Thankfully, the Galaxy S22+ feels much more premium. The back material has a silky matte feel and seems more resistant to scratches than the even-more-matte coating on the S22 Ultra. However, the phone is very slippery. It’s on my desk right now, slowly, inexorably moving toward the edge; only the friction from the camera bump prevents it from sliding around like a hockey puck. Like all the other models in the current Galaxy lineup, the S22+ carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. And like the S22, the S22+ is available in black, green, pink, or white. I tested a pink S22+ and a green S22. The pink is a delicate pastel and the green is a sober dark-forest color.

At approximately 6.19 by 2.98 by 0.29 inches (HWD) and 6.91 ounces, the Galaxy S22+ is shorter and lighter than the S21+ (6.35 by 2.98 by 0.31 inches, 7.13 ounces) and thus easier to handle. That said, the S22+ is still bigger and wider (albeit lighter) than the iPhone 13 Pro (5.78 by 2.82 by 0.30 inches, 7.2 ounces).

Boosted Radio and Wi-Fi 6E Support

The new Qualcomm X65 modem is absolutely a reason to upgrade to the S22+ or any of the latest Galaxy phones. This chip is the first to support AT&T’s new 3.45GHz spectrum, which is set to enhance the carrier’s performance later in 2022. Plus, it offers better reception in areas with a weak signal compared with previous models that lack the X65 modem. In testing, I found that the S22+ had a consistently stronger signal in less ideal environments compared with an S21+ that I connected to the same tower. In most cases, this advantage led to better performance.

Benchmark Comparisons:

5G connections are taxing on a device’s battery life. In an additional test, the S22+ lasted for roughly six hours of nonstop, full-brightness, 5G streaming over T-Mobile’s network with audio playing through the speaker. That’s a tough test for any phone, and the result here is fine, but not exceptional. The S22 ran for around five hours under the same circumstances; if you use your phone heavily, it’s likely not a suitable option.

Samsung’s claim of 45W fast charging is perplexing. I timed how long it took to fully charge all of the models in the S22 lineup via Samsung’s 45W accessory charger. All of them have different battery capacities, but suspiciously, they all charged in about 75 minutes.

Looking at the charging curve, the S22+ charged to 14% in the first five minutes and to 32% in 15 minutes. But the phone’s charging speed slowed dramatically when it reached the 80% mark, and the last 7% of the charge (from 93% to 100%) took 15 minutes.

Camera Hardware and Features

The Galaxy S22+ has a 50MP main camera that takes 12MP photos using a four-pixel binning method; a 12MP ultra-wide lens; a 10MP, 3x optical zoom sensor; and a 10MP front-facing camera. The smaller S22 has the same camera system.

 

In good light and at 1x, it’s tough to tell photos from the Galaxy S21 (left) and Galaxy S22+ (right) apart

The camera stack is an improvement over the Galaxy S21+ in one key area: The 64MP main camera on the S21+ simulates the 3x zoom digitally, rather than optically. Therefore, the zoom images from the S22+ look a little sharper and a little more in focus than those from the S21+.

Software and Upgrade Timeline

The most exciting news on the software front is that Samsung pledges to update the phone to Android 16 and send security updates to it through the Android 17 cycle.

The S22+ runs a custom version of Android 12 that revolves around Samsung’s One UI overlay. This latest version of the software enables better integrations with Google and Microsoft services. For example, the phone now defaults to both the Chrome browser and Google Messages. The latter app notably supports the RCS protocol; with RCS, Android users finally get the read receipts and typing indicators that iPhone owners have had for years with iMessage. (Messages isn’t compatible with iMessage, though.)

Microsoft’s Your Phone app is another standout software feature. It lets you manage text messages, mirror apps, and drag and drop files between your phone and Windows PC. I use it daily, many times a day; it’s a fine alternative to Apple’s Continuity feature.

Unfortunately, Samsung still attaches Bixby, its lackluster voice assistant, to the phone’s side key. You can disable that button and simply use the “Hey Google” command to launch Google Assistant instead.

The phone’s assistive features for the mildly hearing-impaired are the same as on the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S22+ is the most well rounded of the bunch, with the right mix of battery life, power, and size for the price. It sports a better zoom camera, feels more premium, and offers superior reception than the Galaxy S21+. If you’re still using an S20 series phone or earlier, those improvements are even more numerous and noticeable, making it an excellent upgrade. While it doesn’t exactly break new ground, the Galaxy S22+ is the best flaghsip Android phone for most people.

-Harry