Samsung Galaxy S22 5G 256GB, Phantom Black Unlocked Smartphone (Renewed)

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To see just how well the Galaxy S22's cameras performed, I put Samsung's new phone up against the Google Pixel 6 and iPhone 13. (For more photo comparisons, plus an overall look at how these phones compare, you can read our Galaxy S22 vs. Pixel 6 and Galaxy S22 vs. iPhone 13 face-offs; we've also got iPhone 14 vs Samsung Galaxy S22 and Google Pixel 7 vs. Galaxy S22 face-offs with comparisons to newer models.)

If you want, you can keep going on the Galaxy S22, zooming all the way to 30x with the help of the phone's Super Resolution Zoom feature. You'll want to use a tripod for a steady shot, as this close-up of Tribune Tower turned pretty jittery as I struggled to keep everything in focus. The Galaxy S22+ and S22 share an impressive 50MP wide-angle rear camera, teamed with a 12MP ultra-wide rear camera and 10MP telephoto camera. Advanced camera technology paired with the cutting-edge Nightography feature, capture high quality content even in low light settings. Samsung looked to improve display brightness across the board on the Galaxy S22 lineup. And while the Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra get the better end of the deal with a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, the S22's 1,300-nit peak brightness is nothing to sneeze at. (The Galaxy S23, in contrast, does match that 1,7500 nit brightness. HDR, Panorama, Stereo Recording, Bokeh Mode, AI Features, Night Mode, Scene Detection, Slow Motion, Time LapseIt's also worth noting that Samsung releases software updates that can fine-tune the photo processing of its phones, among other things. The June 2022 software update, for example, promises improved sharpness and contrast for photos; Portrait Mode also saw a boost, and Samsung says it improved memory utilization when you're capturing video. Samsung Galaxy S22 review: Performance The Galaxy S22 features the same basic camera setup that Samsung used for the Galaxy S21, but with some notable improvements to the hardware. The main camera now has a 50MP rating instead of the 12MP wide-angle shooter used in last year's phone. The sensor is 23% larger, too, to let in more light, as Samsung makes a push to improve camera performance in low light.

The results are much better in graphics testing where the Galaxy S22 produced a 60 FPS result in 3DMark's Wild Life Unlimited test. That's better than the iPhone 13's 56 FPS result and well ahead of the 34 FPS the Pixel 6 produced. When it comes to the videos, 4K-60 FPS recording is here in addition to the fantastically sharp and cinematic 8K-24 FPS mode. The auto-framing feature isn't all that well refined, but the ability to pause the recording to continue recording a bit later is a great feature. Performance and Battery Life The Galaxy S22 misses out on the big improvements enjoyed by the S22 Plus. That larger phone supports 45W wired charging, while the Galaxy S22 makes do with 25W. Consequently, a drained Galaxy S22 can get to a 60% charge after half-an-hour, while the S22 Plus is already at 70%, even with a bigger battery to fill. That's still faster than the iPhone, which can get to a 51% charge after 30 minutes. Samsung Galaxy S22 review: Software and special features

If you wind up getting a Galaxy S22, be sure to look at our guide to the S22 features to enable and disable right away. We've also got a look at the top hidden features on Samsung phones, including the S22. Samsung Galaxy S22 review: How it compares to the Galaxy S23 Like every phone we test, we set the Galaxy S22's screen to 150 nits and had it surf the web over cellular — 5G, in this case — until it ran out of power. The results did not impress, as the Galaxy S22 managed 7 hours and 51 minutes of battery life — a little more than two hours worse than the average smartphone. Turning off adaptive refresh rate improved matters a little, with an average time of 8 hours and 2 minutes, though that's still short of what we'd expect from a premium phone like the Galaxy S22. The Galaxy S22 photo is understandably sharper, while the Pixel 6 can only manage to keep the boats in the foreground in focus. Everything else is a little fuzzy. The gap has only grown with the release of the iPhone 14, which runs on a modified version of the A15 Bionic that powered the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 14 Pro, which features an even faster A16 Bionic. While the Galaxy S22 can still hold its own against most Android phones, any recent iPhone outmuscles Samsung's one-time flagship.

The problem for Samsung — and indeed for all Android phone makers — is that Apple's mobile silicon remains the better performer. On Geekbench, the iPhone 13 posted a 1,684 single-core score and a 4,129 multicore result, blowing the Galaxy S22 away. The Galaxy S22 debuted with Samsung's One UI 4.1 interface for Android 12, but Android 13 should now be available through Samsung's One UI 5 update. In fact, the One UI 5.1 update that debuted with the Galaxy S23 should be available for the Galaxy S22 at this point. Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited, registered at Samsung House, 2000 Hillswood Drive, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0RS, United Kingdom, acts as a credit intermediary and not as a lender. Credit is provided by Klarna Bank AB. For more information please visit www.klarna.com/uk. Finance is only available to permanent UK residents aged 18 and over, subject to status, T&Cs apply. The following products are not regulated by the FCA: Pay in 30 days and Pay in 3 instalments. The 12MP ultrawide camera on the Galaxy S22 appears to be unchanged, but you won't hear me complaining if photos like this one taken at my local decommissioned naval air station are the result. The jet stands out nicely against the blue sky — I think this is the rare example where the Galaxy S22 does a better job with color than the iPhone 13, which darkens the blue a little too much. It's just a well-balanced shot that makes perfect use of the ultrawide angle lens' 120-degree field of view.Consider this photo of the Oakland skyline taken at the maximum 3x optical zoom for the Galaxy S22 and using a digital zoom for the Pixel 6, since Google's phone isn't equipped with a telephoto lens. Indeed, the zoom capability on the Galaxy S22 is its best feature, as you won't find many phones with a telephoto lens at this price. No one would consider the Galaxy S22 a big leap forward for Samsung's phones, though I'm not sure it really needs to be. The fact that Samsung is extending software support for an extra year suggests the phone maker knows people are holding on to phones longer and that anyone with last year's Galaxy S21 is unlikely to be eyeing an upgrade. The main lens isn't the only one to see changes with the Galaxy S22. Samsung also changed things up with the telephoto lens, downgrading the sensor from 64MP to 10MP but opting for a 3x optical zoom instead of the hybrid zoom it used on the Galaxy S21. The result is sharper, more detailed shots when you zoom in for a closer look. One interesting thing to note about the Galaxy S22's photography is that it differs slightly between countries due to the different chipsets Samsung uses. You can read more about that in our report on some recent Galaxy S22 Ultra camera testing.