Samsung Galaxy S22 Review: Small in size, big on performance!

With a budget of Rs. 75,000 you have a lot of considerable options in the premium smartphone space to buy. From Apple's iPhone 13 to the iQOO 9 Pro and Vivo X70 Pro Plus, you can go for any one that catches your fancy and needs. But when you have a large amount to invest, you cannot go wrong. This year, Samsung has tried to give tough competition to Apple's iPhone 13 series with its Galaxy S22 series. Samsung's Galaxy S22 is a small (compared to today's standards of the large display), premium-looking phone which I think targets a specific audience -- the one who wants the charm of a flagship, but wrapped in a compact and elegant design.

If you have been holding up on upgrading your phone to a notch higher, well then you have something to think of, and that too with a promise of four years of OS updates. The Galaxy S22 is something to ponder upon in the given price range, starting at Rs. 72,999. To help you know, if the phone is that good to buy and to find out any issues, I have been using it for a while now. Read on to check the in-depth review here.

Samsung Galaxy S22: Design

High-priced smartphones have to be an all-rounder. From design to performance, but that's not always the case. Right from unboxing the phone to using it daily, the smartphone does impart a premium feel. Though designs and looks are subjective, if you prefer something decent and elegant, the Galaxy S22 fits in right! You will get three colour options to choose from -- Phantom Black, Phantom White, and Green.

At first glance, the Galaxy S22 largely resembles the Samsung Galaxy S21 which hit the market last year. But at the same time, it also opts for a boxy look similar to the iPhone 13. On lines of S21, the back of S22 holds a camera bump with a triple camera setup merging with the sides. Except for that, you won't find anything similar in the design. The Galaxy S22 is shorter compared to the S21 and also gets a glass panel on the back this time; no more plastic. The smartphone gets Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection on both front and rear, with the latter having a matte finish that is dust and smudge resistant.

At the sides, you can see Samsung's new Armor Aluminum frame bordering the phone wearing a glossy finish. At 167 grams, the phone is lightweight, hence making it comfortable to hold and carry. I feel the compact size of the phone paired with a thick frame and lightweight added to its aura of premiumness!

Samsung Galaxy S22: Display

As stated, the phone targets a customer base who prefer compact phones. It comes with a comparatively smaller display size as per today's standards. The Galaxy S22 holds a 6.1-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with unbelievably slim bezels, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate in game mode, and a peak brightness of 1,300nits. The phone is also equipped with vision booster technology that enables the screen to adjust brightness throughout the day. I did not struggle to use the phone under bright sunlight.

The display is smooth and feels flawless while scrolling. Right from unlocking the phone to using the fingerprint sensor on the display to playing games, scrolling Instagram, or even watching movies and videos, the screen gives instant response to the touch. The screen also delivers commendable colours and contrast.

Samsung Galaxy S22: Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S22 runs on the latest 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. With Samsung's One UI 4.1 interface on top of Android 12, the phone manages to handle every task with ease- no slowdown was noticed. Playing games (even for long hours), from Subway Surfer, Temple Run, Candy Crush to playing high-end games did not bother the phone. It did not lose its calm and no sluggishness was observed.

Even while watching videos on YouTube, Disney+ Hotstar, and even scrolling social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, among others, the phone does not show any sign of lag. Though the phone did heat up while working for a long time, but I guess that's the price you pay for having a strong processor and a metal-glass body.

Also, there were certain pre-installed apps on the phone, including Samsung apps. But most of the apps could be uninstalled. Even if you let the apps stay, it won't bother you much with unnecessary advertisements and notifications. But of course, you will get notifications from the apps you allow and use!

Coming to the audio quality, it is loud! I loved watching movies and listening to songs on the phone. While talking about the connectivity, the calling experience including the video calls has been amazing in terms of clarity.

On top of all, Samsung offers four years of regular software updates on the Galaxy S22 series. That means that the Samsung Galaxy S22 will get regular Android updates for four years, you won't have to switch to a new device to get a higher Android version.

Samsung Galaxy S22: Cameras

In a battle to provide commendable image quality with apt colour contrast, Samsung Galaxy S22 does not fail. The phone comes with a triple rear camera system, featuring a 50MP main camera, 10MP telephoto-lens with 30X Space zoom, and 12MP ultra-wide lens. At the front, you get a 10MP selfie camera.

The pictures clicked with the 50MP lens in daylight have great clarity. You can notice minute details in your click. The colours look vibrant and almost the same as what we see. And the same goes for the ultra-wide lens and the telephoto lens. From flowers beside you to pigeons flying in the sky, everything looked beautiful in the clicks.

I also loved the picture quality of the images clicked in the night mode. It was noise-free, sharp, and the colours were bang on! The front camera also gave impressive clicks. Coming to the videos, I was surprised to see the stabilization and clarity provided.

Check out the samples by clicking on the link here to get more clarity on camera performance.

Other than these, you can use several other modes offered by Samsung to click pictures and make videos like in Pro mode, panorama, slow motion, super slow motion, hyperlapse, food, among others.

Samsung Galaxy S22: Battery

If you use your phone extensively and require a large battery then you can get disappointed here. The Samsung Galaxy S22 is equipped with a 3700mAh battery and can survive around a day on a single charge on basic usage. My daily usage included playing games, surfing the internet, watching videos or films, attending calls, video calls, using social networking applications, among others. While on weekends with continuous usage, you may have to charge the battery twice.

Also, what needs to be noted is that the phone gets support for the slower 25W charger and it does not come with an adapter in the box. I charged the phone using Samsung's 15W fast charger, which charged the phone from around 20 percent to 100 in around 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S22: Verdict

Coming with a price tag of Rs. 72,999 for the base variant, the Samsung Galaxy S22 is an exciting Android flagship with amazing performance on offer. A compact size packing in an elegant design, good cameras, and latest flagship features, the phone stands out in its class.

And what else can I compare it with? Oh yes, the iPhone 13 Mini! Compared to the iPhone, the Galaxy S22 has a bigger and better display, more versatile cameras, a customizable feature-rich software experience, and faster charging . However, for those looking for good battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S22 can be difficult to suit. If you can live with that, there' nothing stopping us from recommending the Galaxy S22.