Samsung's new flagship smartphone series is available for pre-order, and the company expects to ship the Galaxy S22 and S22+ to customers starting March 11.
The new generation looks similar to the 2021 lineup, presenting minor refinements to the frame, the camera housing, and more. The Galaxy S22 introduces a bunch of expected upgrades, some that matter more than others, so we've narrowed the list down to what we believe are the best Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ features.
50MP primary camera and integration with Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok
With the Galaxy S22 and S22+, Samsung has finally increased the megapixel count of the primary wide-angle camera. This is a pretty massive change, considering that the Galaxy S-series' main camera has been topping out at a resolution of 12MP ever since the Galaxy S9 was released in 2018.
The Galaxy S22 and S22+ have ended this yearly-repeating pattern and upgraded to a 50MP 1/2.55-inch sensor with 1.4-micron pixels, OIS, and dual-pixel PDAF.
Samsung then went one step further and integrated its Super Resolution and Night modes into Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. Once again, this is a pretty big deal. This synergy between Samsung's camera and the social media apps will allow users to capture and share higher quality photos and videos directly from the respective social media camera apps.
Four Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches
Along with the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung also announced that it plans to release four Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches for select Galaxy smartphone models moving forward. Evidently, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are on that list.
If Samsung keeps this promise, and we don't see why it wouldn't, Galaxy S22/S22+ customers could have the option to use these phones comfortably for at least four to five years, as of their release.
The performance will degrade over time because it always does, but if Samsung continues to support the Galaxy S22 and S22+ with major firmware upgrades and five years of security patches, the experience half a decade from now should at least be acceptable.
A new generation of — 4nm — chipsets
There's no way around the fact that Exynos chipsets have become a touchy subject. The Galaxy S22 and S22+ have yet to hit the market, but some pre-release benchmarks don't reflect too well on the new 4nm AMD-powered Exynos 2200 SoC.
On the other side of the coin, the 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset shows more promise in benchmarks and vastly improved performance levels over the previous generation SoC.
So then, there's a chance that the Galaxy S22 and S22+ in Exynos markets could underperform compared to Qualcomm markets, but the Snapdragon SoC shows a lot of promise and customers that can buy the Snapdragon version should not worry.
It's worth considering that the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are not out yet, and the Exynos 2200 SoC is the first to adopt a new AMD GPU. It could deliver higher performance if there's room for more optimization before release.
An Armor Aluminum frame that's as tough as nails
Samsung touted the new Galaxy S22/S22+ Armor Aluminum frame as being more resistant to scratches, and it may very well be. It certainly appears almost impossible to bend, which means the Galaxy S22 series is one of the toughest yet.
The company didn't release any official figures as far as the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are concerned. However, the Galaxy Tab S8 series uses the same Armor Aluminum material and claims to be 40% less likely to bend than the Tab S7. It doesn't mean that the Galaxy S22 and S22+ offer the same 40% improvement over the Galaxy S21 lineup, but they are certainly better built.
In addition to Armor Aluminum, Samsung uses Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection for the screen and the back panels.
Galaxy S22+'s display shines as bright as the S22 Ultra's. (And Vision Booster)
Although the Galaxy S22 retains the same peak brightness levels as its predecessor, topping out at 1300 nits, Samsung upgraded the Plus model's display and brought it closer to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. At least in regards to brightness levels.
The Galaxy S22+ has a Dynamic AMOLED 2X 6.6-inch display that can reach 1,750nits of peak brightness (in auto-brightness mode).
In addition to this upgrade, both the Galaxy S22 and S22+ now use a new under-the-hood software technology called Vision Booster. Brightness levels are one thing, but maintaining color accuracy at varying brightness levels is another. And this is where Vision Booster comes into play.
In short, Galaxy S22 and S22+ have tools that allow them to scan environment brightness levels and adjust their AMOLED display's color accuracy and contrast to deliver a clear, colorful image even outdoors.
Galaxy S22+ steps up super-fast charging to 45W (but the benefits are minimal)
Another similarity the Galaxy S22+ shares with the Ultra model but not the base Galaxy S22 is 45W super-fast charging. It's the first Galaxy S Plus smartphone to offer more than 25W charging, though neither the Galaxy S22 nor the Galaxy S22+ ships with a 25W or 45W charger in the box.
Customers who will buy the optional 45W charger for the Galaxy S22+ will notice an increase in charging speeds compared to the 25W, of course, but it's worth noting that the difference might not be as big as some expect.
Judging by our tests, Samsung's 45W fast-charging technology doesn't make that much of an improvement over its 25W tech — which is heavily optimized even compared to Google's 30W charging technology on Pixels — so whether or not you should buy the 25W or the 45W charger is up to you. Feel free to check our video for more details about the Galaxy S22+' fast charging capabilities.
The Galaxy S22 is essentially a ‘compact'/'Mini' flagship
Although it's been a while since Samsung released a ‘Mini' flagship smartphone, the base Galaxy S22 is essentially that, by today's standards, sans the moniker.
The mobile market doesn't offer too many options for customers who may be looking for a compact yet powerful device, but the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 count among them.
Fun fact: the Galaxy S22 is less than 4mm taller than the Galaxy S10e, and only about 20 grams heavier, despite the larger battery, the metal camera housing, the additional camera, and more. Here's another fun fact: the Galaxy S22 is a lot shorter than the Galaxy Z Flip 3 when unfolded — by roughly 2cm.
The One UI 4.1 experience as a whole
Finally, there's the One UI experience. The Galaxy S22 and S22+ ship with One UI 4.1, which brings a few exciting features, like the option to customize how much virtual RAM you want on your device, and the ability to use all three primary camera lenses in Pro mode, and a few additional customization and widget-related features. There's more, so check our video below.
Aside from One UI 4.1-specific features, we have to mention the One UI experience itself. It's not perfect, but the Galaxy ecosystem is rich nonetheless, and it's one of the reasons why Samsung fans love Galaxy smartphones.
More importantly, Samsung smartphone customers get fantastic firmware support, and the Galaxy S22 series comes with great but sometimes unmentioned features, so let's do the honors: Samsung Pay, DeX, Bixby Routines, RAW camera capabilities, SmartThings (and every great IoT feature that comes with it), a solid array of AR (Augmented Reality) apps and AR camera features, and integration with Windows 10 through Your Phone and Link to Windows. In select markets, Galaxy phone users even get access to experimental Samsung features through Good Lock.
What's your favorite Galaxy S22/S22+ feature? Join our social media groups and let us know.
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