Samsung Galaxy S22+ Review: Does the smartphone live up to the hype?
Spoiler alert: It does.
By now most of us already have the smartphone we need in the palm of our hand, so let’s leave the “must-have” talks in the 2010s. The real question to ask ourselves now is what more is there to it and if the upgrade, which seems to be rolling out round the clock these days, is worth catching up on?
Samsung Galaxy S22+ makes a convincing case for itself. Launched early this year as part of the new Samsung Galaxy S22 series, the flagship device promises to power the users’ creativity and self-expression with a miscellany of advancements that are distinguishable from its predecessor.
But does the actual thing match the description? Here’s our take on it:
Faithful Design
Fans of the Galaxy S smartphones would agree that one of the major attractions of the series is the streamlined design. So we can all breathe a sigh of relief as Samsung sticks to that winning formula for the Galaxy S22+. Those smooth lines resembling the curvature of sand dunes are positively in full view.
Here, a flat form and symmetrical front and back are the most striking features you will see at first glace. You will then notice that the details on the sides have been pared down to give the S22+ a sleek silhouette—the curved edges are in fact what put it over the top for us when comparing it to the boxy Ultra.
Another blink-and-you-miss-it upturn is the rearranged camera layout. Boasting the familiar contour-cut design, the camera triad now comes with a housing in analogous colour and is positioned in such a way that it is equidistant from the device’s horizontal and vertical edges.
The camera’s size has also been minimised which prompts a slight alteration in the design, entailing a mirrored metal frame, to offset the change. It’s an innocuous adjustment. The only thing that grinds our gears, like the older model, is the bulging camera bump that will not let the phone lie flat on its back.
Distinctive Display
With a 6.6-inch screen size in the full rectangle—6.4-inch if we’re talking actual viewable area after taking into account the rounded corners and camera hole—the flat and luxurious glass display of the S22+ is a tad more than what we’re used to by nearly one-inch difference.
It is, however, a small price to pay considering all the plus points that come with it. The Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, for instance, delivers images in exceptionally vivid colours that for us lead to a more immersive video streaming experience regardless of differing levels of brightness.
Speaking of which, the display can achieve peak brightness of up to 1750 nits and increase viewing capability in a bright sunlight with the Vision Booster technology. The eye comfort shield is another invaluable spec to mention because sometimes the dark mode just won’t cut it.
Superior Camera
The numbers don’t lie. For the S22+, Samsung brings its A-game with high-performance cameras that will excite the most discerning shutterbugs: a 50MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 10MP front camera.
But that’s not even the best part. The main draw here is the camera sensor that’s 23 percent larger than the previous generation. Anchoring what’s dubbed as Samsung’s most intelligent camera to date, it allows you to take excellent photos and videos of distant subjects and in low-light environment.
The enhanced sensor is part of the novel Nightography mode that aims to let in more light, draw out details, capture vivid colours and ultimately crisp images, even in the dark. The result it produces is not exactly perfect but it still stands head and shoulders above those in its range.
Admirable Performance
The S22+ is one of the first Galaxy devices to use a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor so you can expect smooth processing and fast gaming experience. Now, we’re not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination but we did put the hardware to the test with Mario Kart Tour and we have no complaints.
And after hours and hours of trying out the phone, we were pleasantly surprised to see that there’s still plenty of battery life to go around especially after learning that the S22+ is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery, somewhat inferior to the S21+’s 4,800mAh battery.
The S22+ offers 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage and like the entire Galaxy S22 series, will be supported by up to four generations of Android OS updates, which means you can take advantage of the latest security, productivity and other features, for longer.
So What’s The Truth?
Whether or not you should rush to the store for the Samsung Galaxy S22+ depends on what you’re looking for in a smartphone and what you already have in hand. If it’s the S21+, the differences are minimum albeit significant—the processor, camera sensor and a handful of other less-obvious improvements.
For us, personally, who are currently using a smartphone launched in 2017, an upgrade is long overdue and the S22+ has just the right fixings—not to mention the artistic value in the expressive Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Pink Gold cases—to make us take that leap.
