In the Indian market, South Korean behemoth Samsung has unveiled new flagship smartphones that are a part of its renowned and enduring Galaxy S series. The high-end Galaxy S22 Ultra has assumed the mantle for fans of the S Pen pen as the Galaxy Note series officially draws to a conclusion. But I’ll be concentrating on the other two gadgets in the lineup. The Galaxy S22 and S22+ appear to be iterative improvements over the Galaxy S21 and S21+ (reviews) from the previous year. While the design, display, and camera configuration are mostly unchanged, the primary distinction is that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC is used for processing rather than Samsung’s proprietary Exynos chipset.
Like most of the other Galaxy S phones before them, I don’t think it comes as any surprise that both the S22 and S22+ grab a good chunk from your wallet. The former starts at Rs 72,999 and the Plus version is priced starting at Rs 84,999.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Rating: 4 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S22 Verdict
With a few shortcomings, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ provide a nearly flawless flagship experience for the modern era. Excellent daylight photography that will appeal to social media users, class-leading AMOLED panel, fantastic software, incredible speakers, and elegant design are all present. Power users, however, might be dissatisfied with the device’s limiting of processing power, while fans of photography would bemoan the primary sensor’s inability to capture bright images in low light.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Design and display
The S21 series’ contour camera cutout design, which combined the triple-camera housing with the rails in a seamless manner, and the back panel’s silky matte-finish coating really won me over. With the S22 series, Samsung seems to have wisely decided to follow the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Both S22 phones carry over the same design language from the previous year, despite a small gap where the camera housing meets the device’s chassis. It gives the phone an air of refinement and makes it stand out from afar, which should satisfy those who enjoy showing off their pricey acquisitions.
The Phantom Black color option of the S22+ that I have for evaluation is quite appealing to me because of its subtle appearance and fingerprint-deterrent dark surface. In addition, the standard S22 regains the glass, a feature that was not present in the S21 design. The IP68 dust and water resistance of the S22 and S22+ is a standard feature on premium Samsung handsets.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Cameras
When it comes to competitors, Samsung primarily faces up against Apple in the premium camera market. Of course, flagship devices from companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus, OPPO, and Vivo are also up for grabs. The cameras on the Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 are the same: a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, a 10MP telephoto lens with a 3X optical zoom, and a 50MP primary camera. A 10MP selfie camera is located inside the top hole punch. Let’s start with daylight photography, which is one of the S22’s best features, as I have a lot to say about its photo capabilities.
When it comes to the Galaxy S22’s video recording capabilities, it can capture footage in stunning 8K resolution, but only at 24 frames per second. One may record 1080p and 4K films at 60 frames per second, and record Slow-mo and Super Slow-mo videos at 240 and 960 frames per second, respectively. I had a generally good experience with the device when I was using it to record videos. The stabilization was excellent, and the focus speeds were sufficient for posting updates to social media accounts. I did, however, still think that my three-year-old iPhone 11 Pro had better color accuracy and video clarity, which should be evidence of how amazing Apple’s video capabilities are even now.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Performance and software
After years of releasing phones with internal Exynos SoCs, Samsung is making a major move this year by finally bringing Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets to its flagship smartphones in the Indian market. The major reason I’m excited is that Exynos silicone chipsets are often thought to be slightly less powerful and power-efficient than Qualcomm chipsets. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, which powers the Galaxy S22 series, is already available in a few Indian phones, such as the iQOO 9 Pro. Nevertheless, rumors have it that Samsung is limiting certain apps on the phone to avoid overheating and excessive battery loss.
Later, the business itself verified this, and Samsung announced that it will be releasing a software update that will allow consumers to select which apps to throttle. The preloaded Game Optimizing Service (GOS) appears to be the culprit; according to reports, it limits the gaming experience rather than optimizing it. To add to the confusion, it appears that a few Google apps, Netflix, Instagram, and other apps have also reportedly been throttled in addition to gaming.
The South Korean behemoth has progressively made significant progress in terms of timely software upgrades and improving the usability of its user interface while preserving elements of the iconic Samsung design. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by One UI 4.0’s implementation, which is based on Android 12, after playing around with all of the customization options—some of which are hidden deep under the settings menu. In addition, Samsung is providing more than Google does for the Pixel 6 series—up to 4 years of new Android updates and 5 years of security patches.
One UI can occasionally get a little confusing due to the abundance of settings to navigate, however many functions are accessible through the quick settings panel at the top. Because of Samsung and Microsoft’s collaboration, a number of Microsoft programs come pre-installed on the phone. Any laptop running Windows 10 or 11 may wirelessly cast Samsung’s desktop-grade computing solution, DeX. On my Xiaomi UltraBook, I used it quite a bit, and the feature functions perfectly. Although One UI 4.0 is generally one of the better Android skins available, I do believe there is room for improvement in terms of simplicity of use.
Battery
The Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus+ have different battery capacities: 3,700mAh and 4,500mAh, respectively. Given that each of these numbers is 300mAh less than the one before it, it seems unlikely that battery life would increase significantly. In the PCMark Battery 3.0 test, the S22 scored 11 hours 31 minutes, while the S22+ performed just a little bit better at 12 hours 7 minutes. Neither of the outcomes is very noteworthy. I was able to deplete the S22+ to 11%.
Even though I did play an hour of BGMI, I believe a flagship phone should be able to display a screen for at least six hours straight, even with heavy use. Naturally, the box contains no charger; nevertheless, the S22+ supports 45W of enhanced wired charging, whereas the smaller S22 only supports 25W of regular charging. The maximum wireless charging power for both devices is 15W, and the phones have a 4.5W wireless charging reverse feature.
Final verdict
The Galaxy S22 and S22+ set the standard for a full flagship experience and will be the phones that competitors like OnePlus, Apple, Xiaomi, Vivo, and others must measure up to. Other than that, there’s room for development in the low-light photography arena when compared to comparable Apple devices.
But the S22 series earns brownie points in my eyes for having a superb in-hand feel and a well-polished design. Another major benefit is the extended compatibility for newer versions of Android and the frequent software updates. Naturally, the S22’s display, which continues to be the greatest in the class, is unbeatable. Finally, the S22 lineup’s daylight image-taking capabilities should provide enough of a haven for casual photography lovers.
Do you think the iPhone 13 is worth it? The iPhone 13 is, in my opinion, a fantastic option right now if you value performance above all else and want an excellent all-around camera experience without giving up the customization options that Android offers. If you are an Android enthusiast seeking reliable hardware at an expensive price range, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ can be the phones of choice for you.
