The all-new Galaxy S22 series is now official, and as expected, we got three new flagships from Samsung today – S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the highest-end premium phone from the company for 2022, so it deserves a separate article. In this article, however, we will talk about the Samsung Galaxy S22 & Galaxy S22+. These are the successors of the Galaxy S21 & Galaxy S21+, respectively. The starting price remains unchanged from last year, so the vanilla S22 starts at $799, whereas the S22+ at $999.
Design-wise, these two phones look the same, and they retain the design language from the last year’s S21 & S21+. There is the same Contour-Cut design on the back and the exact camera count. This time, the vanilla S22 gets a glass back, unlike the last year’s S21 that had a polycarbonate back. Moreover, these are the first phones to feature the Gorilla Glass Victus+, and it is not only on the front but also on the back. Both phones are IP68 certified and support Wireless charging.
One thing that is different in terms of the design between the two phones is the size. The Galaxy S22 has a 6.1-inch display, whereas the S22+ has a 6.6-inch panel. Also, thanks to the difference in battery sizes, the two phones differ in weight too. So, the vanilla model weighs 168g, whereas the S22+ weighs 196g.
In terms of the specifications, let us talk about the similarities first. Both phones have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 SOC (depends on the region), and the base variant of both phones has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. There is an 8GB + 256GB variant too. The camera setup is the same as well. So, the triple camera module on the back houses a primary camera with a 1/1.57″ 50MP GN5 sensor and OIS. There is a 12MP ultrawide with a 120-degree FOV and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3X Optical Zoom and OIS. So, compared to the last year’s S21 and S21+, there is a 50MP GN5 sensor instead of a 12MP sensor and a 10MP sensor for the telephoto camera instead of 64MP.
On the front, both phones have a 10MP camera for selfies.
Both phones have an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner and support 15W wireless charging. Android 12 based OneUI 4.1 runs out of the box. Also, Samsung has announced that the Galaxy S22 & S22+ will receive four Android OS upgrades down the line and will get security updates for the next five years. This is huge!
That’s all about the similarities. Starting with the differences, the Galaxy S22 has a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a variable refresh rate that can go as low as 10Hz and as high as 120Hz when required. There is also the Vision Booster tech that enhances the color contrast and adjusts the display as per the lighting around you. The Galaxy S22+ has a 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with the same refresh rate. The main difference in the displays apart from the size is the peak brightness. In the case of the S22, it is 1300 nits, whereas, for the S22+, it is 1750 nits. The contrast ratio is different too. For the Galaxy S22, it is 2,000,000:1 whereas, for the S22+, it is 3,000,000:1.
Bigger size also means a bigger battery on the Plus model. The Galaxy S22+ has a 4,500mAh battery which is bigger than the 3,700mAh battery of Galaxy S22. Interestingly, compared to the last year’s S21 and S21+, the batteries are 300mAh smaller on both the S22 and S22+. In terms of charging, the vanilla S22 supports 25W fast wired charging, whereas the S22+ supports up to 45W wired charging. And you won’t be getting the adapters in the box.
Another difference between the two phones is that the S22 has WiFi 6 support, whereas S22+ supports WiFi 6E.
Finally, speaking of the pricing, the Galaxy S22 starts at $799 (€849/£769) whereas the S22+ at $999 (€1,049/£949).