Samsung’s current flagship smartphone series, the Galaxy S22, features three new models that sit at the top of the company’s non-foldable phone lineup. While the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are pretty much business as usual – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – the S22 Ultra is a bit more radical, with a new look (and functionality) inspired by Samsung’s now-defunct Galaxy Note line. Here’s all you need to know about each Galaxy S22 variant, which is now on sale in some regions and available for pre-order in others.
There’s a lot of new stuff in the three phones, as well as a lot of changes between them, so we’re dividing everything down by model to keep things easy. If you’d rather watch (or listen) than read, we’ve broken out the differences between all three phones in this episode of our monthly podcast Fast Charge: Phones.
Let’s start with the most basic model in the lineup: the S22
In terms of design, it’s very similar to the S21 from last year, with a comparable shape and camera setup. The main difference this year is that the phone’s back is now comprised of glass rather than plastic – specifically, Samsung’s exclusive Gorilla Glass Victus+.
It comes in black, white, pink, and green by default, but you can also get it in graphite, cream, violet, or sky blue if you order it from Samsung’s website.
One thing we were hoping for was the chance of customizing the S22’s colors, comparable to the Bespoke Edition Galaxy Z Flip 3 possibilities. There’s no indication of this yet, but if it’s a hit, Samsung may expand the service – but not until a few months after the S22’s launch.
On the front, there’s a 6.1-inch AMOLED display, which is somewhat smaller than last year’s model. It has an FHD+ resolution and supports dynamic refresh rate scaling from 10Hz to 120Hz, among other things. An ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is embedded into the display, as you might anticipate.
The S22 – and indeed the other S22 phones – is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in select areas (including the US), while Europe and others will get Samsung’s own Exynos 2200. Both chips are 4nm and use the Armv9 architecture, and are intended to give similar performance. Thanks to AMD’s assistance, the Exynos enables a few extra graphics features, including ray tracing, but it’s unclear how much of these will be supported by the S22.
The phone will come with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage, depending on which version you choose.
The standard S22’s battery capacity is 3700mAh, which is a slight decrease from last year. It has wired charging speeds of up to 25W and wireless charging speeds of up to 15W.
Finally, let’s take a look at the camera, which is getting some major changes.
Camera on the Samsung Galaxy S22
The main camera is completely new, with a 50-megapixel sensor and an aperture of f/1.8, as well as Dual Pixel Autofocus and optical image stabilization (OIS). A 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide and a new 10MP, f/2.4, 3x zoom telephoto with OIS are also available. A 10MP, f/2.2 selfie camera is located on the front of the phone.
The two major upgrades are the main camera and the telephoto lens. The former has 23 percent bigger pixels after pixel-binning than its predecessor, while the telephoto is replacing the company’s 64Mp, 1.1x zoom lenses for the prior two generations, cropping in to imitate zoom.
Software and algorithmic enhancements, in addition to hardware changes, should improve low-light and video performance across the lenses. If you need full-quality images, the new Adaptive Pixel technology combines the full resolution 50Mp shot with the color depth and brightness detail from the pixel-binned 12Mp shot.
Finally, there’s software. Android 12 and Samsung’s One UI 4.1 are pre-installed on all S22 phones. Samsung also guarantees up to four years of Android version updates and a fifth year of security patches, which is far more than Google promises for the Pixel 6.
Galaxy S22 specs:
- 6.1in, 120Hz, FHD+, AMOLED display
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
- 8GB RAM
- 128/256GB storage
- 3700mAh battery
- 25W wired charging
- 15W wireless charging
- Rear camera:
- 50Mp, f/1.8, OIS main camera
- 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
- 10Mp, f/2.4, OIS 3x zoom telephoto camera
- 10Mp, f/2.2 front camera
- 5G
- Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.2
- IP68
- Gorilla Glass Victus+
- 70.6 x 146 x 7.6mm
- 168g
- Android 12 with One UI 4.1
Galaxy S22+
Now let’s turn to the S22+, which shares many of its specs with the standard S22, along with essentially the same design – including the same range of colors.
The S22+ is obviously larger, which is the most significant difference. Because of its 6.6-inch diagonal display (which is really a bit smaller than the S21+), the phone is taller, wider, and heavier – albeit happily not thicker. The essential specifications are identical, however the greater size allows it to fit a larger 4500mAh battery. It also boasts faster charging capabilities, with wired charging speeds of up to 45W.
Finally, there is a tiny difference in connectivity. Wi-Fi 6E is supported by the S22+, whereas Wi-Fi 6 is only supported by the ordinary S22. Ultra Wideband (UWB) is a technology that powers trackers like the Apple AirTag and Samsung’s own Galaxy SmartTag+.
Galaxy S22+ specs:
- 6.6in, 120Hz, FHD+, AMOLED display
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
- 8GB RAM
- 128/256GB storage
- 4500mAh battery
- 45W wired charging
- 15W wireless charging
- Rear camera:
- 50Mp, f/1.8, OIS main camera
- 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
- 10Mp, f/2.4, OIS 3x zoom telephoto camera
- 10Mp, f/2.2 front camera
- 5G
- Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth 5.2
- UWB
- IP68
- Gorilla Glass Victus+
- 75.8 x 157.4 x 7.6mm
- 196g
- Android 12 with One UI 4.1
Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Ultra model is always a little different to the others, but Samsung has really pushed that to its limit this year.
With different colors, a different form, and a completely different camera module than the other two phones, the S22 Ultra stands out.In fact, with rounded sides and squared off top and bottom corners, the look is more akin to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra from 2020. In fact, it’s so similar to the Note 20 Ultra that it supports the S Pen stylus and even has a slot for it to fit into the phone – it’s a Note in every way save name.
The camera module, on the other hand, is all new, with the back lenses lying virtually flush with the body in separate circles instead of within a bigger camera island.
The S22 Ultra is available in white, black, green, and a distinctive burgundy finish, as well as graphite, sky blue, and red from Samsung’s online store.
The Ultra is, like before, larger than the other variants. Because of the large 6.8in display, it’s taller, wider, thicker, and heavier. This phone’s screen is not only larger than the previous two, but it also boasts a higher resolution, at QHD+, and superior refresh rate technology, which can drop down to just 1Hz when needed to save power.
Because the processor is the same, there won’t be a significant performance difference between the two models – and this year, the starting RAM is also the same, at 8GB. That version comes with 128GB of storage, but if you upgrade to 12GB of RAM, you can choose from 256GB, 512GB, or even 1TB.The battery is also larger, having a 5000mAh capacity. Charging is the same as on the S22+, with 45W cable and 25W wireless, and Wi-Fi 6E and UWB connections are available.
Aside from the size and style, the Ultra’s main upgrades are to the camera, which, oddly enough, has seen fewer alterations than the S21 Ultra.
The basic setup is the same, with a 108 megapixel main camera, a 12 megapixel ultra-wide lens, and dual 10 megapixel telephoto lenses with 3x and 10x magnification. The 40-megapixel selfie camera is likewise nearly identical.
Those specifications, however, are a little misleading, as there have been some hardware changes since then. The most significant change is to the main camera, which now has a new 108-megapixel sensor. This one is bigger than last year’s, and it performs better, especially in low light. The S22 Ultra has the same algorithmic changes and Adaptive Pixel technology as the other phones, as well as some unique telephoto lens modifications that have dramatically enhanced performance at high zoom levels.Galaxy S22 Ultra specs:
- 6.8in, 120Hz, QHD+, AMOLED display
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
- 8/12GB RAM
- 128/256/512GB/1TB storage
- 5000mAh battery
- 45W wired charging
- 15W wireless charging
- Rear camera:
- 108Mp, f/1.8, OIS main camera
- 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
- 10Mp, f/2.4, OIS 3x zoom telephoto camera
- 10Mp, f/4.9, OIS 10x zoom telephoto camera
- 40Mp, f/2.2 front camera
- 5G
- Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth 5.2
- UWB
- IP68
- Gorilla Glass Victus+
- 77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9mm
- 229g
- Android 12 with One UI 4.1
