The Samsung Galaxy S22 and its siblings (the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra) are here, and if past form is anything to go by, they’re likely to be among the best phones of 2022.
The standard model and its plus-sized counterpart are similar in most ways and different largely in those you’d expect (such as screen sizes), but the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a wildly different proposition, being more Galaxy Note than Galaxy S.
Below, you’ll find full details of all three models, including their prices, specs and features, so you can see exactly how they compare.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The latest flagship phone range from Samsung
- When is it out? Pre-orders are open now, released from February 25
- How much does it cost? Prices start at $799 / £769 / AU$1,249
Samsung Galaxy S22 release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy S22 range was announced on February 9, and all three phones are available to pre-order now. The actual release date varies by region, with all three models landing in the US on February 25, but those in Australia will have to wait until March 3 for them. In the UK, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is shipping on February 25, but the other two models won’t ship until March 11.
As for their prices, the Samsung Galaxy S22 starts at $799 / £769 / AU$1,249 for 128GB of storage, rising to $849 / £819 / AU$1,349 for 256GB of storage. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus meanwhile costs $999.99 / £949 / AU$1,549 with 128GB or $1,049 / £999 / AU$1,649 with 256GB.
There are more options for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,849 with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$1,999 with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, $1,399.99 / £1,329 / AU$2,149 for 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, and $1,599.99 / £1,499 / AU$2,449 for 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM.
Design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S22 Plus are very similar. Both have a flat screen, slim bezels, and a punch-hole camera in the top center of the display. They have an aluminum frame and a Gorilla Glass Victus Plus back (with the screen sporting the same protection).
The back is fairly plain, with the highlight being a triple-lens camera block that curves smoothly out from the frame, much like it did on the Samsung Galaxy S21 range. These two phones come in the same selection of colors as each other too, namely Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet, and Cream.
The main difference between the design of these two phones is their weight and dimensions, with the Samsung Galaxy S22 coming in at 146 x 70.6 x 7.6mm and 167g, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is 157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm and 195g. So the S22 Plus is bigger and heavier as you’d expect.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is very different though, with a more angular, Note-like design, complete with a slot for its included S Pen stylus.
There’s no camera block here either, with the lenses simply jutting slightly out of the back, and the screen is curved rather than flat. The colors differ too, with Phantom Black, White, Burgundy, Green, Graphite, Red, and Sky Blue being available.
This is also by far the biggest and heaviest of these phones, coming in at 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm and 228g. However, it too has an aluminum frame, along with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both the front and back. All three phones are also IP68 rated for dust and water resistance.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a flat 6.1-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED display with 435 pixels per inch, a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is similar but bigger, with a 6.6-inch display, 393 pixels per inch, and a higher peak brightness of 1,750 nits, but otherwise the same screen specs.
With the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra you’re again getting something quite different. For one thing, this has a curved screen, and it’s bigger and sharper at 6.8 inches and 1440 x 3088 (for 500 pixels per inch).
This too has a 120Hz refresh rate though, along with the same 1,750 nits brightness as the Galaxy S22 Plus, and support for HDR10+.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus have identical camera setups, with a 50MP f/1.8 main snapper, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one (with a 120-degree field of view), and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto one, with 3x optical zoom. They also each have a 10MP f/2.2 camera on the front.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is once again the odd one out. It has a 108MP f/1.8 main camera, a 12MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide, a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto (with 3x optical zoom), and a 10MP f/4.9 periscope offering 10x optical zoom. On the front it has a 40MP f/2.2 camera.
Every rear lens aside from the ultra-wide has optical image stabilization on every model, and every model can shoot video in up to 8K quality, or 4K on the front-facing camera.
All three phones also have a wealth of shooting modes and settings, including new features like Nightography – which is basically a supercharged night mode.
Battery
The standard Samsung Galaxy S22 seems to have drawn the short straw in the battery stakes, as its battery is both quite low capacity at 3,700mAh, and relatively slow at charging, topping out at 25W.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus meanwhile has a 4,500mAh battery that charges at 45W, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery that charges at 45W.
It’s no surprise that their batteries are bigger since they also have bigger screens to power, but we’d have expected at least a 4,000mAh battery in the Galaxy S22, which would be a match for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
All three phones additionally support 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Specs and features
All three Samsung Galaxy S22 phones are very powerful, with each packing either a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset (if you’re in the US), or an Exynos 2200 (in the UK and Australia), both of which are top end.
On the RAM front, there’s 8GB in the S22 and the S22 Plus, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can be had with either 8GB or 12GB. Oddly that’s less than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which starts at 12GB and can go up to 16GB.
In any case, there’s a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage in the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has those configurations along with 512GB and 1TB options.
There’s no microSD card slot or 3.5mm headphone port in any model, but all three obviously support 5G and have an under-display fingerprint scanner. They all support Samsung DeX too, so you can hook them up to a larger screen and get more of a desktop interface.
Beyond that, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra stands out by supporting (and coming with) an S Pen stylus, making it the best choice for anyone who wants to sketch on their phone, or use a stylus for note taking or editing.
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