• Source: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy S22

  Worth the upgrade

  $550 $700 Save $150

  The Samsung Galaxy S22 is still a great device a year into its life. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and powerful cameras keep this phone relevant, even compared to newer devices. Its secret weapon is Samsung’s commitment to software upgrades.

  Pros

  • Good camera system
  • Great performance
  • The display is beautiful

• Samsung Galaxy S20

  Getting old now

  At three years old, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is getting a bit long in the tooth. If it isn’t giving you any trouble, it may be worth holding onto, but it’s probably time to consider an upgrade.

  Pros

  • Performance is still solid
  • It’s still getting software updates
  • The camera is serviceable

  Cons

  • Major Android updates will be ending soon
  • Battery life is likely to have degraded
  • Can’t keep up with the newest devices

The Galaxy S20 signified Samsung’s renewed focus on innovating and the ensuing months have given us plenty to believe that the company is committed to this vision. The Galaxy S22 is the company’s latest and greatest, and if you sat out the S21, it’s probably already enticing you to ditch your S20. Should you though?

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is over a year old now, but it’s still a fantastic smartphone. The 6.1-inch display makes it pocketable and easy to use with one hand without sacrificing features. While it lost out to the newer S23 in our favorite phones this year, the Galaxy S22 packs great specs and can go toe-to-toe with most flagships.

Samsung’s flagship phones have been excellent for years now, which raises a question regarding the S22 — is it still worth upgrading to now that the Galaxy S23 is available if you’re coming from the three-year-old Galaxy S20? Whether you should upgrade now gets more complicated, so let’s break it down.

Price, specs, & availability

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is just over a year old and can still be purchased through all the major carriers and most of the smaller ones in the United States. Samsung knocked $100 off its price tag, now retailing for $699, and at times on sale for even less. If you want to get the S22 brand new, make sure you get a great deal because the S23 is available now and has some improvements over its year-old sibling.

The Galaxy S20 is now three years old and can’t be purchased new anymore. You can find it refurbished or new on third-party sites, but it’s not worth the price at this point in its life cycle.

• 	Samsung Galaxy S22	Samsung Galaxy S20
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	Snapdragon 865 (or Exynos 990 internationally)
  Display	6.1″ 1080p AMOLED, 48 – 120Hz	6.2-inch AMOLED (3200×1440), 563 ppi, HDR10+, 1200 nits, 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD, Gorilla Glass 6
  RAM	8GB	8 or 12GB
  Storage	128 or 256GB	128 or 256GB, microSD card slot
  Battery	3,700mAh	4,000mAh
  Operating System	Android 12 with One UI 4.1	One UI 2.5 (Android 10), 3-year Android OS updates promise
  Front camera	10MP f/2.2	10MP (f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF)
  Rear cameras	50MP f/1.8 primary; 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto; 12MP f/2.2 120˚ ultra-wide	12MP, f/1.8 primary; 64MP, f/2.0, 1.1x telephoto; 12 MP, f/2.2 ultrawide
  Dimensions	146 x 70.6 x 7.6mm	151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm
  Weight	167g	163g
  Charging	25W wired, 15W wireless	25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Price	$699	$999 at launch

Design

You can’t deny that the S22 looks much better than the S20. I wasn’t a big fan of the S20’s design — probably Samsung’s worst since the S5 — because it didn’t exude any of Samsung’s idiosyncrasies. The S22 on the other hand, with its unique camera module, is a stunner through and through. Not to forget, you can get it in up to eight colors too.

The Galaxy S22 is slightly smaller than the S20, but its weight increased a little, although I doubt the extra four grams will make much of a difference. Another area where the S22 shines is the in-display fingerprint sensor, which is quicker and more accurate than the one used in the S20.

Display

The Galaxy S20 has a gorgeous 6.2-inch QHD (3200 x 1440) AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is still among the best. It can hit 1,200 nits and supports HDR10+ content.

The newer S22 has a 6.1-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) 120Hz display, which we really like. At 1,300 nits, it can get a little brighter than the S20 could.

The S22’s display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, while the S20 is protected by Gorilla Glass 6. Both displays used by Samsung are excellent, and you can’t go wrong with either one.

Software

One aspect that the S22 dominates in – unsurprisingly – is software support. With the S22, Samsung promises four years of Android upgrades and five years of security updates.

The S20, which will get three Android updates (it’s already running Android 12 right now) and four years of security updates, wasn’t a letdown, but it’ll only ever get Android 13 for sure. Now that Samsung has released Android 13 for the S22, the S20 won’t be too far behind, and next year it’ll only have security patches to look forward to before it reaches the end of software support.

Performance & connectivity

The S20 has aged well, with the Snapdragon 865 (Exynos 990 internationally) keeping things running smoothly. It comes with either 8 or 12GB of RAM and 128 or 256GB of storage. The S20 also supports expandable storage with its microSD card slot. That’s something that was unfortunately cut from the S22 lineup.

The S22 is equipped with the much more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. It has 8GB of RAM and either 128 or 256GB of storage. While the Snapdragon 865 can still handle most tasks today, it pales compared to the chipset used in the S22. If performance is a top priority for you, especially for games, the S22 is the hands-down winner here.

Battery life & charging

If you’re unhappy with the S20’s longevity, the S22 won’t be much of a relief. It features a 3,700mAh battery that’s a tad smaller than the 4,000mAh unit on the S20. This doesn’t put the S20 at an advantage, though, since it also has more pixels to power when used in QHD mode, and the S22 is technically powered by a more efficient chipset.

In practice, though, the S22’s battery life has been disappointing, and if you’re looking for a massive jump when upgrading from the S20, you’re likely in for a disappointment. Things also haven’t changed even on the charging front, with both phones supporting 25W fast wired charging, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

Cameras

The camera is one of the biggest gaps between the two phones. The S20 rocks a 12MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and a 64MP telephoto camera (1.1x optical zoom), whereas the S22 boasts a 50MP primary, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom), and a 12MP ultrawide (reasonably similar to the S20’s).

It’s easy to get lost in the megapixel count, but the S22 will in fact offer better shots from its telephoto sensor. As for the primary sensor, although the S22 boasts more pixels and has a more powerful chip for image processing, the S20 has a larger sensor that captures more light. Results from both phones should be pretty similar in daylight, but the S22 will offer better low-light performance and edge detection in portraits.

Should you ditch your S20 for the S22?

If you’re looking for a flagship phone that doesn’t breach the $1000 mark, the S22 is a great option. Compared to the S20, you get a better design, an upgraded camera setup, longer software support, and a slightly brighter display.

With the launch of the Galaxy S23, we now have to consider if it’s worth skipping the Galaxy S22 and jumping to Samsung’s latest and greatest. It’s great that Samsung is keeping the S22 around with a lowered price point of $699, but unless you can find the S22 at a great deal, it makes sense to spend the extra $100 on the newer version.

Source: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S22

Editor’s choice

A good upgrade

$550 $700 Save $150

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is still a great phone in 2023. It’s an even better deal now that Samsung has lowered its price. It may not be as great as the Galaxy S23, but if you find it for a reduced price then it’s well worth considering. Add in the years of software updates and you won’t be left wanting more.

If you’re holding an S20 in your hand and don’t see anything wrong with it, it might make sense to stick with it. On the other hand, your S20’s battery is probably starting to give up after more than three years of use, and the much-improved cameras on the S22 may be catching your eye. If that’s the case, you won’t regret upgrading to the new phone, especially when it’s discounted as regularly as it is now.

Samsung Galaxy S20

Still an option

Showing its age, but not gone yet

The Samsung Galaxy S20 can no longer be purchased brand new, and if you already have one it may be time to jump ship. If it’s starting to show its age, or can’t keep up with your daily activities, then it’s time to upgrade. If it still serves you well, hold off for a bit longer until the Galaxy S24 launches.