Samsung Galaxy S22: Everything you need to know

The Galaxy S22 series is Samsung’s latest set of flagship smartphones, with three new models that sit at the top of the company’s non-foldable phone line-up.

While the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are pretty much business as usual – which is no bad thing, to be fair – the S22 Ultra is a bit more radical, with a new design (and features) that are heavily inspired by Samsung’s now-defunct Galaxy Note line.

With the three phones now on sale worldwide, here’s everything you need to know about every Galaxy S22 model.

When is the Samsung Galaxy S22 on sale?

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S22 series on 9 February 2022 at a  Galaxy Unpacked event alongside the Galaxy Tab S8 series, and all three phones are on sale now.

How much does the new Galaxy S22 cost?

While many had expected Samsung to raise prices for the phones this year, for the most part the prices of the S22 range are the same as the S21. Here’s how the models break down:

S22 price:

• 8GB + 128GB: $799/£769/€879/₹72,999
• 8GB + 256GB: $849/£819/€929/₹76,999

S22+ price:

• 8GB + 128GB: $999/£949/€1,079/₹84,999
• 8GB + 256GB: $1,049/£999/€1,129/₹88,999

S22 Ultra price:

• 8GB + 128GB: $1,199/£1,149/€1,279
• 12GB + 256GB: $1,299/£1,249/€1,379/₹109,999
• 12GB + 512GB: $1,399/£1,329/€1,489/₹118,999
• 12GB + 1TB: $1,599/£1,499/€1,689

You can find out more about where to order the Galaxy S22 series and the best deals so far. And if you’re buying the phone and want to keep it safe, make sure to look through our pick of the best cases we’ve tested for the S22 phones too.

What are the specs and design of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series?

There’s plenty that’s new in the three phones, along with a lot of differences between them – so to keep things simple, we’re breaking it down by model.

If you’d rather watch (or listen) than read, we’ve also explained the differences between all three phones in depth on this episode of our weekly podcast Fast Charge:

Galaxy S22

Let’s start with the main model in the series: the standard S22. 

In terms of design, this looks pretty similar to last year’s S21, with a familiar shape and roughly the same camera layout. The big difference this year is that the phone’s rear is now made of glass rather than plastic – Samsung-exclusive Gorilla Glass Victus+, to be precise.

It’s available in black, white, pink, and green by default, but if you order from Samsung’s website you can also grab it in graphite, cream, violet, or sky blue.

One thing we’d hoped for is the possibility that Samsung would offer customisable colours for the S22, similar to the Bespoke Edition Galaxy Z Flip 3 options. There’s no sign of this yet, but perhaps Samsung will expand this offering if it proves successful – though maybe not until a few months after the S22’s launch.

On the front you’ll find a 6.1in AMOLED display – a touch smaller than last year’s model. It’s otherwise similar, with an FHD+ resolution, and support for dynamic refresh rate scaling from 10Hz up to 120Hz. As you’d expect, an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is built into the display.

In some markets (including the US) the S22 – and indeed the other S22 phones too – is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, while Europe and elsewhere will get Samsung’s own Exynos 2200. Both are 4nm chips that use the Armv9 architecture, and are expected to deliver broadly comparable performance. The Exynos supports a few extra graphical features, including ray tracing, thanks to support from AMD, but it’s not clear how much these will be supported by the S22 anyway.

Whichever version of the phone you get, it will be paired with 8GB of RAM and a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage.

As for battery, the regular S22 has a capacity of 3700mAh – a small drop from last year. It supports wired charging at up to 25W speeds, and wireless charging up to 15W.

Finally, let’s turn to the camera, where we’re getting some serious upgrades.

The main camera is all-new, with a 50Mp sensor at aperture f/1.8, supported by Dual Pixel Autofocus and optical image stabilisation (OIS). It’s joined by a 12Mp, f/2.2 ultra-wide and a new 10Mp, f/2.4, 3x zoom telephoto that also supports OIS. On the front, you’ll find a 10Mp, f/2.2 selfie camera.

The main camera and the telephoto are the two big upgrades. After pixel-binning, the former features 23% larger pixels than its predecessor, while the telephoto is replacing the 64Mp, 1.1x zoom lenses the company has used for the last two generations, cropping in to replicate zoom.

In addition to the hardware changes, software and algorithmic changes should improve performance in low light and video across the lenses. The new Adaptive Pixel tech also allows you to capture better full-resolution photos if you need them, combining the full resolution 50Mp shot with colour depth and brightness detail from the 12Mp pixel-binned shot.

Finally, software. All of the S22 phones ship with Android 12 and Samsung’s One UI 4.1. Impressively, Samsung is also promising up to four years of Android version updates and a fifth year of security patches – even more updates than Google promises for the Pixel 6.

Galaxy S22 specs:

• 6.1in, 120Hz, FHD+, AMOLED display
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
• 8GB RAM
• 128/256GB storage
• 3700mAh battery
• 25W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• Rear camera:
  • 50Mp, f/1.8, OIS main camera
  • 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
  • 10Mp, f/2.4, OIS 3x zoom telephoto camera
• 10Mp, f/2.2 front camera
• 5G
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.2
• IP68
• Gorilla Glass Victus+
• 70.6 x 146 x 7.6mm
• 168g
• Android 12 with One UI 4.1

Galaxy S22+

Now let’s turn to the S22+, which shares many of its specs with the standard S22, along with essentially the same design – including the same range of colours.

The big change is obviously that the S22+ is larger. Its display is 6.6in across the diagonal (in fact a little smaller than the S21+ though), and as a result the phone is taller, wider, and heavier – though it’s no thicker, thankfully.

The core specs are exactly the same, but the bigger size does help it pack in a larger 4500mAh battery. It also has faster charging, with wired speeds up to 45W.

Finally, connectivity is also ever so slightly different. The S22+ supports Wi-Fi 6E – while the regular S22 only has Wi-Fi 6. The Plus model also offers Ultra Wideband (UWB), the tech that powers trackers like the Apple AirTag or Samsung’s own Galaxy SmartTag+.

We’ve tested the phone out ourselves, so read our Galaxy S22+ review to find out how we rate it.

Galaxy S22+ specs:

• 6.6in, 120Hz, FHD+, AMOLED display
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
• 8GB RAM
• 128/256GB storage
• 4500mAh battery
• 45W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• Rear camera:
  • 50Mp, f/1.8, OIS main camera
  • 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
  • 10Mp, f/2.4, OIS 3x zoom telephoto camera
• 10Mp, f/2.2 front camera
• 5G
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.2
• UWB
• IP68
• Gorilla Glass Victus+
• 75.8 x 157.4 x 7.6mm
• 196g
• Android 12 with One UI 4.1

Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Ultra model is always a little different to the others, but Samsung has really pushed that to its limit this year.

The S22 Ultra doesn’t really look anything like the other two phones, with different colours, a different shape, and an entirely different camera module.

In fact, the design is closer to 2020’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, with rounded sides and squared off top and bottom edges. In fact, it’s so much like the Note 20 Ultra that it also supports the S Pen stylus, and even has a space for the stylus to slot into the phone – this really is a Note in all but name.

The camera module is all new though, with the rear lenses sitting almost flush with the body in discrete circles, rather than within a larger camera island.

The S22 Ultra ships in white, black, green, and a unique burgundy finish, while Samsung’s online store also offers it in graphite, sky blue, and red.

As before, the Ultra is larger than the other models. It’s taller, wider, thicker, and heavier, thanks in part to an expansive 6.8in display. This isn’t just bigger than the other two phones’ screens – it’s also higher resolution, at QHD+, and has improved refresh rate tech, able to slow down to just 1Hz when needed to conserve battery.

The chipset is the same, so there won’t be a huge performance jump compared to the other two models – and this year even the starting RAM is the same, with just 8GB. That version comes with 128GB storage, but if you jump up to 12GB of RAM you also get the option of 256GB, 512GB, or even 1TB of storage space.

The battery is bigger too, with a full capacity of 5000mAh. Charging is the same as the S22+, with 45W wired and 25W wireless, and like that phone it offers Wi-Fi 6E and UWB connections.

Beyond the size and design, the main changes in the Ultra are to the camera – though funnily enough, this has had fewer changes compared to the S21 Ultra.

The core setup is basically the same, with a 108Mp main camera, 12Mp ultra-wide, and dual 10Mp telephoto lenses at 3x and 10x zoom each. The 40Mp selfie camera is also essentially the same.

Those specs are a little deceptive though, as there have still been hardware changes. The big one is to the main camera, which uses a new 108Mp sensor. This is larger than last year’s, delivering improved performance especially in low light. The S22 Ultra also enjoys the same algorithmic tweaks and Adaptive Pixel tech as the other phones, plus some unique enhancements to the telephoto lenses that have remarkably improved results at high zoom levels.

It should be noted that at the time of writing the number one spot on our best camera phone chart is occupied by the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, so it’s already doing most things right. 

Galaxy S22 Ultra specs:

• 6.8in, 120Hz, QHD+, AMOLED display
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
• 8/12GB RAM
• 128/256/512GB/1TB storage
• 5000mAh battery
• 45W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• Rear camera:
  • 108Mp, f/1.8, OIS main camera
  • 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
  • 10Mp, f/2.4, OIS 3x zoom telephoto camera
  • 10Mp, f/4.9, OIS 10x zoom telephoto camera
• 40Mp, f/2.2 front camera
• 5G
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.2
• UWB
• IP68
• Gorilla Glass Victus+
• 77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9mm
• 229g
• Android 12 with One UI 4.1

While you’re here, be sure to check out our guide to the best new phones coming this year, to know what Samsung has to beat.