Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ Hands-On

As you probably already know, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series is officially here, and we’re kicking off our coverage with a hands-on of the Galaxy S22 and S22+. Let’s check them out!

UPDATE: Samsung reached out and clarified that the Galaxy S22 series coming to the Philippines will sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, and not the Snapdragon 895 as they have previously communicated with us. We have updated the article to reflect the info.

Just like usual, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are basically the same phones, with the Plus model having a bit more in screen size, battery capacity, and this time, faster charging.

If you loved last year’s design aesthetics, well, nothing pretty much changed here except for a slimmer and slightly smaller build. There’s the same plastic back, together with a protruding camera module that blends well with the design, as well as an improved armor aluminum frame for an elegant touch.

We also get new trendy color variants such as Phantom White, Phantom Black, Green, and Pink Gold. They look minimal and classy, although we do miss last year’s Phantom Violet style with a rose gold camera module. Anyways, both phones feel exactly how you would expect them when gripping one-handed; they’re sleek yet solid.

Similar to their predecessors, both phones are sealed with IP68 water and dust-resistant, so they can withstand up to 1.5 meters deep at a maximum of 30 minutes—pushing it to its limits wouldn’t be the best idea, though.

For buttons and ports, the left side is bare but located on the right are all the buttons, the volume rocker, and the power/Bixby trigger.

Up top is a secondary microphone, while at the bottom, we get the dual SIM card tray, main microphone, USB Type-C port, and a loudspeaker.

When it comes to their displays, we get a few trimmings in size compared to last year’s models. The Samsung Galaxy S22 sports a 6.1-inch panel while the S22+ gets a 6.6-inch screen. Both of which use Dynamic AMOLED 2X Displays with a resolution of 2340 x 1080px with a peak brightness of up to 1,300 nits. There’s also HDR10+ support on board, as well as a dynamic refresh rate for up to 120Hz.

As you can see, Samsung retained their nice slim bezels all around, the punch hole notch style on top, that’s right below their respective earpiece, and an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for biometric security. Nicely, for protection, there’s Gorilla Glass Victus+ on top, which is said to be 12.5% tougher than the one used on the S21 series.

Moving on to internals, the S22 series uses either the 5G-ready Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200, depending on your region. Here in the Philippines, we’re finally getting the Snapdragon version. Both the Galaxy S22 and 22+ will be available with 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB of internal storage. With this new chipset upgrade, a hefty amount of RAM, and speedy internal storage, faster app performance is already expected.

Software-wise, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series will be running on Android 12, skinned with OneUI 4 out of the box.

As for their batteries, somehow we get a slight downgrade with lower battery capacities. The standard S22 packs a 3,700mAh battery with 25W fast charging, and on the other hand, the S22+ is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery with an upgraded 45W fast charging. Both are also ready with wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. Despite the lower battery capacities, Samsung claims that these devices can last up to two days. Well, we’ll have to test that in our full review coming soon.

Checking out cameras, both devices have the same setup. That’s a triple stack at the back, composed of a 50MP Dual Pixel wide, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto lens that’s capable of up to 30x Space Zoom. Then for the front camera, we get the same 10MP dual pixel sensor as the S21 and S21+.

We’re excited to explore its camera capabilities more soon, but for now, check out our first few sample photos:

Now, these two devices are already officially available locally and they both come in two variants. For the Samsung Galaxy S22, its 128GB option has an SRP of PHP 45,990USD 784INR 66,437EUR 746CNY 5,707, while the 256GB is available for PHP 49,990USD 852INR 72,216EUR 811CNY 6,204. As for the larger Galaxy S22+, the 128GB version has a tag of PHP 56,990USD 971INR 82,328EUR 925CNY 7,072, while the 256GB is priced at PHP 60,990USD 1,039INR 88,106EUR 990CNY 7,569.

And that’s it for now! What do you think about these flagship Galaxy S22 and S22+? Do let us know in the comments. And if you’re curious about the higher Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, check out our hands-on here.

Samsung Galaxy S22 specs:
6.1-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
120Hz refresh rate
Gorilla Glass Victus+
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC
Samsung Exynos 2200 SoC
8GB RAM
128/256GB storage
Triple-rear cameras:
• 50MP Dual Pixel F1.8 OIS (wide)
• 12MP FF F2.2 (ultrawide)
• 10MP Phase Detection F2.4 (3x tele, 30x Space Zoom)
10MP Dual Pixel F2.2 front camera
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6E
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Face Unlock
AKG Stereo Speakers
IP68 water and dust resistance
OneUI 4 (Android 12)
3,700mAh battery w/ 25W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
70.6 x 146 x 7.6mm
167g
Phantom White, Phantom Black, Green, Pink Gold

Samsung Galaxy S22+ specs:
6.6-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
120Hz refresh rate
Gorilla Glass Victus+
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC
Samsung Exynos 2200 SoC
8GB RAM
128/256GB storage
Triple-rear cameras:
• 50MP Dual Pixel F1.8 OIS (wide)
• 12MP FF F2.2 (ultrawide)
• 10MP Phase Detection F2.4 (3x tele, 30x Space Zoom)
10MP Dual Pixel F2.2 front camera
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6E
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Face Unlock
AKG Stereo Speakers
IP68 water and dust resistance
OneUI 4 (Android 12)
4,500mAh battery w/ 45W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
75.8 x 157.4 x 7.6mm
195g
Phantom White, Phantom Black, Green, Pink Gold

Read our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022 stories here:

1) Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra full specs, price in the Philippines
2) Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, Tab S8 Ultra full specs, price in the Philippines
3) WATCH: Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ Hands-on
4) WATCH: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Hands-on
5) Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ Hands-On
6) Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Hands-on
7) Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: What’s different?