Samsung Galaxy S22

Smartphone

Samsung Galaxy S22

Pros

  • Compared to many smartphones, the size is very small.
  • Its powerful specifications are in line with large smartphones.
  • The camera takes very good pictures under most conditions.
  • Clear update policy of 4 years.
  • The phone is waterproof and therefore suitable for splashing water and a good rain shower.
  • Along with e-sim, it is possible to use two different SIM cards.

Cons

  • Android Auto and the Galaxy S22 series do not work equally well for everyone.
  • In the beginning many (recommendation) notifications, came from Samsung.
  • A USB-C charger is missing from the package, which may be important for users without a new USB-C charger.
Smartphone

Introduction

It has now been more than six months since the Samsung Galaxy S22 series was shown to the world. This review focuses on the Galaxy S22 which has been in use for half a year now. With this long-term review, we want to share our experiences with this small powerhouse from Samsung.

Herman a.k.a. Kiswum used this phone for over an half year, in this review you can read all about it.
This review was initially written for a Dutch website. However, the review was so good, that I (Dutchiee) asked Kiswum if I could post it on my website, and so here it is! 🙂

If you are interested in reading this review in Dutch. Click here to read the same and full review on techfi.nl

Specifications

Colors: phantom-white, green, pink-gold, phantom-black, graphite, cream, sky-blue and violet.
Storage: 128GB/ 256GB
Dimension: 70.6 x 146 x 7.6mm
Weight: 168g
Max Display refresh rate: 120hz
Front Camera: 10MP Selfie Camera
Rear Camera & Zoom:
12MP Ultra Wide Camera
50MP Wide-angle Camera
10MP Telephoto Camera
30X Space Zoom
Battery: 3700mAh (typical)*****
Audio Playback: : Up to 69 hours
25W Super Fast Charging
Display & Size: 6.1″ Flat FHD+
S Pen Compatibility: No
Durability:
Armor Aluminium frame
Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Victus®+
IP68

Unpacking

The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes in a thin black/grey box made of recycled cardboard. The box contains the smartphone, documentation, USB-C to USB-C cable, and a SIM tray pin. Virtually no plastic has been used in the packaging of the Galaxy S22. Samsung has opted to provide only the screen with a temporary plastic layer. Samsung is well on its way in this, but it would be better if they provided the smartphones with a good screen protector. As an example, they can use a custom-made Clearplex screen protector that is sold at Mediamarkt, among others. This screen protector can last for several years, repairs small scratches, and makes replacing the screen protector less frequent. This prevents additional plastic waste.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

What’s actually in the package?

• Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone
• USB-C to USB-C cable
• Sim tray pin
• Quick start guide and warranty card

Unfortunately, Samsung no longer supplies a charger with the Galaxy S22. As a result, there is a good chance that consumers will no longer be able to charge a new smartphone directly unless they use an older USB-A to USB-C cable that they still have at home.
The reason manufacturers indicate to stop supplying a charger is that they believe it is more environmentally friendly. After all, many more smartphones fit in the same truck. Manufacturers also indicate that everyone has enough chargers in their closet at home so an extra charger is unnecessary. Of course, the statement that more can be transported is correct and that is indeed more environmentally friendly. However, not every consumer will have a suitable USB-C charger and then the consumer will probably switch to an older/worn USB-C cable.

It has been reported several times in the news that non-original chargers catch fire more often. To avoid this kind of situation, it would be better if manufacturers provide their customers with a good basis to use the product. It would be nice for Samsung (and other suppliers) to put a coupon in the box, for example. This would allow the buyer to purchase a case or original USB-C fast charger from a local seller for a small price.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Samsung opts for a more compact model:

In recent years, the screen of a smartphone has become bigger and bigger. The race toward bigger screens now seems to have reached a tipping point. Until recently, we mainly saw smartphones with a screen size of 6.67”/6.7”. In the past two years, it has been noticed that more and more fast/high-end smartphones appear with smaller screens. By using a compact smartphone, it is again possible for many people to operate a smartphone with one hand.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a 6.1” screen with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The size of the smartphone is 14.6 x 7.1 x 0.76 cm. This makes the Galaxy S22 one of the smallest Android smartphones released in the past two years.

What about the competition?

Xiaomi released the Xiaomi 12 with a 6.28” screen in China at the end of last year. Asus introduced the compact Zenfone 8 six months earlier, which was succeeded this year by the Zenfone 9. Both Zenfones have a screen size of only 5.9”. One similarity between these compact smartphones is that they are all equipped with several good cameras, the latest processor, and fast working memory.

If we look at the range that Apple offers and choose the variants with the best specifications, then the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 14 drop out. Among other things, a third camera is missing and the processor is from last year’s batch. The iPhone 14 Pro with a 6.1” screen would be the best option in this list of compact high-end smartphones. The size of the iPhone 14 Pro is 14.8 x 7.2 x 0.79 cm, which is comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S22.

For a long time, Sony was the king of compact smartphones with high-end specifications. Currently, Sony no longer has smartphones in the Compact series. However, they do release smartphones with screens that deviate from the current standard (of about 6.7″).

The Sony Xperia 5 IV and the Sony Xperia 10 IV have a screen size of 6.1” and 6” respectively and an aspect ratio of 21:9. As a result, these smartphones are quite narrow but somewhat taller than other smartphones with the same screen diagonal. The size of the brand new Xperia 5 IV is 15.6 x 6.7 x 0.82 cm and the Xperia 10 IV has a size of 15.3 x 6.7 x 0.83 cm. Compared to the Galaxy S22, Sony’s smartphones are less than half a centimeter narrower, but almost a centimeter higher.

Below is a comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S22, Huawei P40, and Samsung Galaxy S10e.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Screen details

The front of the Galaxy S22 is filled with a 6.1″ AMOLED screen with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a resolution of 2340×1080. The screen is flat so that the edges of the screen do not run off the side. The transition from the screen to the metal frame can be felt, but it is not disturbing.

In Adjustable mode, the refresh rate of the screen is automatically adjusted to a rate between 120Hz to 60Hz and at times down to just 24Hz. Thanks to the 120Hz screen, scrolling through menus or a browser is very smooth. This is especially noticeable when compared to older smartphones with a 60Hz screen. By automatically lowering the speed of the screen, the battery will be saved when the image is stationary.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

The angles of the screen are good and thanks to the AMOLED screen, the black is really black and no illuminated edges can be seen. The brightness of the screen can generally adapt well to the environment. In direct sunlight, the screen is very easy to read, but if you stand in the shade, the screen sometimes remains in a bright setting. After this, the screen will gradually dim.

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Benchmarks and gaming

The smartphone is equipped with the latest Samsung Exynos 2200 processor, 8GB DDR5 RAM, and fast UFS 3.1 storage. Samsung supplies a variant with its own processor in Europe. In America and Asia, for example, Samsung supplies the Galaxy S22 series with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. In everyday life, the difference between these 2 processors will hardly be noticeable, but this difference will be visible through benchmarks.
In benchmarks, the Exynos processor is among the top, but according to various benchmarks, the latest Qualcomm processor is a lot faster. It is therefore conceivable that people would prefer a Galaxy S22 with a Qualcomm processor. The disadvantage of the Qualcomm processor is that it is very difficult to keep the heat properly under control. Many smartphone manufacturers, therefore, struggle with proper cooling for these powerful smartphones.

Below are some results from the benchmarks.

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

When running various benchmarks, the smartphone does not get hot. It is therefore not necessary to wait long before the next benchmark is tested. When gaming, the smartphone only heats up when playing Genshin Impact. With other games (such as Diablo Immortal, Fifa Mobile, Brawl Stars, and PUBG Mobile), the Galaxy S22 stays reasonably cool.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Samsung’s layer on Android, One UI

When the phone is started for the first time, the One UI system asks a lot of questions to get some permissions in advance that apps can use later. Many permissions are off by default so that you do not receive personalized advertising from Samsung, for example. When setting up, you will notice that Google has left most options on by default. Therefore, always check which settings are on and whether it has added value. Think of diagnostic data with which Google can be helped more quickly if an error occurs or the use of location data (GPS).

During the first weeks, various information messages are regularly displayed to go through or set several settings. Think of backup recommendations, tips about the menu, and the latest features to get the most out of the phone. A button to disable all these tips would have been very nice.

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

The main page is clearly laid out and the latest news can be viewed by swiping once to the right. If you are not a fan of this news page, it can be disabled from the main page via the settings.
All apps are visible through the app drawer where you can also easily find your apps. The app drawer is the menu that appears by swiping up from the main screen. There, are all the apps that are installed on the smartphone.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Many different applications from Samsung + partners are placed in the software. In general, they are useful apps, but there are also a lot of duplicate apps among them. In addition to the standard version from Google, Samsung has also installed its version on the phone. If these apps are not needed, most of them can be easily uninstalled. If an app cannot be removed, it can still be disabled, so that it no longer starts by default. If you go to the System apps from the Settings menu, an application can be disabled.

In the first picture, you may notice that a notification/widget is used that is not standard on Samsung smartphones. The Internet Speed Meter (Lite) app is used here. This shows how fast the connection is and it also keeps track of how much data is used via a WiFi / mobile data connection.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

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Bixby

The Galaxy S22 no longer has a physical Bixby button. However, it is still possible to use that special Samsung function via the on/off button. Bixby is a personal assistant that is available through that button. Various things can be requested using your voice. It is therefore a counterpart to Google Assistant. If the digital assistant is not needed, the on/off button can be linked to another app or it can be used to start up the camera.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Software support

Samsung’s software is updated monthly and this will be the case until at least March 2026. After this, important security patches may still be rolled out, but Samsung will not make any promises about this.

The smartphone came with Android 12 and will receive 4 more upgrades. Because the upgrades to the Galaxy S line will become available at the end of the year, it is expected that the last version upgrade will be released in December 2025. After this, some security patches/updates will still be released.

The battery can last a day, charging is as before

The smartphone is equipped with a non-exchangeable 3700 mAh battery. During testing, the following were continuously on: WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. The smartphone is synchronized with four different email accounts, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook Lite, Instagram, LinkedIn, Rainfall Alert, and a smartwatch.

When these things are enabled, the phone will have about 40-45% left at the end of a screenless day (from 08:00-00:00). The screen has then been on for about 2.5 – 3 hours with a refresh rate of 120Hz. At 60Hz, about 5-15% is saved over a whole day.
On an intensive smartphone day, the screen is on more often than it is off. At that moment it is a bit more difficult to make it to the end of the day. After about 6 hours of screen time, the phone only has about 10% left around dinner time.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S21, we expect our battery to last a little less. With the other predecessors such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S10e, the battery lasts a lot longer. In a similar test, it was very difficult for those smartphones to make it to the 8 p.m. news without recharging in between.

Strangely enough, the battery does not drain in a gradual line. The first 10% goes quite fast (about 1% in 3 minutes) and the last 10-15% goes much faster. The last 10% evaporates in just 10 minutes, so the need for a power bank or charger can be very high at that time.

Charging is done with a maximum of 25 watts and until recently that could be called fast. From 0% to 50% takes about 30 minutes when using a fast charger. From 0% to 100%, it takes 65 minutes. The lock screen clearly shows how long the smartphone still needs to be charged and that is very accurate.
Nowadays there are many smartphones on the market that are charged with 50 or 65 watts. This means they are completely full in just 45 minutes, which is a big difference with this S22.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Android Auto, still navigating with a car mount for now

Android Auto is a product where all links are important for proper functioning. The software of the infotainment system (car radio) is one of the points for the proper functioning of Android Auto. The manufacturer of the smartphone must ensure that their product is made available in the database of the infotainment system. In this case, Samsung must also ensure that the Android Auto software is in top condition on the smartphone. Finally, the cable is also very important and the use of the original cable is recommended. Android Auto may also work wirelessly, but the car radio must then be equipped with a WiFi module. There is no WiFi module in the Skoda Scala in which this set has been tested.

In the last half year, there have been a lot of problems that Google and Samsung have already admitted. A solution seemed imminent, but the last release unfortunately does not work for everyone.
In short, there are a lot of links where things can go wrong, which can cause Android Auto problems.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Because there are so many important points, it is special that a modified Huawei P40 without official Google Play support can work flawlessly with Android Auto.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

The cameras: Getting better and better

The 10MP front camera takes good and clear photos. If the camera detects several people, it automatically switches to a wide-angle view so that everyone can be in the picture. Thanks to the illuminating screen, it is also possible to take clear photos in the dark.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Main camera

The phone is equipped with 3 cameras on the back and they are arranged as follows:
12 MP / F2.2 aperture wide-angle lens 1.4um lens.
50 MP / F1.8 aperture 1um lens for normal photos/videos.
10 MP / F2.4 aperture 3x zoom 1.22um lens.

During the day, sufficient light enters the lenses, so that photos almost always look good. The colors look natural and sometimes the image is made a little more beautiful than it is, but it is not disturbing. This is especially recognizable with a blue sky that becomes just a little bluer.
Below is a selection of sample photos of the Samsung Galaxy S22, taken in the past 6 months.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

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Special portrait mode

Thanks to the different cameras, good macro photos can be taken and an option can be used to make the background very blurry. These kinds of effects can immediately give a photo a different atmosphere. Unfortunately, things don’t always go well and that can be seen in the fourth photo. A piece of the glass has disappeared because of the special effect.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Zoom in

Because 3 different lenses are used, it is possible to zoom in sharply up to 3x. If you zoom in further, everything is digitally enlarged. Naturally, the quality then becomes less good. The best pictures can best be shot when the zoom range is between 0.6x (ultra image) and 5x.

0.6x wide angle view, 1x standard, 3x telephoto, 30x zoom

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Evening photos

The photos taken in low light look sharp and the photos look natural without messing up the colors. In the comparison below with a Huawei P40, you can see that Samsung does not make the colors brighter than they are. Because details remain fine, it is not always necessary to use the night mode. With that night mode, several photos are taken in about 8 seconds and then merged into 1 photo.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

Settings

Below are several settings that can be accessed and adjusted from the camera app. Since this device was used for a Dutch review, the language of the phone was set-up as Dutch.
However, these screenshots show things as Auto FPS, image/video stabilization, QR code scanner, location tags, lines and so forth.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

6 months in use

After 6 months, some phones look better than others. In this test period, the Galaxy S22 was in a transparent case from Mobilize. The screen is equipped with a Clearplex screen protector in the first week, so that small scratches are repaired automatically.

The phone is still in good condition, however, there are small scratches visible while the phone was always covered with a case. These scratches are especially visible on the lower edges. This may have been caused by grains of sand that ended up in the case.

The phone is waterproof with an IP68 value, but this will decrease over time. Especially after a fall, the waterproofing is no longer guaranteed. Despite the aluminum frame and sturdy glass on the front and back, the risk of damage is always present. Testing the drop resistance is not included in this review.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22

The final verdict

The software’s recommendations can help people along nicely, but they can also be experienced as disturbing. It would be nice if these recommendations could be switched off at the touch of a button.
Android Auto is currently not mature enough and that is because there are many links through which a connection problem can quickly occur. Samsung and Google are working on a solution, but unfortunately, that solution does not yet work for everyone.

The S22 is a fast, reliable, and compact smartphone. Everything you could wish for is there. The 3 cameras provide the best photos in all weather conditions, both day and night. The 120Hz screen is easy to read in direct sunlight and the content is well displayed.

With a score of 4.5 out of 5, this is a smartphone for many to keep an eye on and thanks to Samsung’s update policy, you can enjoy it for years to come.

Written by Herman

This review was orginally written by Herman a.k.a. Kiswum. I (Dutchiee) would like to thank Herman for letting me upload his review on my website. If you are interested in more reviews of Kiwsum, leave a message or send me a email! You can also open his review website here!

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