The Samsung Galaxy S22 series was subject to many pre-leaks, but the most critical specs were all wrong – it is far better verging on spectacular.
The big, I mean huge, surprise was that the entire Samsung Galaxy S22 series is powered by Qualcomm’s new 4nm S8 Gen 1 2022 super system-on-a-chip (SoC) instead of the widely used rumoured Samsung Exynos 2200 with an AMD GPU. There is nothing wrong with Exynos – we Aussies have lived with it for many years. It is also the chip in its new Galaxy Tab S8 series that Android gamers will love.
It is just that the performance gap between Exynos and Qualcomm grew over the past few years – particularly since the SD845 and the X20 LTE Modem. Then we had SD855/+/860 and X50 5G, SD865/+/87- and X55 5G and last year’s SD888/+ and X60 5G modem. The result was that the OPPO FindX3 Pro with the SD888 outperformed the Galaxy S21 with the Exynos 2100 on every front. It was our and most tech journalists’ 2021 best flagship phone of the year. Faster, less heat/throttling, better graphics, better 4/5G antenna strength, and better camera AI processing.
It will be a much closer match between the soon-to-be-released OPPO Find X5 Pro with the SD8 Gen 1 SoC.
Hopefully, we will deep-dive all three models, but here is a simple overview of the main specs. Hint: At our hands-on briefing, the new metallic, matte green caught my eye.
The Move to premium
Australians’ smartphone usage has increased by 40% due to another year of pandemic living. 44% of people purchasing a new smartphone buy premium because they need higher performance devices. People also use their smartphones for entertainment and other leisure activities so having a device that powers both work and play has never been more important.
Garry McGregor, Samsung Australia
It would be remiss not to mention Samsung’s focus on Night mode photography, and some of the sample photographs were spectacular.
Nor the renewed focus on DeX allowing you to work off the Smartphone in a desktop environment optimised for Microsoft 365 and G-suite. These new devices have enough power to make DeX a great performer.
Samsung Galaxy S22 series brief specs
| Item | S22 | S22+ | S22 Ultra |
| Screen | 6.1” 2340×1080, 19.5:9, 10-120Hz AMOLED 2X flat, Peak Brightness 1500nits, Ultrasonic fingerprint under glass | 6.6” 2340×1080, 19.5:9, 10-120Hz, AMOLED 2X flat, peak brightness 1750nits, Same | 6.8” 3080×1440 11-120Hz AMOLED 2X curved, Peak Brightness 1750nits 100% DCI-PC HDR10+ (not Dolby Atmos) Same |
| Processor | Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1 1 x 3.00GHz + 3 x 2.50GHz + 4×1.80 GHz X65 Modem 7th Gen AI Engine 18-bit ISP | Same | Same |
| Adreno 730 GPU volumetric rendering Unreal Engine 5 | Same | Same | |
| RAM and Storage | 8GB plus 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 No microSD | Same | 8/128 and 12GB plus 256/512GB and 1TB |
| Comms | Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.2, NFC, Dual channel GPS USB-C 3.2 Gen1 5Gbps with ALT DP for DeX | Wi-Fi 6E Ultra-wideband | Same |
| Phone | Single SIM an eSIM X65 Modem with all Australian 4G and sub-6Ghz 5G and low band | Same – expect mm-Wave bands as well. | Same |
| Sound | AKG Tuned Stereo SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC and scalable codecs | Same | Same |
| Battery mAh | 3700 | 4500 | 5000 |
| Charger not supplied | 25W wired PD 3.0 15W Qi 4.5W Qi reverse charge | 45W wired QC 5.0 Same | Same |
| Rear Camera primary | 50MP bins to 12.5MP f/1.8, 1.0um, Dual Pixel PDAF, Auto-HDR, OIS, LED flash, 8K@24fps | Same | 108MP bins to 12MP f/1.8, .8um, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS Samsung HM3 sensor |
| Rear camera tele | 10MP, f/2.4, 1.12um, PDAF, OIS 3X optical zoom | Same | Same |
| Rear Camera Ultra-wide | 12MP, f/2.2, 1.4um, Dual Pixel PDAF, EIS | Same | Same |
| Rear Camera periscope | 10MP, f/4.9, 1.12um, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x Optical zoom | ||
| Front Camera | 10MP, f/2.2, 1.22um, PDAF, Dual Video call, Auto-HDR, 4K@60fps | Same | 40MP bins to 10MP, f/2.2, .7um, PDAF, Dual Video call, Auto-HDR, 4K@60fps |
| Size/Weight/IP | 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm x 167g IP68 | 157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6 mm x 196g | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm x 227g |
| S Pen | Supplied 2.8ms latency (previously 9ms) Bluetooth, accelerometer, gyro and dock charge | ||
| DeX | Yes, cable and wireless | Same | Same |
| Android One UI 4.1 | 12 plus three OS upgrades and regular security updates | Same | Same |
| Build | Gorilla Glass Victus+ Aluminium frame Plastic Back | Same Same Gorilla Glass Victus | Same |
| Warranty | 12-months | Same | Same |
| Colours (retail) | Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green | Same | Phantom Black, White, Burgundy, Green |
| Colours (Samsung online store only) | Violet, Light Blue, Grey, Cream | Same | Red, Light Blue, Grey |
| Price | $1249 8/128GB $1349 8/256GB | $1549 8/128GB $1649 8/256GB | $1849 8/128GB $1999 12/256GB $2149 12/512GB $2449 12/1TB |
| Website | Here | ||
| Bonus *(choice of) | TravelPack $99 Qi in-car charger PowerPack $159 Qi charger trio AudioPack $219 Galaxy Buds2 | Travel $247 Qi in-car charger 65W wall charger -Dual port car charger Power $258 Qi charger trio 65W wall charger Audio $243 Galaxy Buds2 Buds case (clear) | Travel $326 Qi in-car charger 65W wall charger Leather cover (black)-Dual port car charger Power $337 Qi charger trio 65W wall charger Leather cover (black) Audio $302 Galaxy Buds2 Buds Simpsons Donut cover Buds case (clear) |
* There will be various other promotional pre-order offers opening 10 February to retail availability on 4 March.
Fixed-term Telco plans only: Telstra offers a Samsung Tab A8 and 12 months Disney+. Optus offers a Samsung Galaxy Watch4. Vodafone offers trade-ins up to $720 plus a $600 bonus credit.
All legitimate Samsung retailers and Telcos will have the product.
We also remind you that the international versions will not work on Australian 5G networks – so if you are spending this much, get a legitimate one. See our guide Don’t buy a grey market phone.
CyberShack view – Samsung Galaxy S22 series – better specifications all-around and no price rise over the S21 in 2021.
Let’s hark back to using the Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1 over the Exynos 2200. We were really lucky because this was previously for China and the USA only. There is still an Exynos version for other markets.
The absence of a micro-SD slot is lamentable, but it depends if a fast external SSD can be mounted so you can record video directly to it.
While the 12-months warranty is abysmally short, remember that you have a full Australian Consumer Law warranty that should cover manufacturing defects and fair breakdown for at least 4-5 years.
6 comments
Yvette
I preordered the Samsung S22 in forest green outright from a Samsung store (eta was March 4). On the 3rd of March I received a text message saying the delivery of the phone would be delayed. Since then, I’ve received no further updates. I also visited the store and was told they didn’t have more information. Do you know anything about this? I feel like I’ve been left in the dark.
Ray Shaw
Hi Yvette. Sorry but I don’t have more information. We wrote a news article https://cybershack.com.au/news/samsung-galaxy-s22-shortage-delays-supply/ on 2 March as readers had made us aware of delays. It is not good form to ask someone to fork out so much money and not give them an ETA. There may be something here https://www.samsung.com/au/shop-faq/delivery-and-installations/ to help or try here https://shop.samsung.com/au/mypage/orders
Gerald
I have a Note 9 phone which I was thinking of upgrading to an S22 Ultra however I noticed that the phone does note have a dual sim. The dual sim function is handy as I travel overseas. Is there a phone in the Samsung range that has a dual sim function.
Ray Shaw
If you want the S Pen then all Australian S22 Ultra models are single sim. But these also have an eSIM so in effect, it has two sims. Set up the eSIM in Australia (you may find you can only do that if you are a Telstra/Optus/Vodafone direct customer so that is no good if you use a mobile reseller) and then the nano-SIM slot can be used OS. Please double check with Samsung that the device you want has eSIM.
Amy
“We also remind you that the international versions will not work on Australian 5G networks – so if you are spending this much, get a legitimate one. See our guide Don’t buy a grey market phone.”
So does this mean if I buy the Australian version of won’t work when I go to the USA or Europe or the UK?
Also, does it do voLTE? If you don’t live in a 5G area no one wants to buy a phone that won’t be able to make a phone call in 2 years time…
Thanks. Yours is the first site I’ve found that actually gives the Processor as the Qualcomm.
Ray Shaw
Hi
The IMEI number must be first activated and calls made with an Australian carrier. After that, you can use it for 5G overseas as long as the 5G bands there are suitable. As for VOLTE and Wi-Fi calling the phones support it but you must be a Telstra Direct or Boost customer to get it. Most MVNO (mobile network resellers) don’t have access to VOLTE or Wi-Fi calling. And thanks – we really thoroughly test phones so we know what’s under the bonnet. It really annoys me that most reviewers simply regurgitate the press release. Our S22/+ review will be up in a day or so and the S22 Ultra in a week.