Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is n’t the flagship it was two year ago , and while it remains an fantabulous thick sound with brilliant carrying out and an fantabulous camera , the tech is set out to get a picayune old . Battery life history also leave a sight to be desired compared to newer phones .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy S22 was all the rage when it was firstrevealed in early 2022 , but how does it compare two twelvemonth later on ? You might be surprised .
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is compose as a more modestly sized and priced gimmick that nonetheless pile a flagship chipset , an impressive screen , and a advanced treble - camera system of rules . That was the case in 2022 , anyway . How about in 2024 ?
While it ’s no longer the most muscular phone around , nor can it take the very best picture available , the S22 still offers cracking capabilities tucked into a neat , easily manageable package , and importantly , it ’s now cheaper than ever . If you do n’t mind not have the very latest technical school , the Samsung Galaxy S22 could still be the telephone for you .
Design and Screen
Part of Samsung ’s 3 of flagship models for 2022 , the Samsung Galaxy S22 is the most modest of the three . It is the modest in size and feature three-fold rearward television camera detector , compared to the S22 Ultra ’s quadruple oblation .
Of naturally , that is n’t to say that it ’s a cut - price or compromised French telephone in the slightest ; its calibre is immediately obvious upon picking it up for the first time . The S22 sport a attractively understated pattern , thanks to the frosted - glass rearward finish and its smooth and discerning camera module . The twist in for followup arrived in the lush unripe colour , which is particularly deep and enticing .
Small phones such as this ( it measures 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm ) have both their supporters and detractors . Some prefer the ease with which they can be used , particularly one - handed , while others miss the fully grown - blind experience offered by the more sizable French telephone . I claim a little time to adjust to the S22 ’s belittled dimension , having come from using big - screen smartphones ; but it soon felt instinctive and manageable , and I only really omit the larger video display when playing fluid games .
Not only does the S22 look good , it offers stout protection against the inevitable bump and knocks that such a machine will welcome over its life . Both the front and rearward panels are cast in Gorilla Glass Victus+ , set between an aluminium frame , and the phone is IP68 - rated against junk and weewee immersion . These credentials should mean that it stands up well against wear and tear .
On the other hand , if you ’re looking to advance an older Samsung Galaxy phone following a few years of use , then you might be let down at the lack of a 3.5 mm earphone jack . Of naturally , that ’s par for the line on modern high - end smartphones , but for some customers that ’s still a cutting release .
Hopefully , though , some of those business organization can be made up for with the telling advances in sieve technology . This panel is bust at the seams with specification vie for your attention and , once again , this Samsung speciality urinate its comportment known on the S22 .
The AMOLED panel may measure only 6.1 inches , but it gasconade a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate , for smooth scrolling with supported content . There ’s HDR10 + , too , so that compatible TV shows expose some excess - punchy colours . As mentioned antecedently , the diminutive size of it of the screen does take aside from its shock while gaming , but it still holds up as a decent video display .
The solvent is 1080p , which is n’t the gamy but still seems adequate for sharpness ; images and text are clear , but they ’re not dazzling in their detail .
You are n’t lose out on much by not opting for the newer Galaxy S23 or S24 either , with the same general build , pattern and display technical school as the S22 . The only notable change is the increase to 6.2 inch on the S24 .
Camera
On the tail end of the handset you ’ll find a threefold - camera faculty , comprising a 50 - megapixel panoptic - angle lens , a 12 - megapixel ultrawide , and a 10 - megapixel telephoto sensor that offers a 3x optical zoom . It ’s a promising package that can potentially put up a good deal of tractableness when you ’re shoot down , but how did it do in reality ?
The following image were taken with all three detector on nonremittal options , standing from the same position :
As you’re able to see , detail remains potent across all of the lens and images calculate consistent , too .
The ultrawide genus Lens , which offers a 120 - grade field of view , does suffer some distortion that ’s peculiarly obtrusive around the edges ; nevertheless , it continue a useful addition to your camera ’s armoury , for those needing to fit a sight more into the skeletal frame .
The main camera delivered particularly punchy , colorful and elaborate shots :
The telephoto sensing element adds 3x optical zoom into the mix , helping you get closer to your subject . The pair of dogs in the paradigm below were snapped at this level of rapid climb , and the lead image caliber is warm and punchy :
you could even labour the zoom digitally to expectant heights , though it ’s not equal to the S22 Ultra in this area of expertise . The photograph of the ruse on the tower below was taken at 10x rapid growth . As you may see , the results are still unmistakably unmortgaged even at this grade , even though some item is unavoidably fall back :
Even when you ’re shooting at night , the camera manages to retain respectable levels of particular and avoids too many blow - out high spot :
The selfie television camera has a 10 - megapixel resolution , and resultant are once again sharp and shiny , while the bokeh issue lets the dependent pop right out of the skeletal frame :
Overall , I ’ve been happy with the camera ’s performance ; it has produced punchy images , and its adaptability is a particular strength . Whether I was take pictures of skyscrapers in Chicago ( which required an ultrawide to jibe everything in the frame ) or shoot photos of boats on the other side of the river ( for which I required a strong rapid climb ) , I always had the peter I needed at my electric pig .
While the S22 takes pictures that are sharp and punchy , you may observe that colours veer towards being unnaturally bright . While that ’s arguably a forte if you ’re uploading them to societal media sites such as Instagram , you may find over the top for everything else , where you ’d like a more precise representation of what you actually saw .
Importantly , Samsung has retained the accurate same photographic camera computer hardware with both the S23 and S24 , instead bank on software enhancement to improve performance . Even then , what you ’ll get from the S24 isn’tthatfar from the S22 . It ’s the Ultra simulation that has in the main benefited from new camera tech these past few eld .
Performance
The chipset onboard the Samsung Galaxy S22 is an Exynos 2200 , which is Samsung ’s effort at a flagship - level chipset ; in markets outside of Europe , the S22 totes a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor or else . For reference , Samsung revert to using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy worldwide with the S23 , though it has once again opted for a Exynos / Snapdragon split with the S24 . It ’s a very perplexing setup , to say the least .
Our benchmarking tests found that the Exynos 2200 is indeed a very strong CPU , fork up high scores across the add-in for the CPU and GPU . This sound is just as hefty as other 2022 flagship let in the S22 Ultra , and compare favourably to the year ’s other smartphones , too , including the OnePlus 10 Pro , Oppo Find X5 Pro , and the Xiaomi 12 Pro , though it lags behind new 2023 and 2024 alternative .
Test Data
I noticed this mellow - level performance in daily use , too , where the S22 was merry and smooth - performing everyday tasks on apps , while gaming was also impressively powerful .
In terms of connectivity , the S22 fall with Bluetooth 5.2 , dual - band Wi - Fi , 5 G connectivity and NFC , the capabilities you ’d expect of a high - last phone at this damage .
The software at swordplay here is Samsung ’s OneUI , layered over Android 12 . This distinctive user port does pack in a few pre - installed apps , including Facebook and Instagram , which are n’t whole welcome ; but there are a few helpful piffling addition to be found among them , too .
For representative , there ’s the edge menu that brings up a option of latterly used apps for ease of access . In addition , when taking exposure of documents , you ’ll find a command prompt to “ scan ” it , so you’re able to cut neatly around the written document if you wish well to share it . Such additions are n’t secret plan record changer , but they do add some extra usefulness .
Battery
There ’s only one area of the Galaxy S22 that ’s a case for concern : the battery . Frankly , it just does n’t last long enough to make this handset hugely reliable . There were a yoke of time when it run out of juice close to the end of an eventide , letting me down when I needed it . If you ’re a heavy user then do n’t await to see it last the day without a top - up ; even moderate users will find themselves check the assault and battery standard of measurement more frequently as the Clarence Day absorb to a close .
In the end , for my tier of distinctive role I found it necessary to keep the telephone set on Power Saving mode at all sentence . This caps the phone ’s public presentation and the luminance of the silver screen to broaden battery life ; but this really is n’t something you ’d carry to have to do with your brand - new flagship phone , which you may well have buy in part because of these very specification .
Streaming euphony , the gimmick miss 6 % of the bombardment over the course of instruction of an hr . When streaming Netflix , this figure was 9 % .
That ’s made all the more frustrative by the fact that newer sound , even the S23 and S24 , do n’t digest from such poor battery longevity . This might be theonearea that lets the S22 down overall .
On the other hand , the charge per unit of fast charging is impressive , though certainly not grade - top . The Galaxy S22 deliver a healthy 72 minutes for a full 0 - 100 % charging session , and 0 - 50 % take 25 arcminute fit in to our tests .
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Should you buy it?
, the S22 is a stylish choice .
, the battery here is a disappointment .
Final Thoughts
The Galaxy S22 is a decent earpiece overall , with the limited battery life being the only major flaw in an otherwise excellent yet flyspeck bundle , even two days after its initial release .
The design of this relatively small smartphone is suave yet understated , and the cover is strong and punchy – even if it is n’t as huge as its rivals .
The tv camera is extremely versatile and very capable , while performance is superb – the S22 did n’t ever let me down during my prison term with it , whether gaming or performing less - intensive tasks .
Crucially , it persist fairly similar in terminal figure of both design and spectacles to the newerGalaxy S23andGalaxy S24 , so you could potentially pull through yourself a chunk of modification by opting for the old , but still capable , option .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly . We use industry - standard tests to liken lineament properly and we use the telephone as our main gadget over the review period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
FAQs
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is useable in the follow colours : Phantom Black , White , Pink Gold , Green ( as depict above ) , Graphite , Sky Blue , Violet , Cream , Bora Purple .
Yes , it has an IP68 rating
Yes , you may get 5 gibibyte mobile data on this speech sound as long as you have a compatible SIM placard and web coverage .
