At the beginning of 2021, Samsung renewed one of its most important and top-of-the-range smartphone lines, the Galaxy S family, with the line S21. That facelift came with an entirely new design compared to the previous S20 lineup, including a camera module that blended organically into the top left corner of the phone’s back, and shiny metallic edges that made it look very cool. Elegant. That design line, for the most part, carries over to the S22 family (with the exception of the S22 Ultra, of course). However, the evolution inside the phone is the best thing about this new generation.
Because the Galaxy S21 it’s a very good phone, but the Galaxy S22 is even better.
And that’s how it should always be with the change from one generation to another, right? Yes, but it doesn’t necessarily happen. Or at least, not to the point where it feels like a natural evolution of the previous generation, without leaving it completely displaced. The Galaxy S22 subtly modifies the design of the Galaxy S21 (both in the standard model and in the larger one, the S22+ or Plus). The camera module from a distance looks the same, but up close we notice that its edges are much more angular and less rounded. The colors are now also different, including a beautiful pink that changes color slightly in the sunlight, and a green that is sure to be a favorite with many. But otherwise, the biggest number of differences are under the hood, so to speak, in addition to the size of the phones.
And it is that both the S22 and the S22+ are slightly smaller than the S21 and the S21+. The S22 has a 6.1″ screen, while the S21 has a 6.2″ one. In the case of the larger models, the S22+ has a 6.6″ screen, while the S21+ has a 6.7″ panel. It’s a minor difference, but it’s still interesting to see the phones shrink a bit, rather than keep getting bigger. However, there is a very important change in the quality of the screen in this new generation.
Traditionally, Samsung smartphone screens always look good. In fact, in recent years, I could say that they have looked extremely good, even in the most intense Sun. However, it seems that there is always room for further improvement. Although the S22+ maintains the same resolution and radiant colors of the previous generation, in addition to the refresh rate of 120 Hz and support for HDR10+, the improvement this year has been in the brightness of the screen, which has a maximum of no less than 1750 nits (compared to the maximum 1300 nits of the S21+). And what does this mean in practice? That the images and content on the screen will look even better and brighter in any condition, even in the brightest light of summer.
The high-quality, highly detailed color display is one of the best features of the S22+. Another one is that this year Samsung has chosen to include a processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 inside the new generation of Galaxy S, the latest and most powerful chip from Qualcomm. This is the case throughout Latin America and the United States, although in territories such as Spain the phone includes an Exynos 2200 processor. Both chips are 5 nanometers. I was personally able to test a model with Snapdragon for weeks and its power was demonstrated both in the tests of Benchmarks as in games and more demanding tasks, including my already classic tests in the game Genshin Impact, with the graphics settings set to “Very High”, the maximum level. In addition to the Snapdragon chip, the phone packs an Adreno 730 GPU and 8GB of RAM.
In this way, the Galaxy S22+ deserves an outstanding rating in terms of power and performance, and even in battery management, since the combination of this chip together with the Android and One UI software and the 4,500 mAh battery, has allowed me to in my tests, without problems, a. average of between 30 and 36 hours of autonomy with each charge, with intensive use.
The CGalaxy S22+ cameras
Another of the great novelties in the Galaxy S22 + has to do with its triple camera system. This phone, like the full-size S22, packs a 50 MP wide-angle main sensor, accompanied by a 10 MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom, and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle sensor. The results of the photos are between very good and exceptional, and in multiple conditions.
For sample, a button.
The images above were taken with the main sensor and the ultra-wide sensor, respectively, and in automatic mode. That is, letting the phone do all the work of adjusting exposure and other settings for me.
The following photo was taken using the phone’s zoom, also in automatic mode.
The colors obtained by the camera are intense and with a good mix of saturation and natural colors, something characteristic of Samsung phones for some years. The light and shadow details in the clouds in the first photos are adjusted by Samsung’s software, which makes them look more amazing. Of course, all of this can also be achieved using the phone’s manual capture mode, available for both photos and videos. But, overall, the S22+ is a reliable and compliant smartphone for those who prefer the phone to do all the work and just take care of the framing of the image (and in many situations I include myself in this preference, because there is nothing more practical than simply take your phone out of your pocket, point it and take a photo in a matter of seconds).
But the Galaxy S22+ doesn’t just take good photos during the day or under ideal lighting conditions. As I mentioned a few lines back, your camera is versatile and reliable in many situations, including at night. The following photos were taken in very low light situations and outdoors.
As you can see, the phone’s camera can capture very black night skies with almost no noise. The colors and details of the photos are also outstanding, and even a difficult photo like the Obelisk (because of such low lighting) is still an optimal and fully usable result.
In general, I am very happy with the results of my tests with the S22+ camera, both in photos and in videos that I was able to capture in different conditions, and it is even of sufficient quality to take good selfies alone or in a group, with a mode that widens the angle at which you capture photos with the front camera. I know that what I will say next will sound a bit crazy, but it is the same thing that I have been asking myself for a couple of years: the camera of the S22+ is excellent. How can they make it even better next year?
In due course we will know, meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 + (as well as the S22 Ultra) have one of the best cameras in the smartphone world today. Here are two more examples, the first with the main wide sensor, the second with the 3x zoom of the telephoto sensor.
In general, the Samsung Galaxy S22+ is a complete “round” phone. A very good phone that delivers in all respects, just as the Galaxy S21+ did last year. Samsung’s “all in one” is renewed, maintaining the same price in many territories, or similar in others (such as Latin America). If you are a user of Android or Samsung phones, and you are looking for a top-of-the-range option, a flagship From what we have so far of this 2022, without a doubt this is a phone to consider.
