The Galaxy S22 smartphone series is triplets. After previously discussing the most accessible (Galaxy S22) and most extensive (Galaxy S22 Ultra), it is now the turn of the smartphone that falls exactly in between: the Samsung Galaxy S22+.
Samsung Galaxy S22+
Recommended retail price from € 1049,-
Colors Black, White, Green, Pink
OS Android 12 (One UI)
Screen 6.6 inch amoled (2340 x 1800, 120hz)
Processor 2.8GHz octa-core (Exynos 2200)
RAM 8GB
Storage 128 or 256 GB
Battery 3,700 mAh
Camera 50, 10 and 12 megapixels (rear), 10 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 5G, 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6e, GPS, NFC
Format 14.6 x 7.1 x 0.8cm
Weight 167 grams
Other Fingerprint scanner behind screen, waterproof and dustproof
Website www.samsung.com/nl
7.5 Score 75 
- Pros
- Screen
- Update Support
- Cameras
- Negatives
- Price
- battery life
- No adapter, memory card slot, audio jack
The tendency from the reviews of the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra is that the latter is an impressive continuation of the Galaxy Note series of yesteryear. An outsider. The Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ are similar and are actually a kind of large and small version of the same smartphone. What mainly stayed with the Galaxy S22 is that it is a handy smartphone, which beats the competition out of the field, especially with its screen, camera and update support. Only it is incomprehensible that Samsung has chosen to place a smaller battery in the device. This leads to a shorter battery life and shorter life. Batteries with a lower capacity usually wear out faster.
Unfortunately, that is also the case with the Samsung Galaxy S22+: the battery capacity is low. Lower than that of the Galaxy S21+.
What makes Samsung’s decision even more incomprehensible is that the company has chosen to give the devices an almost identical housing. When asked, a spokesperson for Samsung stated that this is being overcome by a more economical chipset. Unfortunately, this is not noticeable in practice.
A Galaxy S22+ does not last as long on a full battery than a Galaxy S21+: with effort a day. In addition, an economical chipset does not change the shorter life of a lower battery capacity. This drawback makes the Galaxy S21+ (completely unnecessary) a very interesting alternative to this Samsung Galaxy S22+.
Aging and yet not
The Galaxy S22+ really shows two sides when it comes to lifespan, on the one hand that battery. On the other hand, Samsung has announced that it will support its smartphones for longer with updates. The Galaxy S22+ will receive four Android version updates (on top of Android 12) and five years of security updates. This puts other Android manufacturers on display, and only Apple has better support for its iPhones. This makes this Galaxy S22+ an interesting smartphone for the long term. Provided you get used to the idea that after prolonged use you will probably have to replace your worn out battery.
Incidentally, this longer update support with retroactive effect also applies to the Galaxy S21+. Although it was of course still running on Android 11 at the time of release.
Good smartphone even better
Until now, the comparison with the Galaxy S21+ hadn’t been subtle. That is not surprising, because the smartphones are very similar, this Galaxy S22 + is a little bit smaller. In addition, the Galaxy S21+ is a great smartphone. Why not use that as a basis and boost it with more computing power and more camera options.
The performance has been increased somewhat, which you do not notice much in practice. It is visible in the benchmarks. The screen has a diameter of 6.6 inches, which makes the device quite large. The screen is one of the big pluses of this smartphone. The screen has a diameter of 6.6 inches and is of the highest image quality. The dynamic refresh rate also provides smooth-running images without additional energy consumption.
Cameras
The cameras on the Galaxy S22+ are the same as on the regular Galaxy S22 version. At the back you have three cameras at your disposal: a zoom lens, regular camera and wide-angle lens.
What is striking is that the cameras take sublime photos. In particular the telephoto lens (without having to zoom extra) and regular lens. A lot of (color) detail is captured and noise is rare, until you zoom in the dark. It is striking how large the angle of view that the wide-angle lens sees. This is where more and more software comes into play to make your photos as beautiful as possible. For example, to avoid curvature in wide-angle photos, or the portrait mode, which captures all the details around the subject. But the night mode in particular stands out positively, so that everything can be recorded even in difficult lighting conditions.
The practical example with the cuddly bears clearly shows what the possibilities are. The composition was difficult, because the bears were not visible to the naked eye. That makes the end result impressive. The example does show that the wide-angle lens is better avoided in low-light situations.
Advanced users can get started with raw photography via the expertRAW app, which you have to pick from Samsung’s own application store.
Other agreements
As with the camera, there are also other similarities between the Galaxy S22 and this Plus version. For example, the software shell OneUI, which has been rolled out over Android, is quite busy. Many useful functions are added and the device breathes the Samsung identity. But the smartphone is also full of bloatware, from its own services and apps such as Bixby to Facebook and Microsoft apps. An unnecessary McAfee virus scanner is still hidden in the settings.
Also read: This is how you remove all unwanted apps from your Samsung Galaxy
A few known annoying choices also apply: there’s no adapter in the box, you can’t expand the storage memory, and the audio port is missing. You can, however, quickly charge the smartphone and charge it wirelessly.
Alternatives to Samsung Galaxy S22+
The Samsung Galaxy S22+ has trouble claiming its right to exist. This is mainly because its predecessor is almost the same smartphone with a longer battery life. This Galaxy S22+ offers little to distinguish itself, the slightly faster chipset does not. The regular Galaxy S22 is mainly an alternative if you are looking for a smaller device. Unfortunately, this smartphone also has an unnecessarily small battery.
Another alternative is the iPhone 13, which may be slightly smaller, faster, and better supported with updates. However, this phone does have fewer camera options and no USB-C yet.
Conclusion: Buy Samsung Galaxy S22+?
The Samsung Galaxy S22+ is a great smartphone that you can enjoy for years to come. Especially the camera, image quality and update support are positive. Still, the smartphone has some difficulty in distinguishing itself from its predecessor. The choice for a smaller battery cannot be explained either.
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