Samsung has finally released its latest Galaxy S22 series of flagship smartphones. The devices go on sale on February 27 and are all set to compete with the iPhone 13 series for market share.
The lineup consists of three models: The Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra. The phones pack plenty of computational power and top-notch hardware for the price. Here’s a quick overview to get you up to speed with what’s on offer.
Display and Build
The Galaxy S22 series features a design essentially unchanged from its predecessor, the S21. All the phones have a 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+ certification, capable of a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate that automatically varies based on the displayed content. The vanilla S22 gets a 6.1-inch display, while the S22+ gets a 6.6-inch screen. The top-of-the-line S22 Ultra model has a 6.8-inch display with a higher QHD+ resolution than its cheaper counterparts. In comparison, the iPhone 13 models have screen sizes ranging from 5.42 inches to 6.68 inches.
Internal Specifications
The Samsung Galaxy S22 series is powered by Samsung’s latest Exynos 2200 processor that packs AMD’s RDNA 2 graphics architecture. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor in some markets. The basic S22 and S22+ can be optioned with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Meanwhile, the S22 Ultra is in a whole other league with up to 1TB of storage.
The S22 has an octa-core processor, while the A15 Bionic is a six-core SoC. Only real-world usage and testing will reveal in due course if Apple gains the competitive edge thanks to its tightly-integrated ecosystem. On the storage front, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models have a clear advantage with support for up to 1TB of storage.
The Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra have 3,700mAh, 4,500mAh, and 5,000mAh batteries respectively. The maximum supported wattage for fast charging is 45W on the S22+ and S22 Ultra. The base model is capped at 25W. For context, the iPhone 13 has a smaller 3,240mAh battery with support for wired charging at around 23W. Samsung’s latest flagship supports 5G, 4G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and USB-C wired connections, much like the iPhone 13 models.
Camera Prowess
The Galaxy S22 and S22+ share a triple-camera configuration on the rear comprising a 50MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120-degree FoV. On the front, both phones have a 10MP f/2.2 selfie shooter. The S22 Ultra gets a beefier 108MP f/1.8 primary camera while the auxiliary lenses get a boost with a second 10MP f/4.9 telephoto lens is added with 10x optical zoom capability The front camera is also bumped up to 40MP resolution.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max packs an array of three 12MP cameras on the back. One is a wide-angle lens, another is an ultra-wide-angle, and the third is a telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom capability. On paper, Samsung seems to secure another victory, but the iPhone packs a lot more camera software features.
Pricing, Colors, and Availability
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and S22+ models are available in Pink Gold, Green, Phantom Black, and Phantom White colors, while the S22 Ultra is available in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Burgundy, and Green. All the models will go up for sale on February 24 with some online-exclusive colors on offer. The vanilla S22 starts at $899, the S22+ at $1,099, and the S22 Ultra at $1,299. Apple’s range starts at an affordable $700 for the iPhone 13 mini with 128GB of storage and goes up to $1,599 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max with 1TB of storage.
Would you ditch Apple’s flagship iPhone 13 series for the new Galaxy S22 models? Tell us in the comments section!
