Samsung’s Galaxy S series has been the hallmark of its smartphones since it first debuted in 2010. It’s been the company’s “IT” device housing the latest in technological innovations and software. This year, with the Galaxy S22 series we saw Samsung do something a little bit unconventional for the smartphone manufacturer, we saw them stick to a signature design and fold their Galaxy Note into the Galaxy S series. It’s also the first series to release with the new RDNA powered Exynos SoC with Xclipse GPU. However, that version of the S22 series is only available in Europe.
With that said, the Galaxy S22 series as a whole holds much promise as Samsung’s latest flagship, but we’re zooming into the S22+, the middle child of the lineup. It’s a blown-up S22, but is it only that? Does it have something else that sets it apart from the S22? That’s what we’re breaking down in our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S22+.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S22+ is the epitome of a tick-tock strategy when it comes to design. It inherits most, if not all of the design language of the S21 series. Everything from the unique, two-colour colourway to the rounded edges of the smartphone makes a triumphant return to the smartphone. However, that doesn’t mean that Samsung didn’t make changes to the design at all. The biggest change when it comes to the S22+ is the less rounded edges of the screen, particularly where it meets the metal frame. While the S21 opted for a more curved design, the S22+ has a more angled design which is, ironically, more palmable. The sharper angle also allows you to have a better grip when holding the phone.
Aside from this, there really is nothing too significant when it comes to the overall design. While there are smaller bezels and thinner camera humps, these changes don’t really make an impact on the overall design. That said, the small tweaks that Samsung did do with the design make enough of an impact to make it feel totally different.
Perhaps the most impactful change is the change of materials from yesteryear’s glasstic to Gorilla Glass. The small change does make the smartphone feel a little bit more premium. The aluminium frame complements this pretty well and makes the smartphone feel like a true premium flagship. While we do commend the change, it does mean that it’s pretty much more of the same when it comes to design.
Hardware
While the design is more of the same, Samsung upped the ante when it came to the hardware of the Samsung Galaxy S22+. That said, the Exynos version with the new AMD RDNA based Xclipse graphics is only available in Europe. The rest of us get the version with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It’s a real bummer we didn’t’ get to try out Samsung’s new Exynos, the Snapdragon version seems to be more than good enough to fill its shoes.
Specifications
| Processor | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm) [Octa-Core: 1×3.0GHz Cortex X2, 3×2.4GHz Cortex A710, 4×1.70GHz Cortex A510] |
| RAM | 8GB (As Tested) |
| Memory | 128GB (As Tested) 256GB |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) | Adreno 730 |
| Display | Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel 6.6-inch (~393 ppi) 1080×2340 pixels FHD+ resolution 19.5:9 Aspect Ratio 120Hz Refresh rate HDR10+ 1750 nits peak brightness |
| Operating System | Android 12 with One UI 4.1 |
| Battery | 4,500mAh Fast Charging (45W) Fast Wireless Charging (15W) Reverse Wireless Charging (4.5W) USB-PD 3.0 |
| Connectivity | Nano SIM 5G/4G LTE/EVDO/HSPA/CDMA/GSM Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.2 OTG Support USB 3.2 (Type-C) |
| Camera | REAR: Triple Sensor: 50-Megapixel (Wide) f/1.8, 1/1.56″, 23mm, 1.0µm Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) 10-Megapixel (Telephoto) f/2.4, 1/3.94″, 70mm, 1.0µm Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) 3x Optical Zoom 12-Megapixel (Ultrawide) f/2.2, 1/2.55”, 13mm, 123˚FOV, 1.4µm Super Steady Video LED Flash Auto-HDR Panorama 8K Video recording (24fps) 4K Video recording (30/60fps) 1080p Video recording (30/60/240fps) 720p Video recording (960fps) Gyro-electronic image stabilization (EIS) Stereo Sound Recording FRONT: 10-Megapixel (Wide) f/2.2, 26mm, 1.22µm Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) 4K video recording (30/60fps) 1080p (30fps) |
| Sensor | Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (Ultrasonic, under display) Gyroscope Compass Barometer |
| Miscellaneous | Dual SIM/eSIM |
| Retail Price (Malaysia) | MYR 4,099 (128GB) MYR 4,299 (256GB) |
| Retail Price (US) | USD$ 299.99 (128GB) USD$ 349.99 (256GB) |
User Interface
Samsung’s Galaxy S22+ comes with the brand new One UI 4.1 based on Android 12. It brings together some of the best elements from One UI and stock Android. Samsung has adapted Android in a way that highlights some of the key elements of One UI and makes Android feel more fine-tuned than before. It really complements the premium feel of the Galaxy S22+ overall.
Samsung’s One UI 4.1 thoughtfully takes features like Dynamic Widgets, the Theme Palette and increased privacy controls and fine-tunes it for Samsung devices. Samsung makes the features fit overall One UI 4.1 more naturally than any other Android skin out there. The UI itself has been updated and refined to look and feel more premium.
That said, the software itself feels a lot more stable than before. Just last year with the Galaxy Z Flip and S21, the experience was initially somewhat compromised with random reboots and crashes. However, with the S22+ it didn’t feel that way. In fact, after using it for over 2 weeks, none of the apps we were using crashed nor were there any random reboots. The software feels lighter as well. It’s snappier and smoother. It feels like Samsung has optimised the animation and transitions from previous One UI iterations into the version we experienced on the S22+
Performance
Being a Samsung flagship, we’re expecting some of the best performance that we can get from the Galaxy S22+. To be honest, it does deliver but, like the design, it doesn’t feel as revolutionary as we were expecting. This could be due to the anticipation we had for the Exynos 2200 and the XClipse graphics. However, overall, the S22+ did provide pretty outstanding performance during our review period.
Multitasking & Productivity
Samsung’s flagships have become a mainstay when it comes to smartphones that allow you to multitask like a boss, and the Galaxy S22+ continues to build on that heritage. It brings along with it all the productivity features you can think of including Samsung’s DeX, an extended multiwindow mode and even split-screen multitasking.
During my time with the Galaxy S22+, it became my driver. I was getting WhatsApp and Telegram messages as well as emails from multiple accounts on it. It was safe to say that it was put to the test when it came to multitasking and to all its credit, I was able to multitask without much hassle. In fact, the experience was so much smoother than the Note10+ which was my daily driver before.
I was able to reply to emails and messages while copying and pasting between them. In fact, I could even do this while editing a slideshow or document without thinking twice. Samsung’s extended multiwindow allowed me to put my conversation in a floating bubble while I had my emails and Microsoft PowerPoint open. Speaking of Microsoft, Samsung’s Link to Windows is another boon when it comes to multitasking. I was able to reply to messages on my phone – SMS included – without looking at the screen on my Windows 11 laptop. In fact, I was able to use some of my Android apps in Windows natively. Of course, these were simply mirrored from my phone, but it helped when there was pertinent information in those apps that were needed.
Samsung’s DeX took seamless multitasking to another level. It allowed me to drag and drop items into my gallery or folders on my phone without needing to physically plug my phone into the computer. As a matter of fact, I was able to even work on a loaned laptop (with DeX installed) without opening or saving sensitive information on the loaned laptop thanks to DeX.
Call Quality & Connectivity
Connectivity and call quality are, unsurprisingly, one of the best we’ve experienced so far on a Samsung flagship. The calls coming in LTE and 5G are pretty crisp and clear. The audio was warm and felt pretty natural. Of course, this also depended on the quality of the connection. Since Malaysia is only in its rollout of 5G with its 3G network has been sunset, the connectivity on 5G was spotty and subject to the rollout. However, the quality of the 5G connectivity was pretty stable and speeds were quick where available.
When it comes to connectivity, the Galaxy S22+ comes with all the options you could want including Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6 and even GPS. All of them work splendidly with stable connectivity. In fact, Samsung’s smart connect feature ensured that I always have connectivity when it came to messaging. It would allow messaging apps to jump on 4G or 5G when the WiFi is unstable. This allowed my messaging apps to be automatically connected to the most stable connection available. WiFi6 support also meant that DeX was much more stable when connecting wirelessly.
Gaming
The Galaxy S22+ isn’t touted as a gaming phone but it should be. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Adreno 730 give the smartphone enough juice to run even the most taxing games like Genshin Impact without much hassle. The high 120Hz refresh rate also lends itself to enhancing the experience on the Galaxy S22+. The dual speakers and Dolby Atmos sound allow an even more immersive experience, particularly when paired with a good set of wireless earphones.
During my time with the Galaxy S22+, gaming on the smartphone was enjoyable. Touch controls were snappy and responsive and this held true even for Bluetooth controllers. The high refresh rate and deep, vibrancy of the display also allowed for a more enjoyable visual experience. HDR compatibility meant that dark scenes were not just black but filled with detail.
For review purposes, I tried Genshin Impact, PUBG, Wild Rift and Pokemon UNITE on the S22+ and all of them played beautifully. There was no frame tearing in situations where the screen was filled with animation from multiple players like in Wild Rift and Pokemon UNITE. The animation was smooth and uninterrupted. The detail in the animation while gaming was also next level. It was able to render details I’m more used to seeing in console and PC level gaming.
The S22+ didn’t struggle with performance. However, when it came to cooling, it did get a little warm when gaming. While it didn’t overtly affect the gaming experience it did get warm enough to be noticeable and a little uncomfortable in my opinion. The heat was concentrated in the area immediately beside the camera enclosure. However, it did rapidly cool down after a few minutes post gaming session.
Battery Life
The new 4nm architecture of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 does lend itself to better power efficiency in the Galaxy S22+. However, I think most of the power efficiency we see in the S22+ comes from Samsung’s optimisations of One UI. One UI used to be notoriously power-hungry because of all the background processes it had. In One UI 4.1, that has been optimised to help with battery life. In fact, some of these optimisations come directly from stock Android 12. The software now intelligently puts programs and apps running in the background to sleep if you’re not actively using them. While this can lead to a small delay when it comes to chatting apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, the impact on battery life is significant.
During our review period, the smartphone consistently delivered between 10 to 12 hours of battery life with regular use. This included syncing multiple Gmail accounts, multiple chat apps and emails as well as light camera use and gaming in my case. Since we couldn’t go out much during the time, GPS and navigation use were pretty limited. However, it wouldn’t have impacted the battery life too much as it usually is plugged in when I’m driving. The battery managed to chug along for about 4 to 5 hours when it came to extended gaming sessions. Of course, the dip in battery life is thanks to the increased brightness, processor performance and refresh rate of the display.
Display
Like all of Samsung’s Flagships nowadays, the Galaxy S22+ comes with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. The panel is vibrant and has ample contrast. In fact, it seems like the panel is brighter than before but also seems to have better colour accuracy. During the review, I used the display in both its vibrant and natural modes. There is a huge difference between the two settings. The natural mode is more muted and natural when it comes to colour reproduction while the vibrant setting makes it more contrasted; more akin to the AMOLEDs of the past.
That said, when using the display for reading articles and comics, I preferred to use the natural setting as it felt less straining to the eyes. However, when it came to video content, the vibrant setting allowed more details to be seen especially in HDR-compatible content. When it boils down to it, the display of the S22+ is one of the more adaptable displays available on a smartphone. It’s able to accommodate the user when it comes to different content types as mentioned here.
It also enhances the immersiveness of content particularly gaming. The vibrant colours and HDR compatibility allow you to feel in the moment when gaming. The Ful HD resolution of the display strikes an important balance between resolution and battery life. While the Full HD+ resolution of the display is adequate, we feel like Samsung scaled too far back on the S22+ with the Full HD resolution. Instead, they should have used the same QHD+ display in the Ultra to further differentiate the S22+ and to add more value for the money spent.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S22+ comes with a triple camera setup – the same we saw in the S21+. However, unlike the Galaxy S21+, it comes with a larger, 50-megapixel main sensor. Yes, I said larger 50-megapixel sensor. The overall size and pixel size of the S22+’s sensor is larger than the S21+’s 64-megapixel sensor. It’s an important distinction as the larger sensor and pixel size allow more light to be absorbed which translates to more detail and sharpness in the picture.
The pictures taken on the S22+ are notably sharp with a lot of details preserved even in low light. The smartphone processes the images to be vibrant and saturated. That said, the quality of the pictures changes from sensor to sensor. It goes without saying that the larger 50-megapixel sensor produced the best quality pictures.
Samsung has packed the camera with tonnes of features. This round they were focusing on low light photography, and they’ve made noticeable improvements when it comes to the quality and detail that is reproduced in the pictures taken. However, it feels like there’s a little bit more work needed to take the camera to where they want to be.
During our review, I used the S22+ as my main camera for events and even when spending time with my family. It performed well and was able to respond quickly which is really important when it comes to taking pictures of a toddler.
The video from the S22+ is also pretty good. Shooting at 4K and 1080p produced really crisp detailed videos in the correct lighting. In low lighting, the videos were dramatic but lacked some depth and detail which is expected in such conditions. However, it’s still one of the best performers when it comes to smartphones. To be honest, we’ve yet to see any Android smartphone which is on par with the S22+. What amazes us is that this isn’t their true technological flagship and they still managed to get the camera to perform this well.
A new flagship experience with more of the same outward design proving that fine tuning may do the user experience well
Samsung’s approach to the Galaxy S22+ series proves that they have the capacity to produce amazing user experiences in both the hardware and software of their devices. The Galaxy S22+ brought some of the most compelling software features and paired it with capable hardware that helps elevate the experience significantly.
The Galaxy S22+ is the sweet spot in the series bringing both the size in hardware and software and comfort when it comes to viewing and manoeuvring the phone. It’s the goldilocks of the three S22 devices we have today. With Samsung’s commitment to actually supporting the new S22 series for at least 5 years, the S22+ is an amazing proposition when it comes to getting something that will be able to stand the test of time. It’s also got the versatility to be your companion when you’re out having fun and your sidekick when you need to be productive.
