Samsung Has Unveiled Its Flagship Galaxy S22 Phones

Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ review [Video]

Video uploaded by Engadget on February 23, 2022

Samsung Has Unveiled Its Flagship Phones For 2022 Through An Online Event Called Galaxy Unpacked 2022

The Galaxy S22 range has three phones with the Galaxy S22 Ultra being the most premium model in the range that comes with integrated S Pen support to deliver the now-discontinued Galaxy Note-like experience on the Galaxy S series, the mid-level Galaxy S22 Plus, and the pocket-friendly Galaxy S22.

The Samsung Galaxy S22+ shares a lot of similarities the regular Galaxy S22 including the same One UI 4.1 on Android 12, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, and the same triple rear camera setup, but what sets the S22 Plus apart is that it has a 6.6-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with variable 48–120Hz refresh rate. The phone also comes with Wi-Fi 6E as well as Ultra-wideband (UWB) support and is powered by a bigger 4500mAh battery that supports up to 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging and Wireless PowerShare support. On the dimensions and weight parts, the Samsung Galaxy S22+ measures 157.4×75.8×7.6mm and weighs 196 grams. The Gorilla Glass Victus and Armor Aluminum sandwich makes the phone look sturdy and solid and is an eye candy. Samsung has also put in a lot of effort on the design front and now the bezels around the screen are perfectly uniform and comes with IP68 water and dust protection. The volume and power buttons are on the side as usual and there is a small cutout on one side of the edge for the antenna, and the bottom edge features a speaker grille for stereo speakers, the USB-C charging port, and the SIM slot.

Samsung phones have always had stunning displays and the Galaxy S22 Plus is no exception. The AMOLED panel on this phone is a cut above the rest and renders sharp, vivid images. The S22 Plus is capped at 1080p resolution which is obviously sharp enough and you also get a 48-120Hz variable refresh rate meaning the screen can refresh the displayed image between 48 times and 120 times per second. At the maximum 120Hz, the screen looks silky smooth and feels faster and sharper than the traditional 60Hz refresh rates. Running at high refresh rates may eat up more battery life and this variable refresh rate is a boon. When you look at something static/or reading text on the screen, the refresh rate automatically comes down to 48Hz reducing the power consumption enabling you to save more battery. There is a fingerprint reader under the display which is noticeably bigger than in the previous phones and it is quick.

The S22 Plus and the S22 share the same camera setup; a 50MP main camera with an f/1.8 lens, a 12MP ultra-wide with an f/2.2 lens, and a 10MP telephoto camera with a 3x zoom, f/2.4 aperture lens. The wide and telephoto camera both have OIS which is a certain improvement over yesteryear’s digital zooming. The one thing the S22 Plus misses out on is the Expert RAW feature, but the phone shoots RAW photos and captures standard photos in either JPEG or 10-bit HEIFs. Another other prominent miss is the lack of periscope camera system available on the S22 Ultra. The Portrait Mode on the S22 Plus also has undergone some improvement and now gets an enhanced studio lighting feature and automatic night portrait support video feature and has a specially improved portrait mode for pets complete with pet studio lighting. In the video department, the S22 Plus is capable of recording videos at up to 8K resolution on the back camera and and 4K resolution from the front with both sides petering out at 60fps frame rates.

The S22 Plus and the S22 share the same camera setup; a 50MP main camera with an f/1.8 lens, a 12MP ultra-wide with an f/2.2 lens, and a 10MP telephoto camera with a 3x zoom, f/2.4 aperture lens.

The S22 Plus retails at $999, which is on par with the last year’s flagship Galaxy S21+. This phone is a tad smaller than the S22 Ultra display-wise and misses out on S Pen support and the 100-megapixel camera. The Galaxy S22 Plus is a strong contender in terms of value-to-price ratio with the speed, display, and cameras that you would possibly need in a phone that is not too big to be use one-handed and if you do not care much for the S-Pen support.