Samsung Galaxy S22 Series Buyers’ Guide
April 2, 2022Samsung’s latest crop of flagship smartphones feature the latest 4nm processor, improved design & build quality as well superior camera hardware. For 2022, the company deviated from the well-worn path by merging two phones into a single product. Last year’s S21 Ultra was a spitting image of its smaller siblings safe for the camera array and color scheme.
This year’s phone, the S22 Ultra doesn’t resemble the S22+ or S22, in fact it is so far removed from that it deserves its own unique nomenclature – Note 22 Ultra. Over the years, as regular phones began to increase in size, the Galaxy S and Note line began to share similar traits, which rendered the latter somewhat redundant.
S such, the S22 Ultra is an amalgamation of the best bits of the S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra. This isn’t the case for the S22+ and S22 as they look fairly similar to the phones they replace. However, the differences lie in the choice of materials and build quality, but nothing more. They represent an evolutionary step forward in terms of performance and photo-taking abilities.
Our buyers’ guide will inform you of what’s important and help you choose the phone that best suits your needs/taste. If it’s only a matter of pricing, then choosing between them is easy. But each phone offers a set of benefits that make them appealing to various individuals. But how are they?
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
It’s a Note 22 masquerading as an S22, that’s the gist of it. But the longer story is that it’s an exceptional mobile companion for people who need a device that can cope with the rigors associated with demanding computational work. The entire shell is elegantly crafted, which is strikingly similar to the construction of the Note 20 Ultra.
The phone comes in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Burgundy. If you choose to order it online, then you’re given three more options: Graphite, Red and Sky Blue. The metal frame is color-matched to the rear panel – this adds to the premium appeal.
Its rear camera array consists of a 108MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide and two telephoto lenses, each with 10MP sensors. Working together, this quartet provides users with the power to pull off pro-level photo taking sessions despite having to deal with appalling lighting conditions. Nightography is marketing jargon conjured to drum up the appeal of the Ultra’s night-time photo taking skills. But more on that later.
On the front, there’s a 40MP selfie camera, which is one of the largest sensors it has ever fitted to a smartphone. By itself, it’s an impressive sensor. But coupled with the fact that it uses AI technology to enhance overall results, it speaks volumes of its abilities. We can attest to this because of the various tests that we conducted, for more on that read our review on this phone.
The S22 Ultra is fitted with a quad-HD display that has the ability to vary its refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz depending on what’s happening on-screen. In addition to this, it can light up certain areas of the screen that are too dark to make things a little clearer, especially when streaming movies and other media.
Like its siblings, the phone is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 (depends on your region), which is the latest, greatest chipset for Android users. You can choose to have it coupled with either 8GB or 12GB RAM. The former is available with 128GB storage, while the latter comes with either 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage space
Samsung has given the phone a 5,000mAh battery and the ability to fast charge up to 45W (wired) and 15W (wireless). However, the phone is sold without a power brick, so you’ll need to purchase a separate charger to enjoy the full benefits of its charging abilities.
The S22 Ultra is available to purchase for RM5,099 (8GB RAM/128GB storage), RM5,499 (12GB RAM/256GB storage) or RM5,899 (12GB RAM/512GB storage).
This device ships with Android 12 running One UI 4.1. Samsung promises 5 major OS upgrades, which should help prolong its service life.
Samsung Galaxy S22+
It’s a step in the right direction for the S series flagship. The phone builds upon what made the S21+ a likable device: cool color schemes, vivid AMOLED panels and performance that allowed users to do as they please. Well, it’s a similar story to the new phone. The only difference here is that it benefits from superior build-quality.
The metal frame is a little thicker and more solid. The rear shell meets it at the edges in a very “iPhone-like” manner, which speaks volumes of its level of elegance. It’s really nice to hold and makes it far more appealing than the phone it replaces. There are four color schemes to choose from: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Pink Gold.
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. The metal frame and rear camera cover are colored to match the rear shell, so if you choose Graphite, then you’’ get a black frame and case.
Like last year’s phone, the S22 + gets a trio of rear cameras but the difference now is that instead of the telephoto lens getting the best hardware, the wide lens consists of a 50MP sensor with F2.2 and FOV of 120-degrees. Telephoto lens is a 10MP unit and the ultra-wide is 12MP one.
They are incrementally better than the S21 Series, which makes them better at taking great shots. At the front is a 10MP selfie camera, which also produces decent results. The phone’s display is a 6.6-inch, FHD+ unit with a refresh rate of 120Hz. It’s slightly smaller than the S21+ but the difference isn’t noticeable.
Though it has the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip as the S22 Ultra, it is only offered with 8GB RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage space. It also has to make do with a substantially smaller battery at 4,500mAh. But it still gets the same 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging technology of its bigger brother.
The S22+ is available to purchase for RM4,099 (8GB RAM/128GB storage) or RM4,299 (8GB RAM/256GB storage)
This device ships with Android 12 running One UI 4.1. Samsung promises 4 major OS upgrades, which should help prolong its service life.
Samsung Galaxy S22
It’s basically the same phone as the S22+, right down to the color schemes that match the metal frame with the flat rear shell. However, it has a much smaller FHD+ display at 6.1-inches and a smaller capacity battery at 3,700mAh. But that isn’t all because it has to make do with 25W fast charging and 15W wireless charging.
Its diminutive size makes it a compelling prospect for people who want a pocketable device that still has the performance to do just about anything on an Android device. It also gets the same Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ and an FHD+, 120Hz display.
The S22 is available to purchase for RM3,499 (8GB RAM/128GB storage) or RM3,699 (8GB RAM/256GB storage)
This device ships with Android 12 running One UI 4.1. Samsung promises 4 major OS upgrades, which should help prolong its service life.
