It used to be so easy to decide which Samsung flagship to buy because the company only released one per year. Then, starting with the Galaxy S8 series, the company saw there was demand for an even larger high-end phone — and so the Plus variant was born. Fast forward to 2020 and Samsung adds the Ultra to the canon. So now there are three S-series flagships to choose from every year, and 2022's lineup is more compelling than ever.
First, let's have a quick look at the specs of the Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, and the S22 Ultra.
| Phone | Galaxy S22 | Galaxy S22+ | Galaxy S22 Ultra |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200 |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB, 12GB |
| Storage | 128, 256GB | 128, 256GB | 128, 256, 512GB, 1TB |
| Display | 6.1" FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, 48~120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz refresh rate | 6.6" FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, 48~120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz refresh rate | 6.8" QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x LTPO, 1~120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz refresh rate |
| Battery | 3,700mAh, 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging | 4,500mAh, 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging | 5000mAh, 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP f/1.8 primary, Dual Pixel AF, OIS; 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (120° FoV); 10MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom sensor with OIS; 30x digital zoom | 50MP f/1.8 primary, Dual Pixel AF, OIS; 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (120° FoV); 10MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom sensor with OIS; 30x digital zoom | 108MP f/1.8 primary, 0.8µm large pixels, OIS and PDAF; 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (120° FoV); 10MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom sensor with OIS; 10MP f/4.9 10x optical zoom with OIS; 100x digital zoom |
| Front Camera | 10MP f2.2 | 10MP f2.2 | 40MP f/2.2 with autofocus |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC | 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, ultra-wideband | 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, ultra-wideband |
| Dimensions | 70.6 x 146 x 7.6mm, 168g, IP68 certified | 75.8 x 157.4 x 7.6mm, 196g, IP68 certified | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm, 229g, IP68 certified |
| Software | One UI 4.1/Android 12 | One UI 4.1/Android 12 | One UI 4.1/Android 12 |
| S Pen | - | - | Yes |
| Colors | Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Pink Gold; Online exclusive colors: Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, Violet | Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Pink Gold; Online exclusive colors: Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, Violet | Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Burgundy; Online exclusive colors: Graphite, Sky Blue, Red |
| Price | Starting at $800 | Starting at $1,000 | Starting at $1,200 |
One look at the table makes it clear the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best of the lot in terms of specs with the biggest display, the most versatile camera setup, the biggest battery, and more. However, depending on what's important to you, it might not be the ideal phone for your needs.
Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S22+ vs. S22 Ultra: Build quality
The Galaxy S22 trio follows the same formula as other high-end flagships in the build quality department. They feature an Armor Aluminum chassis, which Samsung claims is the strongest frame it has ever used, along with Gorilla Glass Victus+ panels at the front and rear. This is also true for the smallest model in the lineup, despite the base-model S21 using a "glasstic" back last year. All three phones feature IP68 certification, stereo speakers, and in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensors.
The Galaxy S22 and S22+ are similar in the design department with flat edges and displays and a camera hump that blends into the chassis. However, the Ultra feels more like a Note than an S series phone with rounded sides, a slightly curved display, and flat top and bottom edges. It is also noticeably thicker, allowing the camera hump to blend into the body, though the lenses do protrude a small amount. One look at the Galaxy S22 Ultra alongside the Note20 Ultra paints a clear picture of its origin.
Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S22+ vs. S22 Ultra: Display
The dimensions differ significantly between the three phones. The regular Galaxy S22 is the smallest in the lineup, with a 6.1-inch display and a claimed maximum brightness of 1,300 nits. Then there's the S22+ that sits in the middle with its 6.6-inch panel with a max brightness of 1,750 nits. Both phones are slightly smaller than their 2021 predecessors, pulling back on both screen size and battery capacity
The S22 and S22+ both feature flat LTPS-based panels at a 1080p resolution, with a 48-120Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling rates in Game Mode.
As for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, it is in a league of its own with a massive 6.8-inch QHD+ (1440p) AMOLED panel that's curved on the edges and features a maximum brightness of 1,750 nits. Unlike the other two Galaxies, Samsung uses a more power-efficient LTPO panel on the S22 Ultra that can dynamically adjust the refresh rate from 1 to 120Hz. It also supports the S Pen that now offers a reduced latency of only 2.8ms, down from 9ms on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. While the S Pen isn't a must-have accessory for everyone, having it built into the chassis is a huge benefit for taking notes and sketching.
With varying display sizes, the phones also differ in their dimensions. The Galaxy S22 is a compact flagship, a dying breed in the Android world, while the S22+ is ideal for users looking for a device with a big screen but something that's still somewhat usable with one hand in most scenarios. The 6.8-inch Galaxy S22 Ultra is for power users who know what they want: the biggest possible display on a device. This is a phone that forces you to use it with two hands in most cases. On the flip side, the big display could help boost your productivity levels while on the go.
The entire S22 lineup features in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanners. This is the second-gen sensor that Samsung first debuted with the Galaxy S21 last year, and, as we noted in our review, it offers better performance than the previous iteration.
Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S22+ vs. S22 Ultra: Chipset
All three phones in the lineup share the same internals: they are either available with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 chip, depending on where you live. Both are fabricated on the 4nm process and are 2022's flagship chips, offering notably superior GPU and AI/ML performance compared to last-gen offerings. The Ultra, however, features an upgraded cooling solution comprising a new "Gel-TIM" thermal paste that can supposedly transfer heat up to 3.5x more efficiently than previous generations, though we saw little difference in heat output in our testing. Add in the larger chassis, and the largest S22 should offer the best sustained performance in the lineup.
The entire Galaxy S22 series ships with 8GB base RAM, but the 256GB+ storage variants of the Ultra are equipped with 12GB RAM. The phones differ in their storage configurations, with the S22 and S22+ topping out at 256GB storage while the Ultra goes all the way up to 1TB. None of the models feature a dedicated SD card slot, though.
Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S22+ vs. S22 Ultra: Camera
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has the best and the most versatile camera setup in the lineup — it features a quad-camera setup consisting of a 108MP primary shooter and two 10MP telephoto lenses with 3x and 10x optical zoom. The regular and Plus models feature a 50MP primary camera and a telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom. The 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide remains the common point between the three phones.
If you want the best camera experience, the S22 Ultra is what you should go for. However, the other two models are not bad either, and the 50MP sensor will serve you just fine — what you'll primarily miss on the non-Ultra models is the 10x optical zoom capability. All three phones sport the same camera features like 8K video recording, an improved Portrait mode, Pro mode for additional control over various camera aspects, and more. Check out our Galaxy S22 Ultra camera samples to get an idea of what its shooters can do.
The S22 and S22+ feature 10MP selfie shooters, while the Ultra has a 40MP camera that uses pixel binning to output sharper and more detailed photos, along with autofocus to provide some proper depth of field for your selfies.
Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S22+ vs. S22 Ultra: Battery life and charging
The Galaxy S22 has the smallest battery in the lineup, with a 3700mAh cell and 25W fast charging speed. The Galaxy S22+ features a more respectable 4500mAh battery, while the Ultra has a massive 5000mAh cell. Both phones also feature faster 45W wired charging speeds. The regular S22 and the Plus model feature smaller batteries than their predecessor.
In our review, we found the Ultra to last through a day with around six hours of screen time — not bad, but there are phones with better battery life. Battery drain tests show the S21 Ultra and the iPhone 13 Pro Max as notably more efficient than the S22 Ultra, but your mileage will vary based on your usage.
The entire range also supports 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Samsung only bundles a USB-C cable with the phones, so you'll have to purchase the charger separately, irrespective of which phone you buy.
Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S22+ vs. S22 Ultra: Price & Accessories
The Galaxy S22 is the cheapest in the lineup, with a starting price of $800. Next in line is the S22+ with a price tag of $1000, while the Ultra starts from $1,200. For the regular and Plus model, the 256GB upgrade costs an additional $50. With the S22 Ultra, you need to pay $100 for the same thing, though you also get a bump in RAM to 12GB.
The S22 Ultra is expensive, and unless you have a specific need for the S Pen or the big display, the S22+ will serve you just fine. The regular S22 is a decent phone, too, but its battery life could fall short of your expectations if you push it hard. Note that Samsung phones are almost always available with some attractive bundles or offers, so you should save a bit of money that way — check out the best Galaxy S22 deals and trade-in values for this.
We've also rounded up the best cases for the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra, and given that they're made out of glass we'd recommend picking one up.
Buy the regular Galaxy S22 if you...
- Need a compact flagship.
- Want an all-rounder phone that's reasonably priced.
- Are not a power user and don't care much about battery life.
Buy the Galaxy S22+ if you...
- Need a phone with a relatively large display that's not too difficult to use one-handed.
- Want a great camera but don't use the zoom functionality too much.
- Don't like phones with a curved display.
Buy the Galaxy S22 Ultra if you...
- Want an S Pen
- Would benefit from a phone with a massive display
- Require a versatile camera setup
- Need a phone with excellent battery life
Buy Samsung Galaxy S22:
See at Samsung StoreSee at Amazon
Buy Samsung Galaxy S22+:
See at Samsung StoreSee at Amazon
Buy Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra:
See at Samsung StoreSee at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S22+ vs S22 Ultra: Which should you buy? - Android Police
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