Every Way the Samsung Galaxy S22 Excels Over the iPhone 13

Advertiser Disclosure: At Slickdeals, we work hard to find the best deals. Some products in our articles are from partners who may provide us with compensation, but this doesn’t change our opinions. Our editors strive to ensure that the information in this article is accurate as of the date published, but please keep in mind that offers can change. We encourage you to verify all terms and conditions of any product before you apply.

The battle to take over the smartphone market for 2022 continues to rage on as Apple continues to push out promo after promo for the iPhone 13. But on the Android side of the ring, Samsung offers a valiant opponent in the Galaxy S22 which first hit the shelves in February this year.

The latest iteration of Samsung’s flagship phone features three models to match up with the iPhone 13’s base, Pro, and Pro Max. Each of these variants caters to different users and have their own leg-ups against their Apple counterparts. If you’re on the fence between iOS and Android, read on before you make that fateful decision! 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Specifications (Starting at $799.99)

• 6.1” flat FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display
• 425 ppi | HDR10+ Certified | 120Hz Refresh Rate
• Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) Processor
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB or 256GB Storage
• Front Camera: 10MP Selfie
• Rear Cameras: 12MP Ultra Wide | 50MP Wide-Angle | 10MP Telephoto
• Connectivity: 5G | LTE | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth 5.2 | Ultra Wide Band
• 3,700mAh Battery Capacity
• Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 and Wireless PowerShare
• IP68 Water Resistance
• Dimensions: 70.6 x 146 x 7.6mm | Weight: 167g

Samsung Galaxy S22+ Upgrades (Starting at $999.99)

• 6.6” flat FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display
• 393 ppi | HDR10+ Certified | 120Hz Refresh Rate
• 4,500mAh Battery Capacity
• Dimensions: 75.8 x 157.4 x 7.6mm | Weight: 195g

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Upgrades (Starting at $1,199.99)

• 6.8” edge Quad HD+ (3088 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display
• 500 ppi | HDR10+ Certified | 120Hz Refresh Rate
• Up to 12GB RAM
• Up to 1TB Storage
• Front Camera: 40MP Selfie
• Rear Cameras: 12MP Ultra Wide | 108MP Wide-Angle | Dual 10MP Telephoto
• 5,000mAh Battery Capacity
• S Pen Included
• Dimensions: 77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9mm | Weight: 228g

Display: AMOLED vs OLED

IMAGE

Samsung has downsized the base model of the S22. It isn’t too big of a drop compared to last year’s S21 which featured a 6.2” display, but reviewers have noticed a considerable difference when held. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. 

In prior years, tech trends were all about pushing screen sizes bigger and to the edge, literally. But not all of us were blessed with Tony Robbins’ hands. The smaller S22 may feel more at home for some, especially if you are more accustomed to single-handing your phone.

On paper, the displays of the iPhone 13 and Galaxy S22 are comparable but the advantage leans towards Samsung. Though Apple offers a slightly higher resolution and ppi, the S22’s AMOLED screen trumps it on a number of other factors. By design, an Active Matrix OLED consumes less energy, has more flexibility, and refreshes at a higher rate. 

If you are a resident of a sunny state like myself, then brightness is also another important specification to consider. The Samsung Galaxy S22 wins in this category as well, testing at nearly 1000 nits compared to the iPhone 13’s 800 nits. This number gets pushed even higher for the S22 Ultra which tops out at 1750 nits.

For those that prefer a bigger phone, the display on the S22 Ultra wins every category against the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Performance: Bionics and Dragons

In the United States, all variants of the S22 house Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform. This 4nm chipset features ground-breaking innovations in AI, photography, gaming, and connectivity to really solidify the phone’s premium experience. Because of the chipset’s versatility, it has no problem handling the more advanced hardware featured in the top-tier S22 Ultra.

While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 falls slightly behind Apple’s A15 Bionic chip in CPU and GPU performance, Samsung’s S22 offers much more RAM to handle multi-tasking. The base model and S22+ gives you double at 8GB and the Ultra has 12GB compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 6GB. So if you tend to maintain a mountain of apps in the background, then the S22 may be more aligned to your habits.

To the everyday user, there won’t be a very noticeable difference in performance between the two competing devices. However, a smartphone’s performance is as much related to software as it is hardware. This is where Samsung has a big plus. The company made the promise to fulfill four years of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates for the device.

This is quite a bold statement in an industry that tries to get you to upgrade to a new phone just about every year. But this shows confidence on the part of Samsung that they’ve built a strong, long-lasting device that you will enjoy for years to come. 

Camera: Zoom and Enhance

With social media becoming such an integral part of our lives, taking good photos and videos on your smartphone is a must-have for some users. Understanding this social phenomena, this is where the Samsung Galaxy S22 and its variants shine.

Although the iPhone 13 base features a slightly better selfie camera, the S22 offers a much stronger rear triple camera setup. For the average user, this is more than enough to take stunning photos or video of your everyday life. 

But if you are a bit more serious about the craft or happen to be a content creator, the S22 Ultra is definitely worth the investment. Starting with the front, the selfie camera is a whopping 40MP. This kind of hardware just screams, “make a TikTok with me!” On the back, the S22 Ultra is even flashier with a quad camera array, one of which is an impressive 108MP Wide-Angle camera. 

Each model features Samsung’s Space Zoom, a Super Resolution Zoom that gets you up to 30x on the S22 and Plus and 100x on the Ultra. Besides taking photos of the moon like the commercials, this capability might come off as a little superfluous. But with all the news floating around about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, I would hate to miss the opportunity of catching one clearly on camera.

Battery Life: Can’t Win Them All

Of all the aspects discussed thus far, the battery life is unfortunately one area that the S22 falls short. Samsung reduced the size of the battery to 3,700mAh making it one of the smallest capacities in the current market. Despite its shorter battery life, it will still last you a 8-hour workday. The S22+ and Ultra feature bigger batteries and will last longer so you can take that into consideration when choosing which model is right for you.

Even though the S22 may not outlast its competitors, it’s not that difficult to find a place to charge nowadays. Since it has fast charging, you can juice it up to over 50% in half an hour and get it back to full in around an hour. Similar to Apple, the box does not include a charging adapter. But you can purchase one separately or use one from another device.

Apple’s iPhone 13 wins this category and does have significantly longer battery life than the S22. But system efficiency has always been a strongsuit for iOS since all their technology is in-house.

Should You Get a Samsung Galaxy S22?

Samsung has been a popular choice for Android users for many years and the S22 and its variants are another reason for that. The devices feature some of the best displays on the market, great performance, and the best camera setups you can find on a smartphone. I would dare say that this may be the best phone to own as a content creator.

On top of the hearty hardware, the company’s promise to maintain Android and security upgrades for essentially the next half-decade makes the phone a very safe bet. If you can overlook the shortcomings of the battery, everything else is in place to satisfy your needs in a flagship device.