Is the usage "one of the better" correct and grammatical?

A colleague of mine stated that he often hears "one of the better X" from native speakers. I haven't heard this phrase often, and I would use "one of the best X" myself, unless I want to contrast something, like:

Solution A is good, but Solution B is one of the better [ones]

Can "one of the better" be used (or is it used even if it happens to be non-grammatical) in non-contrasting cases like:

This apple is one of the better I've tasted

Solution 1:

Technically there is only one "best" so "one of the best" is synonymous with "best", that said, it's used quite often - it's English not mathematics after all, imprecision is allowed.

"One of the better " is fine too.