Shootouts

Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra review: A slot more superior

By Liu Hongzuo - 4 Mar 2022

Benchmark Performance, Conclusion

Benchmark Performance

Singapore’s Galaxy S22 series devices will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset this time around, while the Exynos 2200 variants will go to territories like Europe and the UK.

Since, it's the first S8G1 phones to arrive in Singapore, we’ll pit them against last year’s flagships for a better understanding of the gains we'll be getting both with Samsung's new phones, and Qualcomm's latest.

The S22 series’ benchmark numbers you see below are averages taken from repeated, sequential testing to emulate high-performance output over a sustained period of time (as with all phones that are tested in our labs).

  Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S22+ Samsung Galaxy S22 Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Vivo X70 Pro Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G Oppo Find X3 Pro Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
  Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S22+ Samsung Galaxy S22 Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Vivo X70 Pro Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G Oppo Find X3 Pro Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Launch SRP
  • From S$1718
  • From S$1468
  • From S$1178
  • From S$978
  • From S$1199
  • From S$1398
  • From S$1599
  • From S$1798
Network:
  • Up to 5G NSA/SA
  • 5G (NSA/SA), 4G, 3G
  • Up to 5G SA and NSA
Operating system
  • Android 12 (One UI 4)
  • Android 12 (One UI 4)
  • Android 12 (One UI 4)
  • Android 12 (One UI 4)
  • Android 11 with Funtouch 12
  • Android 11 (Samsung One UI)
  • ColorOS 11.2, based on Android 11
  • Android 11 (One UI 3)
Processor
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 4nm
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 4nm
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 4nm
  • Samsung Exynos 2100
  • MediaTek Dimensity 1200
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
  • Samsung Exynos 2100, 5nm octa-core (2.9GHz + 2.8GHz + 2.2GHz)
Built-in Memory
  • 8GB or 12GB RAM
  • 8GB RAM
  • 8GB RAM
  • 8GB
  • 12GB RAM, LPDDR4X
  • 8GB RAM
  • 12GB RAM
  • LPDDR5
  • 12GB or 16GB (LPDDR5)
Display
  • 6.8-inch, Edge QHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 3,088 x 1,440 pixels (501ppi), 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, Eye Comfort Shield, Vision Booster (1,750-nits peak brightness)
  • 6.6-inch, Flat QHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X
  • 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (390ppi)
  • 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
  • 240Hz touch sampling rate
  • Eye Comfort Shield
  • Vision Booster (1,750-nits peak brightness)
  • 6.1-inch, Flat QHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X
  • 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (423ppi)
  • 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
  • 240Hz touch sampling rate
  • Eye Comfort Shield
  • Vision Booster (1,750-nits peak brightness)
  • 6.4-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 2x
  • 2,340 x 1,080 pixels
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • 240Hz touch sampling rate
  • 6.56-inch / 2,376 x 1,080 pixels (~398 ppi) / 120Hz refresh rate / HDR10+ / AMOLED Display
  • 6.7-inch Main Screen / 2,640 x 1,080 pixels (425 ppi) / Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex / 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
  • 1.9-inch Cover Screen / 512 x 260 pixels (302 ppi) / Super AMOLED
  • 6.7-inch / 3,216 x 1,440 pixels (525 ppi) / 120Hz refresh rate / 240Hz touch sampling rate / AMOLED Display
  • 6.8-inch, curved, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Infinity-O
  • 3,200 x 1,440 pixels (515ppi)
  • 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
  • Eye Comfort Shield
Camera
  • Rear:
  • 108MP, f/1.8, wide-angle 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF OIS
  • 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide, 1.4µm, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel AF
  • 10MP, f/2.4, telephoto, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel AF, 3x Optical Zoom
  • 10MP, f/4.9, telephoto, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel AF, 10x Optical Zoom
  • Laser AutoFocus sensor
  • Front:
  • 40MP, f/2.2, portrait, 0.7µm, PDAF
  • Rear:
  • 50MP, f/1.8, wide-angle 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
  • 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide, 1.4µm, 120° FOV, Super Steady
  • 10MP, f/2.4, telephoto, 1.0µm, Dual Pixel AF, 3x Optical Zoom
  • Front:
  • 10MP, f/2.2, portrait, 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF
  • Rear:
  • 50MP, f/1.8, wide-angle 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
  • 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide, 1.4µm, 120° FOV, Super Steady
  • 10MP, f/2.4, telephoto, 1.0µm, Dual Pixel AF, 3x Optical Zoom
  • Front:
  • 10MP, f/2.2, portrait, 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF
  • Rear:
  • 12MP, f/1.8, wide-angle. Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
  • 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide, 123° FOV,
  • 8MP, f/2.4, telephoto, 3x Optical Zoom
  • Front:
  • 32MP, f/2.2, portrait, tetra-binning, re-mosiac algorithm
  • Rear:
  • 50MP main camera, f/1.75, Gimbal Camera System
  • 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.2, 116° FOV
  • 12MP telephoto, f/1.98 2x optical zoom
  • 8MP periscope telephoto, f/3.4, 5x optical zoom
  • Front:
  • 32MP main, f/2.45
  • Rear:
  • 12MP main, f/1.8 aperture, 1.4μm pixel size, Dual Pixel, OIS
  • 12MP ultra-wide, f/2,2 aperture, 1.12μm pixel size
  • Front:
  • 10MP, f/2.4 aperture,1.22μm pixel size
  • Rear:
  • 50MP, Sony IMX766 1/1.56-inch sensor size, f/1.8, All Pixel Omni-Directional PDAF, OIS
  • 50MP, Sony IMX766 1/1.56-inch sensor size, f/2.2, 110° FOV, 4cm Macro, All Pixel Omni-Directional PDAF
  • 13MP Telephoto, f/2.4, 5x Hybrid Zoom, 20x Digital Zoom
  • 3MP Microlens, 60x magnification, f/3.0
  • Front:
  • 32MP, f/2.4
  • Rear:
  • 108MP, f/1.8, wide-angle 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS
  • 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide, 1.4µm, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel AF
  • 10MP, f/2.4, telephoto, 1.22µm, Dual Pixel AF, 3x Optical Zoom
  • 10MP, f/4.9, telephoto, 1.22µm, Dual Pixel AF, 10x Optical Zoom
  • Laser AutoFocus sensor
  • Front:
  • 40MP, f/2.2, portrait, 0.7µm, PDAF
Video Support
  • Up to 8K24FPS
Connectivity
  • LTE / 5G (NSA, SA, Sub6)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE
  • GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
  • NFC, UWB
  • LTE / 5G (NSA, SA, Sub6)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE
  • GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
  • NFC, UWB
  • LTE / 5G (NSA, SA, Sub6)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE
  • GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
  • NFC
  • LTE / 5G (Sub6)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
  • GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
  • NFC
  • Up to Wi-Fi 6 (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, OTG, Type-C USB 2.0
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 5G (NSA, SA, Sub6, mmWave), 4G (LTE Cat 20) , Bluetooth 5.1, MIMO (2x2), GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, NFC, USB-C
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4Ghz, 5.1Ghz, 5/8Ghz), Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.2, A-GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo, GPS
  • LTE / 5G (NSA, SA, Sub6)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
  • GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
  • NFC
Storage Type
  • 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB
  • No microSD card slot
  • 128GB or 256GB
  • No microSD card slot
  • 128GB or 256GB
  • No microSD card slot
  • 128GB or 256GB
  • No MicroSD card slot
  • 256GB internal storage
  • 128GB internal storage
  • 256GB internal storage
  • UFS 3.1
  • 256GB internal storage
  • UFS 3.0
  • 256GB or 512GB
  • No microSD card slot
Battery
  • 5,000mAh
  • 45W Super Fast Charging
  • 15W Wireless Fast Charging
  • Wireless PowerShare
  • 4,500mAh
  • 45W Super Fast Charging
  • 15W Wireless Fast Charging
  • Wireless PowerShare
  • 3,700mAh
  • 25W Super Fast Charging
  • 15W Wireless Fast Charging
  • Wireless PowerShare
  • 4,500mAh
  • 25W Super Fast Charging
  • 15W Wireless Fast Charging
  • Wireless PowerShare
  • 4,500mAh
  • 44W FlashCharge
  • 3,300mAh
  • 15W Fast Charging
  • 10W Fast Wireless Charging
  • Wireless PowerShare
  • 4,500mAh
  • 65W SuperVOOC 2.0
  • 30W AirVOOC (wireless charging)
  • 5,000mAh
  • 25W Super Fast Charging
  • 15W Wireless Fast Charging
Dimensions
  • 77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9mm
  • 157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm
  • 146 x 70.6 x 7.6mm
  • 155.7 x 74.5 x7.9mm
  • 158.3 x 73.21 x 8mm
  • Unfolded: 166.0 x 72.2 x 6.9mm
  • Folded: 86.4 x 72.2 x 15.9 - 17.1mm
  • 163.6 x 74.0 x 8.26mm
  • 75.6 x 165.1 x 8.9mm
Weight
  • 229g
  • 195g
  • 167g
  • 177g
  • 183g
  • 183g
  • 193g
  • 227g

JetStream 2.0

JetStream 2 is a combination of a variety of JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmarks, including benchmarks that came before like SunSpider and Octane. It primarily tests for a system’s and browser’s ability in delivering a good web experience. It runs a total of 64 subtests, each weighted equally, with multiple iterations, and takes the geometric mean to compute the overall score. The higher the score, the better.

 

Geekbench 5

Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100. The higher the score, the better.

 

3DMark Wild Life (Unlimited)

3DMark Wild Life is a cross-platform benchmark for Windows, Android and Apple iOS for measuring GPU performance. Its graphics test consists of multiple scenes with variations in the amount of geometry, lights and post-processing effects, mirroring mobile games that are based on short bursts of intense activity. Wild Life uses the Vulkan graphics API on Windows PCs and Android devices. On iOS devices, it uses Metal.

In Unlimited mode, the benchmark runs offscreen using a fixed time step between frames. Unlimited mode renders exactly the same frames in every run on every device, regardless of resolution scaling. The higher the score, the better.

 

PCMark for Android - Work 3.0 and Storage 2.0

PCMark for Android is a benchmark for testing the performance of Android phones and tablets. The Work 3.0 test checks how the device handles common productivity tasks such as browsing the web, editing videos, working with documents and data, and editing photos. Storage 2.0 checks write-in and read-out performance for internal storage, external storage (if applicable), and SQLite database management. Together, the benchmarks can clue us in on how capable a phone is at handling everyday use. Work 3.0 scores are above, while Storage 2.0 scores are immediately below for each device - the higher the score, the better.

Since this is a newly introduced benchmark in our reviews, we’re building up our database of PCMark scores for Android phones.

 

Benchmark Performance Remarks

From the perspective of synthetic benchmarks, there’s no questioning of the peak performance of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It’s almost monstrous for an Android phone, with numbers surpassing Android devices that came before it. Performance is also rather consistent, with repeated scores coming close to previous results no matter which S22 variant we tried (likely Samsung’s work in optimising the chipset). 

Our only gripes are limited to the physics that govern chipset usage – the smaller S22 obviously poses more heat management bottlenecks in reaching its maximum potential, while the bigger S22 Ultra has more room to dissipate heat even during use, which resulted in better numbers across the board.

Since we lack a phone with a 2022 flagship Exynos chipset, we can’t definitively say if the Snapdragon variants are “better”. But, the phone’s real-world usage is smooth, fast, and dreamy. An hour of mobile gaming with intense, maxed out graphics consumed 12% of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery and it still wasn’t warm to the touch. But, take note these phones are brand-new and freshly out of the box.

 

Battery life

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

  • Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
  • Constant data streaming through email

The increase in processing power would usually mean more battery drain. This is evident in the S22 Ultra, with its benchmark numbers anywhere between slightly to well above its predecessor. It's also worth noting that Exynos chipsets, when compared to Qualcomm's of the same tier, typically see 10-20% lower peak processing in favour of battery life. 40 minutes feels like a reasonable price to pay when we consider the difference in performance between the Ultra phone generations.

It took approximately 70 and 80 minutes for the Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra to charge from 0% to 100% on a third-party 65W fast charger, respectively. These two phones have peak 45W fast-charging, so it's worth noting that buying an overspecced charger doesn't necessarily make the phones go quicker than their limit (we just used what was available that could help achieve these phones' peak).

The vanilla S22 only has 25W fast-charging, but its smaller 3,700mAh battery made it possible to reach full charge within 60 minutes.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S22 series devices mark a good start to what 2022 true flagship-grade Android smartphones will look like. They are operationally fluid, with amazing displays, impressive performance, touting reasonable uptimes for their respective sizes. Whichever model you choose, the Galaxy S22 series phones are generally a joy to use. They also set the bar to what this year’s phones should be – features intact, with high-quality hardware and software.

It also helps that its Nightography feature truly makes low-light shooting more accessible to more users, made sweeter by the fact that you get it no matter which S22 model you choose. 

Galaxy S22 Ultra.

They may seem plain at first glance – if you aren’t a specifications chaser, upgrading from a Galaxy S21 series phone to an S22 or S22+ is a tough sell, and chucking the S Pen directly into its built-in slot was something the Galaxy S’s Ultra models should've done ever since it got S Pen compatibility. But, being plain is good for these devices: the S22 series, like its preceding flagship-grade mobiles, continue to deliver on high-quality and consistent user experiences with every handset refresh. 

If you value the latest and greatest components, then you’d be happy to know that Samsung’s choice in bringing Qualcomm variants S22 series was the right one. The chipset’s performance (Snapdragon 8 Gen 1) met our expectations, and it was surprisingly efficient despite the power it put forth. Exynos variants of the past were nice, but they won’t be sorely missed even if Samsung's equivalent (Exynos 2200) proved to be even better, since the Qualcomm ones could take nearly everything we throw at it.

Galaxy S22.

A special mention goes to the vanilla Galaxy S22, where you get a true flagship phone at nearly budget flagship prices. If you’ve been following the scene, you’d have noticed how several Chinese Android smartphone brands put out ~S$1,000 budget flagship phones with compromises in different areas (from processor quality to missing or watered down basic features, like water resistance). The Galaxy S22 exists to keep these brands honest – if you can’t offer the full package like how Samsung does in the S22 for its price, you’ll have to try very hard to do something relevant yet interesting, to make it worth the user’s money. 

There are minor grievances, of course – while it’s not a must, it’d be nice if we’d had access to the 1TB variant of the Galaxy S22 Ultra (not officially sold here), given how these phones lack a microSD card slot. Two, while fast-charging has gotten faster for the S22+ and Ultra, we’re still not getting a charging adapter in the box. If you pre-ordered the phones, you could at least plug that gap (or socket) with the bonus Samsung e-voucher by grabbing a Samsung fast-charger on your way out. 

At S$1,178 (128GB Galaxy S22), S$1,468 (128GB Galaxy S22+), and S$1,858 (256GB Galaxy S22 Ultra), it’s good that Samsung kept the prices largely stagnant for new generation devices. These phones not only offer a complete package, but they are also good enough for Galaxy Z Fold3 / Z Flip3 / Galaxy S21 Ultra users to consider trading in if they want to return to a traditional smartphone user experience without losing flagship quality. For Galaxy Note fans who have been holding out, the Galaxy S22 Ultra finally marks a proper direct upgrade with the latest hardware and the most responsive S Pen ever.

If you're interested in these phones, you can learn more about getting one from our pricing and availability article here where we've listed all the retail options and launch offers.

Ratings breakdown
  Design Features User-friendliness Performance Value Overall

Samsung Galaxy S22
8.0 8.0 9.0 8.5 8.5 Click to view the pros and cons.

Samsung Galaxy S22+
8.0 8.0 9.0 9.0 8.0

Click to view the pros and cons.


Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
8.5 8.5 9.0 8.5 8.0

Click to view the pros and cons.

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