Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S21: Samsung Galaxy S22 and S21 are siblings, the one a successor to the other. And in many ways, they are similar to one another. That should not be a surprise. The question now is, How is the Galaxy S22 better than the Galaxy S21 it came to replace?
The first thing you will observe when you place them side-by-side is that they look exactly the same, almost to the minutest details. Unless you know what to look for, you will be hard-pressed to tell the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S21 apart.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S21: the similarities
Physical appearance and handling go first. The S22 is slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor. And that is a good thing. The handier the phone, the better handling it provides, especially for one-handed use. The S22 also has a slightly smaller display, reduced from 6.2 inches (15.75 centimetres) on the previous model to 6.1 inches (15.49 centimetres).
As expected from premium flagships, both Samsung Galaxy S22 and S21 sport IP68 dust/water-resistant rating, so you can use both confidently around water.
Away from looks and feel, let’s have a look at performance. Samsung Galaxy S22 is the more powerful of the two, thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. Sadly, both of them offer only 8 GB of RAM. Not that this is poor or unacceptable. 8 GB of RAM is good on a premium flagship, but it would be nice to have the option of 12 GB RAM too.
Both smartphones are also fitted with 128 GB and 256 GB of built-in storage. There is no memory card slot available on either. Both models offer single and dual SIM options, with 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G network support.
If you are a music lover, you will be glad to know that both also have stereo loudspeakers. Unfortunately, Samsung has ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack on its flagship models, so neither of them have that.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S21: the differences
Hint: Where Samsung Galaxy S22 and S21 differ are in the areas of cameras, batteries, and software.
Samsung S22 drops the ball here with a smaller 3700mA battery, against the S21’s 4000mAh battery. These raw numbers may not tell the complete story, as the S22’s display is 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres) smaller (I doubt that counts, but hey), and there is a chance that the newer processor is more economical with power consumption. So, the jury is out on that. Both of them have 25W charging. Samsung has refused to upgrade their flagships’ charging speeds to be at par with what competing brands are offering. Sad.
As for cameras, while the selfie shooters are similar, the rear cameras are a different ball game. While Galaxy S21 has a 12-megapixcel triple camera, the S22 has a 50-megapixel triple camera. Yes; we know that megapixel count doesn’t tell the full story, so the jury is out on that too. But Samsung has consistently topped the performance of its previous flagship models, so we can safely expect that the Galaxy S22’s 50-megapixel shooter will do a better job.
Samsung S22 ships out of the box with One UI 4.1, based on Android 12. The older S21 shipped with One UI 3.1, based on Android 11. Of course, the S21 has had Android 12 rolled out to it already, so this may not make for a difference in practical terms.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S21: Pricing
When it comes to pricing, experience has taught us that you will get a better deal by buying the older model, as its price will have dropped considerably since launch. Which is why you can get the Galaxy S21 for $439 only, while the S22 sells for about $790. That is almost double the price of the S21.
Between Samsung Galaxy S22 and S21, which is the better smartphone?
Of course, the new Samsung S22 is the better device, though not by much. Do you really need the S22 when the differences between it and the S21 are so small? Then consider how much they look alike. Are these small differences worth the hefty price difference? It depends on you. The ball is in your court.