Samsung's Galaxy S22 stands out as an entry-level flagship phone that packs plenty of punch. Competing against more hefty smartphones from Google, Motorola and OnePlus, its 6.1-inch display stands out with uniformly thin bezels, stunning color profiles and an incredible touch sampling rate of 240Hz - which puts many other smartphones to shame.
Samsung's 25-watt fast charging is an improvement from their older 45-watt method; other USB-C power adapters may charge slower.
The Samsung S22 is available for pre-order through several US carriers and comes in several striking color choices such as Phantom Black, Green and Sand Pink - not forgetting our favorite pearly White variant which made a lasting impression during testing! I especially liked its striking pearly White rear panel which stands out against other midrange Samsung phones such as S21 or even other mid-range Samsungs like Galaxy Note 7.
Apart from some concessions made for its compact form factor (no 3.5mm headphone jack and no microSD card slot for storage expansion), the Samsung S22 feels very similar to its larger siblings. Crafted with top-of-the-line materials that should withstand daily life's inevitable drops and bumps, and certified IP68 for dust and water resistance. In addition, Samsung will guarantee four years of software updates.
On camera quality alone, Samsung's Galaxy S22 stands up well against Apple's iPhone 13 Pro and Google Pixel 6. It boasts an upgraded 50-megapixel main sensor supported by 12 MP ultrawide and 10 MP telephoto lenses with up to 3x optical zoom output. Furthermore, its selfie camera boasts 10 MP.
I found the S22's 3,700mAh battery to be too short for my usage requirements, though it still provides adequate juice for a flagship smartphone. Furthermore, its built-in Adaptive Refresh rate tech automatically optimizes screen refresh rates depending on what you're doing - meaning you can stay at lower 120Hz settings longer to extend battery lifespan.
My Samsung S22 was draining 10% to 15% of its battery in an hour or less when idle with cellular data enabled and communication apps running in the background, even when an update provided some relief - an area in which further improvement could be seen with this model.
