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Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are official: here they are!

By Preslav Kateliev

Updated: Feb 09, 2022, 6:05 PM

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Samsung

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Well, here we are again, folks! As expected, Samsung released the newest Galaxy S flagship — the Galaxy S22! Retreading the steps from last year, we have another trio of phones — the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Of course, the Ultra is a super-powered phone meant for those that want an absolute beast in their pocket. The Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are the more mainstream-focused models, with all the core features of a Samsung flagship and a more easily stomachable price.

With that said, let’s take a deep look at what the new Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus have to offer!

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus price

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are official: here they are!

Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy S22 series and pre-orders are up! You can grab a Samsung Galaxy S22 starting at $799 for the 128 GB model and a Galaxy S22+ from $999 for the 128 GB model.

The 512GB Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can be had for just $299.99

With $1000 off for an S21 Ultra trade-in and a free 512GB storage upgrade, the S22 Ultra can be had for up to $1100 off.

$299 ⁹⁹

$1399 ⁹⁹

Expired

The Samsung Galaxy S22+ is now $800 off

Grab a free 256GB storage upgrade to add to the enhanced $700 trade-in credit.

$249 ⁹⁹

$1049 ⁹⁹

Expired

The 256GB Samsung Galaxy S22 can be had for a $100 instead of $849

The Galaxy S22's storage upgrade to 256GB is now free, plus you can get up to $700 off with a trade-in.

$100

$849 ⁹⁹

Expired

Save $825 on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

The 128GB Tab S8 Ultra enjoys $675 enhanced trade-in credit, plus free Galaxy Buds Pro earphones with a purchase.

$424 ⁹⁹

$1099 ⁹⁹

Expired

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus release date

The rumor mill said that Samsung is having trouble and that S22 shipments would be delayed. Well, seems not — pre-orders are opening now and Samsung will begin shipping all Galaxy S22 phones on the 25th of February. OK, shortages may occur but, for right now, it seems they are good to go.

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus design and display

Last year, Samsung landed on a design that looks pretty cool and unique — the Galaxy S21’s camera bump was designed to look like a natural extension of the phone’s metal frame, which instantly gave the phones a signature appearance.

So, this year Samsung is reiterating the formula — we can’t be mad at that. The Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are very definitely Samsung phones. Metal frames, matte glass backs, the aforementioned camera bump, but flat screens.

Yes, this time around, both the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus have a completely flat display, with the curved edge now being reserved for the premium Ultra. As far as I am aware, most casual users prefer the flat screen — it’s easier to find a case that protects the phone, it’s easier to apply screen protectors, and it’s less prone to ghost touches.

What’s the difference between the S22 and S22 Plus? Well… the screen size. The Galaxy S22 is sized to be a bit more pocket friendly, with its 6.1-inch display (20:9 aspect ratio), while the Galaxy S22 Plus has a 6.6-inch screen.

Both screens have a 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution, and both are of the Dynamic AMOLED variety, meaning they support HDR10. Of course, 120 Hz refresh rates are now standard on these phones, and they are protected by a slab of Gorilla Glass Victus+. Currently, Corning's newest Gorilla Glass model is exclusive to Samsung's newest flagships.

And they borrow an extra feature from the Ultra line — Vision Booster, which is capable to tune contrast and colors to optimize screen viewability even under direct sunlight. The peak brightness for the S22 is 1,300 nits, the S22 Plus can hit 1,750 nits, which is very, very bright.

Worthy to note — both these S22 screens are slightly smaller than their 2021 counterparts. The S21 had a 6.2-inch screen, the S21 Plus was quite big, with a 6.7-inch display.

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus colors

Back to this year’s models — we get a selection of four colors, shared across both models. These being Phantom White, Pink Gold, Phantom Black, and... Green!

However, if you order online from Samsung, you will have a choice of 4 extra colors that also look stunning. Decisions, decisions!

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus camera

Despite looking the same as before, the camera system has been completely revamped here. The Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus now have a 50 MP sensor for the main camera, which will use pixel binning to simulate bigger individual pixels, this collect more light and details.

Samsung was leaning hard on the Galaxy S22’s Night Mode capabilities up until the event, and it unveiled its full power at the presentation. The Galaxy S22 can pull out light from the darkest places, which is admittedly pretty cool! I am not sure, however, how many people feel about night photos looking like daytime instead.

The portrait camera has also been updated — we now get a 10 MP sensor with an actual zoom lens over it. 3x zoom, to be exact — or the equivalent of a 69 mm lens. These should make for some pretty honest portrait shots. Here, Samsung talks up the new AI engine, which is capable of discerning even single strands of hair, making more realistic Portrait Mode shots. Portrait Video has also been improved by AI, so that's something we can't wait to test as well!

Also, we now get studio lighting effects in Portrait Mode for both the back and the selfie cameras!

The third camera is still a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, which sounds like the same thing we had last year. Hey, it was pretty fine back then — don’t fix what’s not broken.

And then, on the front, there’s the 10 MP selfie camera that we’ve had last year. Which should also be fine — the Galaxy S21 series were already doing quite well for selfies and video calls.

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus hardware

In typical Samsung fashion, we have two different versions of S22 devices being shipped. The US, South Korea, and various select markets will get S22 phones powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 gen 1 chips.

Europe and most Asian markets will get versions with Samsung’s home-brewed Exynos 2200 chipset.

While we expect the difference to be miniscule, historically Exynos has been a bit weaker, yet more battery-taxing than its Snapdragon equivalent. But we will see how the chips fall this year.

As for memory, the S22 and S22 Plus come with a minimum of 128 GB storage, or an upgraded 256 GB tier. All variants, however, come with 8 GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus battery

With a difference in their physical sizes, these two phones — naturally — have room for different batteries. The Galaxy S22 is a bit on the disappointing side, with a 3,700 mAh cell, while the Galaxy S22 Plus has the adequate — but not massive — 4,500 mAh cell.

With a powerful processor on board and 120 Hz screens, we are kind of worried that these phones will be far from battery endurance champs. The S21 and S21 Plus had 4,000 mAh and 4,700 mAh cells and they weren’t really top athletes in the field, too.

But let’s save judgement for when we get to run our tests on these new phones!

As for charging, Samsung still plays it a bit safe. The regular Galaxy S22 supports a 25 W fast charger, while the bigger Galaxy S22 Plus can utilize a 45 W charger that can charge it from 0 to 50% in less than 20 minutes, as per Samsung's official info.

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus expectations

We have another pair of pretty solid smartphones from Samsung. No doubt, if you are planning to nab one of these, you'd be happy with it. Though, as always, it's always wise to wait out the review cycle and see how these phones perform when compared to their peers before making a final call.

By the looks of it, if you own a Galaxy S21 generation phone, you shouldn't be in any hurry to upgrade. But the S22 line looks like a proper jump up for anyone on an S20, and definitely S10 or older model owners.

And hey, if you haven't yet, right now is a pretty good time to jump on the Samsung train. Even if you don't want to pay full price for an S22, the recently-launched S21 FE is not a bad deal, or the soon-to-be discounted S21 line from last year is also still very, very good.

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Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.