooter. The highlight of the Moto G Power, however, is the 5,000mAh battery. That's how this phone gets its name and it's the biggest selling point here. The phone doesn't even have a super high-resolution display or powerful internals to drive, meaning the 5,000mAh unit will last you for days between each charge.

All things considered, we think the Moto G Power (2022) offers great value for its $200 asking price. It's a fantastic option to consider for those who care about battery life. Add to that a decent set of cameras and moderately powerful specifications, you get a pretty good phone that's perfectly capable of competing with many other budget phones on the market.

The Moto G Power (2022), as mentioned earlier in this section, is available for just $99 at the time of writing this article. In fact, you can save more by bringing your number to Fi or by bringing in an eligible phone to trade in. Google Fi also gives you the option to either pay the price for the phone upfront or finance it for $4.17 per month. It's an excellent phone that offers a lot of great features, so be sure to check it out.

Motorola Moto G Power (2022)

The Moto G Power (2022) comes with a 6.5-inch 90Hz 720p screen, a MediaTek Helio G35, a massive 5,000 mAh battery, and more.

Best foldable phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a solid upgrade over the last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3 with improvements across the board. A lot of these improvements are small enough to slide under your radar, but they all come together to deliver a great experience overall. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 addresses a lot of issues to offer a more refined experience altogether. It's also the only foldable that's officially compatible with Google Fi's network in the US, so we think it deserves a spot in this collection.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4, as you can see, looks quite identical to the last year's Z Fold 3. That's because the overall changes made to the body of the phone are minuscule. The entire phone is 2mm shorter and slightly lighter but the overall width of the phone hasn't changed a lot. Samsung has narrowed the bezels around both displays, so they're both slightly wider than the ones we saw last year. The result is a Galaxy Z Fold 4 that's far more comfortable to use. The cover screen is ideal for single-handed usage, while the main screen is more immersive than ever.

Samsung also has trimmed the hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, making it ever-so-slightly lighter than the last year's Galaxy Z Fold 3. You may not notice the difference right off the bat and the hinge still leaves a gap in the middle when the display is folded, so we hope it changes next year. That being said, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the second lightest large screen foldable around, right behind the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2.

The cameras also got a much-needed improvement this year as the company upgraded the Galaxy Z Fold 4's main sensor to a 50MP shooter. It's significantly better than the ones you get on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 so we're quite happy with the change this time. Also new to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the new telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom similar to the ones you get on the standard Galaxy S22 models. This is, once again, a huge jump over the 2X lens from last year.

Lastly, we think it's worth highlighting the fact that Samsung has also put more effort this year to elevate the software experience on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. For instance, it's way easier to get into the multi-tasking mode now compared to the last year's model. There's a persistent taskbar at the bottom of the screen that lets you jump between different applications with just a simple tap. All things considered the Galaxy Z Fold 4 takes advantage of the bigger screens, better internals, and improved software to deliver a good experience overall.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is available to purchase directly from Google Fi. In fact, you can get up to $500 off the Galaxy Z Fold 4 when you bring your number to Fi at the time of writing this article. This means -- for a limited time -- you can get the Galaxy Z Fold 4 for just $1,299.99 or for $54.17/month. It's available to purchase in all three colors, so be sure to pick the one that you like.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 brings back all the great things about the Fold 3, plus a much better camera system, a slightly wider outer screen, and smarter software.

That brings us to the end of this particular collection of the best Google Fi phones in 2022. As mentioned earlier, each of the phones listed in this post is compatible with all of Google Fi's features including network switching, Wi-Fi Hotspots, and more. We think the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best phone in this collection overall as it flexes pretty hard with its technical prowess. Google's own Pixel 7 Pro is also a solid option to consider and so is the Pixel 6a. We've also added some other options to the mix including the Galaxy A53 5G, and more.