iPhone 14 Plus vs Galaxy S22+
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Intro
After experimenting with a smaller iPhone in its phone lineup for a couple of years, in 2022 Apple replaced that option with a larger model — iPhone 14 Plus. On the Android side, however, Samsung has been offering a larger phone, the Galaxy S22 Plus.
Both phones serve one main purpose — to offer a larger display and longer battery to those who don't want to spend their money on the more premium devices like the Apple's Pro models or the Galaxy S Ultra from Samsung.
But how do these two big boys compare to each other? What is interesting here is that the iPhone 14 Plus actually starts at $899, which is a whole $100 cheaper than the $999 Samsung wants for the Galaxy S22 Plus. That said, Samsung's phones often get big discounts, so the S22+ is easy to find for the same amount of money or even less.
iPhone 14 Plus vs Galaxy S22+ in a nutshell:
- iPhone 14 Plus has better video quality
- Galaxy S22+ has three cameras
- iPhone 14 Plus has better speakers
- Galaxy S22+ can charge much faster
- iPhone 14 Plus has better battery life
- Galaxy S22+ display has higher refresh rate
- iPhone 14 Plus has a better selfie camera
- Galaxy S22+ takes better photos in low light
Table of Contents:
- Design and display quality
- Performance and Software
- Camera
- Audio Quality and Haptics
- Battery Life and Charging
- iPhone 14 Plus vs Galaxy S22+ Specs Comparison
- Summary and Final Verdict
Also read:
Design and Display Quality
Moving with the times... not
(Image credit - PhoneArena) Samsung Galaxy S22+ vs iPhone 14 Plus
Both Samsung and Apple have done little to change the design for their 2022 phone lineups, at least when it comes to the regular models. But that is only a downside when the model from last year did not look that good. Well, the truth is that the Galaxy S22+ has an arguably much better front than that on the iPhone 14 Plus, given that instead of a somewhat big notch you have just one tiny punch-hole cut-out for the selfie camera.
6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 inches
160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8 mm
7.16 oz (203 g)
6.2 x 2.98 x 0.3 inches
157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm
6.91 oz (196 g)
6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 inches
160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8 mm
7.16 oz (203 g)
6.2 x 2.98 x 0.3 inches
157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm
6.91 oz (196 g)
See the full Apple iPhone 14 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S22+ size comparison or compare them to other phones using our Size Comparison tool.
When it comes to the rest of these phone's design it is up to you to decide which one looks better. Both have a clean back panel that is made out of glass, and an aluminum frame circling all the edges. Both phones are also well protected against water and dust and have an IP68 certification to prove it.
One major downside with the iPhone 14 Plus, however, is that it does not have a USB-C port (still!), unlike the Galaxy S22+. This leads to one other major setback with Apple's option that we will touch on later.
When it comes to colors, there is a good variety of them with both phones...
- Midnight
- Purple
- Starlight
- Blue
- Product Red
- Phantom Black
- Phantom White
- Pink Gold
- Green
- Graphite
- Sky Blue
- Violet
Both phones have your generic flagship unboxing experience, meaning you don't get any kind of accessories inside the box except a charging cable. And no — no you won't find any chargers in there.
Now, what about the displays? Probably unsurprising to many mobile tech enthusiasts, the Samsung has a clear win here. It has smaller bezels and a faster screen refresh rate of 120Hz while the iPhone 14 Plus goes only to 60Hz. One thing the iPhone has going for it, though, is its higher maximum brightness, at least according to our own tests which you can check out down below.
Display Measurements:
Performance and Software
Same old, same old
(Image credit - PhoneArena) iPhone 14 Plus and Galaxy S22+ software
The iPhone 14 Plus, unlike its higher-end Pro siblings, comes with the same chipset as its predecessor — the A15 Bionic. Now, while this might not make the iPhone any faster than last year’s models, it still outperforms the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 inside the Galaxy S22+ both in pure horsepower and in efficiency.
Performance Benchmarks:
The good news is that both phones will receive great software support in the future, as Samsung and Apple are known for keeping a steady inflow of major OS updates and security patches for at least five years after release. Currently, the iPhone 14 Plus is rocking iOS 14 while the Galaxy 22+ has Samsung's One UI 4.1.1 that's based on Android 12.
Camera
Less is not more
(Image credit - PhoneArena) Galaxy S22+ vs iPhone 14 Plus camera
The obvious difference between these two camera systems is that the Galaxy S22+ has a set of three cameras — one more than the iPhone. To put it differently, Apple is sticking with the 12 MP wide/ 12 MP telephoto camera combo on the iPhone 14 Plus, which leaves you with less options in the camera app.
Here are some comparison shots we took with the main cameras on the Galaxy S22+ and iPhone 14 Plus:
As you can probably tell for yourself, there are noticeable differences between the main cameras on these two big boys. For example, the iPhone 14 Plus produces images with more sharpness and true-to-life colors but overexposes the image, leading to some lost detail where there are brighter spots.
The Galaxy S22+, on the other hand, takes less-sharp images with a color temperature leaning more to the warmer tones, which makes the colors not as realistic. However, it has a wider field of view and captures more in a single shot, and has a more evenly exposed image — highlights are visible and shadows are as dark as they should be.
Here is a shot where we tested both phones' HDR capabilities:
Both phone seem to be doing an equally good job at exposing correctly for the scenery in this case. The most important part here to have the clouds visible while also being able to see the sky.
Now let's take a look at some night time and low-light photos with the main cameras:
While the iPhone is able to take sharper photos during the day, the same cannot be said when we are talking about low-light scenarios. In this case, all three cameras on the Galaxy S22+ obviously beat the iPhone 14 Plus in both the amount of light captured and the amount of detail too.
It is important to mention, though, that the iPhone does not have a telephoto camera — the image is just cropped from the main camera sensor so the zoom is digital rather than optical.
Speaking of zoom, here are some photo comparisons during the the day that show the difference a dedicated telephoto camera makes when compared to a digital zoom:
As you can see from these examples, the Galaxy 22+ is much better when it comes to taking shots while zoomed in. Even the 5x digital zoom on the Galaxy is better in comparison because the phone is cropping from the dedicated telephoto camera instead the main one, unlike the iPhone — in other words we are not cropping as much from the camera sensor.
Surprisingly, the iPhone still does a pretty good job at 3x magnification, albeit noticeably worse than the Samsung counterpart.
Now onto the ultra-wide samples. Let's check them out:
Both phones are doing a great job as far as sharpness goes, but it seems that the ultra-wide camera on the Galaxy S22+ is handling dynamic range much better than the iPhone 14 Plus. With the Samsung, we can see more of the image in the shadows whereas with the iPhone a lot of the detail there is lost. Of course, another noticeable difference here is the color temperature.
Last but not least, let's see what the selfie cameras on these two phones can do:
In this case, the front-facing camera on the iPhone 14 Plus definitely produces images with more detail and better colors when compared to the Galaxy S22+.
Audio Quality and Haptics
An Apple a day will give you good audio quality?
The iPhone 14 Plus comes with similar sound quality to that of the iPhone 13 series, so you know what you are getting on that front — some of the best speakers on a phone that produce a rich sound stage that even has a little bit of bass.
As for the Galaxy S22+, it unfortunately offers the same audio quality that its predecessor did, which is to say that it definitely leaves some room for improvement. While the sound is somewhat full and overall satisfactory, we found it sounding a bit too tinny at times.
Haptics have long been a strong suit for iPhones, but the good news is that the Galaxy S22+ also comes with really good haptic feedback that is much improved compared to the S21+.
Battery Life and Charging
Fast charging wins the race
What makes the difference here is that the S22+ can charge much faster — at 45W, compared to the iPhone’s maximum of 20W.
iPhone 14 Plus vs Galaxy S22+ Specs Comparison
You can check out and compare the full list of specs and features for the iPhone 14 Plus and Galaxy S22+ in our comparison page.
| Specs | iPhone 14 Plus | Galaxy S22+ |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 inches (160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8 mm) | 6.20 x 2.98 x 0.30 inches (157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm) |
| Weight | 7.16 oz (203.0 g) | 6.91 oz (196.0 g) |
| Screen | 6.7 inches, OLED, 60Hz, HDR | 6.6 inches, AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR |
| Processor | Apple 15 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| Rear Cameras | 12 MP wide, 12 MP ultra-wide | 50 MP wide, 10 MP 3x telephoto, 12 MP ultra - wide |
| Front Camera | 12 MP | 10 MP |
| Battery Size | 4,323mAh | 4500mAh |
| Charging Speeds | Wired: 20.0W; Wireless: 15.0W | Wired: 45.0W; Wireless: 15.0W |
| Price | $899 | $999 |
Summary and Final Verdict
(Image credit - PhoneArena) iPhone 14 Plus vs Galaxy S22+ summary)
There are a few differences between the iPhone 14 Plus and the Galaxy S22+ to keep in mind when choosing between the two. The most eye-catching one, however, is the price, which is $100 less if you choose the iPhone 14 Plus, given that there are no discounts on the S22+.
On Samsung’s side, you get a display with smoother animations thanks to the higher 120Hz screen refresh rate, albeit it one that is slightly less bright. A big win for the S22+ is also the third camera that you can use to zoom in three times closer, which further leads to better 5x zoom shots too. There’s also the much faster charging, which comes in handy when you are in a rush.
With the iPhone 14 Plus you get a faster and more efficient chip, longer battery life, better video quality, and better speakers. You could also argue that it offers better quality images when shooting in well-lit environments. But is that truly enough?
To be frank, it’s looking like quite the mixed bag with these two awesome phones. And yes, both of them can be considered great phones. So, whether you choose the iPhone 14 Plus or the Galaxy S22+ really ends up depending on which software approach or if any of the specific differences between the two resonate more with you. On quality alone, you can't go wrong with either choice.
To be frank, it’s looking like quite the mixed bag with these two awesome phones. And yes, both of them can be considered great phones. So, whether you choose the iPhone 14 Plus or the Galaxy S22+ really ends up depending on which software approach or if any of the specific differences between the two resonate more with you. On quality alone, you can't go wrong with either choice.
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