I believe it is safe to say that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is aimed at a specific sort of user who is ready to carry a larger and heavier phone in exchange for a quality photography experience and a built-in S Pen, all while paying a premium for it. That's fantastic for those that actively want the extra and the overload. For the rest of us, there's the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22.
After using the Galaxy S22 Plus for approximately a week, I can confidently declare that it is the greatest mainstream Android flagship phone available in the United States. After all, there aren't many other possibilities in the United States. The OnePlus 9 series failed to impress with its underwhelming camera – owing to the Hasselblad cooperation being originally software-based – and the OnePlus 10 series is yet to arrive. Google's Pixel 6 is plagued by UI difficulties, and when those two big competitors are removed, you're very much left with Apple.
Let's be clear about something else. The camera system on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is no wimp, with a 50MP f/1.8 sensor capable of producing stunning images. Those images, of course, look fantastic on the 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED display. It's a sleek and capable gadget in a market that, to be honest, isn't as competitive as it once was. When it comes to premium Android flagship phones, the Galaxy S22 Plus is unrivalled.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 PLUS
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus: Pricing and availability
- Pricing starts at $999.99, and it is available in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Pink Gold, and Green at most shops.
- Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, and Violet are the four extra hues available only on Samsung.com.
While current orders for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus have begun to arrive, additional purchases are being delayed over the February 25 release date. Regardless of where you purchase from, you won't have to wait more than a couple of weeks.
Official cost is $999 for the 128GB device and $1,049 for the 256GB model, however stores like as Best Buy and even Samsung itself are providing discounts that include a free storage upgrade, allowing you to get the 256GB model for $999. You should expect to see a lot of bargains like that over the device's lifespan, so keep an eye out for Galaxy S22 Plus offers.
There are a total of eight colours available for the Galaxy S22 Plus. You may acquire an unlocked model at Samsung.com in Graphite, Sky Blue, Cream, or Violet. Those hues will not be available elsewhere. If you buy it elsewhere, such as through your carrier, your selections are Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and Pink Gold. Samsung provided us with a Pink Gold variant for this evaluation. You'll also want to acquire a case for your brand-new S22 Plus, so feel free to peruse our top cases selection.
Design and display: The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus looks a lot like it did last year
- The design differences between the Galaxy S21 Plus and the S21 are minimal.
- The upgraded 1,750-nit display is a notable distinction between the Galaxy S22 and the standard Galaxy S22.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus appears to be remarkably identical to its predecessor, with the triple-lens camera housing blended into the device's corner. The main difference is that it is no longer two-tone, so you no longer have a Phantom Red gadget with a gold-colored camera housing. The camera housing of the Galaxy S22 Plus matches the rest of the chassis.
It's not breaking news, but there's no headphone jack on the chassis. Samsung hasn't included one in a while, but it's worth mentioning in case the device you're replacing has one. You should definitely also get a set of wireless earbuds.
This is a stumbling block. Companies like as Samsung and Apple have ceased distributing chargers in boxes, citing e-waste concerns as well as the reality that, simply, everyone already has chargers. However, charging technology improves all the time, so your old charger isn't fully taking advantage of one of the talking points you just paid a thousand dollars for. If the reason for not putting a charger in the box was truly to reduce e-waste, perhaps these firms might welcome trade-ins of your old chargers.
Of course, the smartphone supports wireless charging via the glass back.
A power button and a volume rocker are located on the right side. That's all there is to it.
Now, let's take a look at this stunning 6.6-inch display. Aside from the size (the Galaxy S22 has a smaller 6.1-inch display), the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are virtually similar. However, there's more to them than that. The display of the Galaxy S22 Plus is one of the primary differences between the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus.
Both devices have amazing FHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED screens. If you've bought a Samsung Galaxy smartphone in the previous five years, you'll be familiar with the best-in-class display experience. Because of the refresh rate, the animations are fluid, and the colours are vivid and beautiful owing to AMOLED technology. Because of the modest size of the hole-punch cut-out, the camera does not seem invasive. It's a wonderful experience.
The main difference between the Galaxy S22 and the S22 Plus is that, although the Galaxy S22 has the same 1,300-nit display as the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S22 Plus now has a higher brightness of 1,750 nits. That's a major deal, and it's a step forward for outdoor performance. You won't have any problem seeing what's on the screen if you take it outside in the sunshine.
Camera: The Galaxy S22 Plus is best-in-class for a mainstream flagship
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus has a 50MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor, a 10MP f/2.4 3x zoom lens, and a 10MP f/2.2 front camera.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus features an entirely different camera setup than the S21 Plus. Samsung employed a 12MP f/1.8 sensor and a 64MP zoom lens in its primary camera last year. This year, the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus adopted a different approach, with a higher-resolution primary sensor and a lower-resolution zoom lens. The ultra-wide still has a 12MP f/2.2 sensor.
However, there is now a 50MP f/1.8 lens and a 10MP f/2.4 3x zoom lens, which provides bigger pixels when using the telephoto lens. It also employs tetra-binning (also known as quad-binning) to blend four pixels into one for improved low-light performance, as well as the 50MP image to enhance it even more.
One thing I'd want to emphasise is that Samsung has grown a lot better at taking realistic images than it has in the past. Despite having truly excellent technology, I've never been ready to carry around a Samsung phone since the photographs always appeared too unnaturally saturated. This year, I believe the problem will be resolved. I feel confident using this camera without a backup device, which is saying a lot considering how I previously felt about Samsung smartphones.
Samsung Pay and Vaccine Pass
Your immunisation card can be saved in Samsung Pay.
Samsung has introduced a slew of new Samsung Pay capabilities, however they aren't limited to the Galaxy S22 series in any way. They offer key assistance (vehicle, house, and office), student ID support, and my personal favourite, Vaccine Pass.
To activate Vaccine Pass, at least in New York State, just scan the QR code provided in the state's app. You can now simply access it via Samsung Pay anytime you need it.
Samsung Pay, on the other hand, is rather good, especially because the Korean company is always adding new features to it. Unfortunately, MST support is no longer available, since it was the one feature that distinguished the tap-to-pay capabilities from competitors. Even yet, the addition of immunisation evidence, ID cards, and keys is really nice.
Performance, Battery Life, and Charging: It’s fast and it lasts all-day
- In the United States, the Galaxy S22 Plus is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.
- The battery lasts the entire day.
- 45W charging provides no practical advantages above 25W charging.
In terms of benchmarks, I did my regular Geekbench, AnTuTu, and GFXBench tests. Surprisingly, the Geekbench test results were worse than those of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 device we examined at Snapdragon Summit, especially in multi-core. I scored 1,216 on single-core and 3,126 on multi-core, whereas the reference design scored 1,235 and 3,758.
I received a total score of 834,344 for AnTuTu, including 212,908 in the CPU category, 317,993 in the GPU area, 157,493 in the RAM category, and 145,950 in the UX category. The S22 Plus scored 112fps on the Manhattan Offscreen tests in GFXBench, whereas the reference device scored 221fps.
But enough with the benchmarks. All we have to go on is Qualcomm's own reference design, which was built to perform benchmarks on. Samsung's S22 series is currently the fastest Android phone series on the market. This is mostly due to the fact that the company's biggest US competitors – Google and OnePlus – have yet to introduce smartphones with updated chipsets. Right now, if you want performance, you should go with Samsung (as long as you get Snapdragon and not Exynos).
The battery life is also quite good. Simply put, I was never below 25% at the conclusion of a 24-hour day. I'd go from wake-up to wake-up while testing. The screen is set to 60Hz by default, and the AoD is turned off; these are the first two settings I altered. When I say I obtained all-day battery life in 24-hour periods, I'm referring to using the 120Hz function and the always-on display. You may anticipate these statistics to decline if you play games, but overall, I've been really impressed with the battery life, and it comes inside my definition of all-day battery life.
Switching to a Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus from an iPhone
If you're switching from an iPhone, Samsung is the best provider to go with.
I've been an iPhone user since I joined XDA in April of last year. Because I was going to be focusing on laptops and computers, I wasn't going to be continually evaluating new phones and jumping around the Android ecosystem. I ultimately decided on an iPhone as my primary smartphone.
Personally, I believe that if you have an iPhone and want to try something fresh that you won't find on Android, Samsung is the way to go. Furthermore, I believe that the Galaxy S22 or Galaxy S22 Plus is the best option for most iPhone customers.
The cause for this is the ecology. Few organisations go to such lengths to provide a full-stack experience for your lifestyle. This covers not only the smartphone, but also the wristwatch, laptop, earphones, and, with Samsung, even more. This is due to the fact that Samsung manufactures smart TVs and other smart goods that are compatible with your Samsung mobile.
As an iPhone user, you might be tempted to acquire a Google Pixel since it's first-party hardware, and amazing things happen when the hardware provider also develops the software, right? This isn't always the case. Don't expect everyone to be as excellent as Apple at this; if it were easy, smartphone manufacturers would develop their own operating systems much more frequently.
As I previously stated, I believe the Galaxy S22 or S22 Plus is the way to go. I truly feel that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is for those who want to spend a lot of money on a camera with 100x zoom or a built-in S Pen. The Ultra is a niche product, but if that's what you're looking for, it's fantastic and you should get it.
Apple has never produced anything that can compete with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Cupertino company touts 3x lossless zoom, and despite years of Apple Pencil compatibility, which is now available on all iPads, iPhones do not. An iPhone, whether Mini or Pro Max, is a fantastic all-around phone.
Who should consider purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus?
The overarching theme of this review has been that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the greatest mainstream Android smartphone available. It is, of course, not for everyone, just as no product is.
Who should purchase the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus?
People who want the greatest phone but aren't concerned with pen support or a Space Zoom camera.
- Users migrating from an iPhone to Android
- Who should avoid purchasing a Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus:
- Customers who wish to use a S Pen to sketch or take handwritten notes
- People who desire the finest in mobile photography as well as remarkable adaptability.
- Users who require rapid charging
Who should avoid purchasing a Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus:
- Customers who wish to use a S Pen to sketch or take handwritten notes
- People who desire the finest in mobile photography as well as remarkable adaptability.
- Users who require rapid charging
