Samsung Galaxy S22+ Review: Stunning Performance And iPhone Rivaling Build Quality
April 8, 2022Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 5G, 8GB RAM
Main Display: 6.6-inch FHD + Dynamic AMOLED 2X (2340 x 1080)
Weight: 196g
Storage: 256GB
Battery: 4,500 mAh
Features: 8K / 4K / 1080p / 720p HD video recording
Rear Camera: 12 MP Ultra wide, 50 MP Wide-angle, 10 MP Telephoto
Front Camera: 10 MP
Space Zoom: 30x super resolution
Rating: 9/10
Price:RM4,099.00
This year, Samsung stepped up and delivered with the S22+. Though it looks fairly similar to the phone it replaces, minor tweaks have been made in the right place to make the phone stand out. Instead of last year’s flamboyant swooping lines, it features flatter surfaces but a chunkier metal frame.
Related Article: Samsung Galaxy S22 Series Buyers’ Guide
It seems as though material quality was at the top of the “to do” list when Samsung set about creating the S22+ and S22. The choice of materials and the way they’re put together, is “top notch stuff”. The experience is akin to holding an iPhone, which speaks volumes of the improvement in quality.
The Looks
Though it pains me as an Android user to admit this, Apple is the benchmark in terms of creating premium quality smartphones. Rival phones are simply unable to match the level of detail and perceived quality that is painstakingly melded into the design of each iPhone. The craftsmanship is second to none. But thankfully, Samsung has caught up in a big way.
The S22+ is proof of this. Comparing the S21+ to the S22+ reveals how distant they are in terms of overall looks, despite being a generation apart. While the former was known more for the attractive color schemes, the latter features more subdued combinations with more emphasis placed on design flow rather than eye candy.
It has an industrialized look made evident by the lack of curvaceous expressiveness of the S21+. The rear shell sits flush against the side frame with close to no panel gap. The tolerance levels are the best we’ve seen of any Android phone. We strongly urge you to experience this yourself, instead of taking our word for it.
In terms of physical appearance, the S22+ is slightly more compact than the S21+. And despite its chunkier metal frame it is slightly thinner than its predecessor. As a result, and on top of being nicer to hold, it’s easier to clutch or slip into your pants pocket. Fitting a case over it would be an absolute crime though, unless you’ve opted to use a transparent/translucent one.
The phone can be purchased in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green or Pink Gold. However, if you order the phone through Samsung.com, you’ll be able to choose from four more color options: Cream, Graphite, Sky Blue and Violet.
What’s It Like
Like its predecessor, the rear camera array casing is coloured to contrast that of the rear shell. However, the approach is less “in your face”, which gives it a far more tasteful appearance that should appeal to youngsters and grown ups alike. Samsung has wrapped the phone in Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, which should offer a good level of protection against bumps and scrapes.
Though it might not have the grand-spanking new QHD+ screen of the S22 Ultra, the S22+’s more modest 6.6-inch, FHD+ AMOLED panel (120Hz refresh rate) is still an excellent display. It produces the same punchy colors and quick response times offered by the S21+.
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Samsung Galaxy S21+ Review
Samsung Galaxy S20+ Review
It’s a smidgen smaller than its predecessor’s 6.8-inch screen, but that’s something that affects the entire model range. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE features a 6.4-inch display (0.1-inch smaller than S20 FE), the S22 has a 6.1-inch display (0.1-inch smaller than S21).
It’s only the S22 Ultra that has the same screen size as its predecessor. But then again, can the S21 Ultra really be considered its predecessor? No, this is a Note 22 masquerading as an Ultra.
The S22+ is a good size for streaming content or general media consumption. The AMOLED panel produces punchy colors that are nice on the eyes. Like its predecessor, the 120Hz refresh rate makes it feel very responsive, no matter what you do. This includes playing demanding, action-packed games.
The Performance
This is made possible by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which is incrementally better than the S21+ Snapdragon 888 5G. You won’t notice the difference in most day to day tasks, but only ones that lean heavily on computing performance like video editing. Another limiting factor is the 8GB RAM capacity – that’s all you get.
But that’s enough for opening a plethora of Chrome tabs, switching between CPU intensive apps on the fly and dabbling in basic video editing of a 4K video. It can do all of this without breaking a sweat, which speaks volumes of its performance ceiling limit.
It would have been nice to have 12GB RAM just like the S22 Ultra. This would have allowed its processor to function at its limit without much hindrance. It’s a recurring theme with Samsung when it comes to RAM allocation of the “Plus” models. Limiting it to just 8GB, allows for better differentiation in terms of performance between it and the Ultra.
The Cameras
In the camera department, it only gets three rear cameras: a 50MP wide, 12MP ultra wide and 10MP telephoto compared to the S22 Ultra’s monstrous quad camera setup. But the good thing is that the 50MP sensor is allocated to the wide lens as opposed to the telephoto (64MP in S21+), which was the case with the S21+.
Like the main lens, the telephoto also gets OIS (optical image stabilization) but only supports 1.1x optical zoom and 3x hybrid zoom. For this reason alone, it’s best to leave moon and night sky shots to the S22 Ultra.
This is a prudent decision, because the sensor allows the phone to take some impressive pictures. It lets in a good amount of light for accurate exposures. Pictures are decently bright with the subject remaining the main point of focus. This is true of people as it is for scenic shots or general photos. The S22+ is adept at photo taking.
The contrast and color saturation have a more natural look compared to that of competitor devices. This includes skin tones, because the post processing software does enough to make pictures seem as real as physically/digitally possible.
That said, you still have the ability to add filters or beautification filters where necessary, but as a proponent of photo-realism, I’m against resorting to such measures. The S22+ cameras are able to capture the essence of the subject in great detail, so that no post-processing touch up is required.
Overall quality is on par to that of the S21+, if not, slightly better due to the 50MP lens and its f1.8 aperture. This disproves the theory that more megapixels correlates to better pictures. Sensor, software integration and machine learning play their part too. Google’s Pixel phones are prime examples of this notion.
It’s a similar story with night time photography too. Pictures look decently bright and devoid of excessive noise or distortion. The quality is far inferior to that of the S22 Ultra, but better than its predecessor, the S21+. Though this might be off putting to some, keep in mind that the Ultra has far better hardware and AI tech to help it achieve stunning, professional looking shots.
The S22+ has to work with less powerful hardware and AI smarts. Yet, the results speak for themselves – detail rich pictures. Like its predecessor, the phone gets a 10MP selfie camera, which again, does a great job at taking selfies despite the low megapixel count. Portrait shots have a good focus bias towards the subject, while retaining a decent amount of detail especially of ambient lighting.
Its software is good at separating you from the background, so that the intensity of the bokeh effect can be tailored to your desired taste. Even when set to the maximum level, the background blur doesn’t cut into the subject itself. Instead it trims neatly around the outline, but then again I wouldn’t expect anything less of a flagship device like the S22+.
Both the 50MP wide and 10MP telephoto lenses have optical image stabilization, which helps users capture fairly steady video footage without any trouble. Again, it’s comparably less effective than what’s on the S22 Ultra, but good enough that it won’t be a bugbear. Sudden panning or vertical movements will affect overall quality. However, the movements need to be done erratically to cause any degradation.
Footage captured in poor lighting conditions is still decent to watch or use. However, some noise is introduced when taking videos in dark rooms or scenes that have very little light to work with it. Now, in such circumstances, the S22 Ultra is still able to make the best of the situation by letting in as much light as possible then making the necessary adjustments in post-processing. But the 22+ can’t match this.
I don’t mean to rain on the phone’s parade because the S22+ has really good picture and video taking abilities in various conditions. It’s just that its bigger brother is comparatively better at everything it does. This is justified by its steep asking price – you get what you pay for.
Should You Buy One?
If you’re looking for a flagship phone, then the S22+ is the answer. It has the latest and greatest chipset to accomplish everything, which includes its DeX functionality. It’s rare that it trips over itself, but when it does, it’s usually because of the app optimization itself rather than hardware capability.
It isn’t fair to compare the S22+ with the S22 Ultra. The latter is a superphone that has better camera hardware, more RAM, superior screen and S Pen support. It’s practically a Note that goes by a different name. The S22+ on the other hand, is an evolutionary upgrade over the S21+. In that regard, it is the better phone.
Samsung has made it marginally better at everything, which includes taking photos and videos, so if you own a S21+, then getting this doesn’t make much sense. However, if you are upgrading from a lower tier phone or an older S line phone, then the S22+ is a no brainer. It’s a premium phone that looks the part and performs just as well. It’s the flagship Android phone to have today.
