Samsung's Galaxy S22 series comes in various sizes, but there's more than meets the eye. If you're considering buying a Galaxy S22 series phone, you have three options to pick from—the base S22, the S22+, or the bigger and pricier S22 Ultra. But which Galaxy S22 model is right for you?
Let's break down all the differences between the phones to help you make the right choice.
Design and Display
In the Galaxy S22 series, the Ultra model has a quite different design language to the S22 and S22+. The S22 Ultra takes inspiration from Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, with its boxy design, angular corners, and a curved display on the edges. The camera area on the rear is quite unconventional as it doesn't include a singular module. Each camera lens stands on its own.
However, if you want something familiar, the Galaxy S22+ and S22 have a rectangular camera module. Unlike the Ultra, they have a flat display, but the edges are squared off.
The trio includes an identical hole punch notch on the front, home to the selfie camera. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor lives under the display of all three models, just like the outgoing S21 series.
The Galaxy S22 series ships in a range of colors. Across the board, there's Phantom Black, White, Green, Graphite, and Sky Blue. Additional color options are also available. The Ultra also comes in two unique colors, Burgundy and Red, and the S22+ and S22 in Violet, Pink Gold, and Cream.
Moving to the display, the S22 Ultra has the biggest panel measuring 6.8 inches. It's an AMOLED display panel with a resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels (QHD+), 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ atop.
The S22+ and S22 sport a 6.6 and 6.1-inch AMOLED display, respectively, with FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels) while maintaining a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection.
What makes the Ultra stand out is not just the display size and design, though. It includes a dedicated slot for keeping the S Pen, similar to what we've seen in the Galaxy Note series in the past. The built-in S Pen slot is one of the top features of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Besides this, it has a dynamic refresh rate ranging between 1-120Hz. The smaller siblings also include dynamic refresh rates ranging between 48Hz and 120Hz. Finally, the Ultra has a brighter panel with 1725 nits peak brightness, which is also found on the S22+, but the base S22 tops out at 1300 nits peak brightness.
Camera
For the cameras, the S22+ and S22 feature identical setups with three lenses on the back. A new 50MP primary lens headlines the setup with f/1.8 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). There's also a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with OIS and 3x optical zoom. The selfie camera is a 10MP f/2.2 lens.
Samsung's flagship, the S22 Ultra, features five lenses at the back headlined by a 108MP f/1.8 shooter. There are two telephoto cameras: a 10MP f/2.4 lens (with 3x optical zoom) and a 10MP f/4.9 lens with 10x periscope zoom. There's also a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide snapper with a 120-degree field of view and, lastly, a laser autofocus sensor. For selfies, you get a 40MP f/2.2 snapper.
When it comes to video, the series tops out at 8K (24fps) from the rear cameras, while the selfie camera goes up to 4K at 30 or 60fps. So whichever model you pick, you're guaranteed to get a similar video resolution.
Performance, Memory, and Storage
As has always been the case, Galaxy S series devices are among the most powerful devices in the market. With that in mind, the latest trio doesn't disappoint performance-wise. It includes the latest and greatest chip from Qualcomm, the 4nm Octa-core Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Of course, as it has been the norm, some regions will get the Snapdragon-powered S22 series while others will have the Exynos versions. The Exynos chip is Samsung's in-house Exynos 2200 Octa-core SoC which is also manufactured using the 4nm process.
While the trio uses the same chip, they have different memory and storage configurations. At the top of the line is the S22 Ultra with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The base Ultra model includes 8GB of memory with 128GB of storage. If you need more memory and storage, there's a 12GB memory version paired with either 256GB or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
On the other hand, the S22+ and regular S22 ship in two variants with 8GB of memory and 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Storage is not expandable across the whole range, so you're stuck with whatever you get. If you want more storage, then the cloud is your only option.
Battery and Charging
The S22 Ultra packs a 5000mAh battery, the biggest across the series, followed by the S22+ with a 4500mAh battery, and lastly, the regular S22 with a 3700mAh battery. The S22+ and Ultra support up to 45W wired charging, while the regular S22 tops out at 25W.
Wireless charging is available across the series, capped at 15W. There's also reverse wireless charging, so you can use any S22 series phone to juice up compatible accessories like a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Buds at 4.5W.
Price
With the Ultra winning in every aspect, it's not surprising that it's also a price leader. Starting from the bottom, the regular S22 starts at $799 for 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage, while the 256GB variant goes for $849.
The S22+ starts at $999 for 8/128GB, and you'll have to pay $1049 for double the storage. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at $1,199 for 8/128GB, $1,299 for 12/256GB, $1,399 for 12/512GB and $1,599 for 12GB/1TB.
Selecting the Best Galaxy S22 Model for Daily Use
All the Galaxy S22 series models are powerful devices and what suits your needs depends on different things. If you were a Note series fan who has been staying on the sideline waiting for a successor to the Note 20 Ultra, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is your only option. It does include a built-in S Pen and combines the legacy of both the Galaxy S and Note series in one single package.
If you want a Galaxy S series phone that maintains all the design and legacy we've come to identify with the series, the Galaxy S22+ is your choice. We recommend the regular S22 if you're on a budget and you need a relatively smaller and compact device.