Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G review: flagship that plays it safe

Every year, various mainstream vendors have generally prepared a flagship line to be released in the first quarter, aka the beginning of the year. Samsung is the same, being one of the ones that have sold its newest flagship in Indonesia. And of the three variants introduced, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the “middle child”, between the Galaxy S22 & Note, I mean, the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

When launched, the two variants introduced by Samsung did look boring. There are no massive changes in terms of design, while some improvements are pinned to the innards or hardware. Even the dimensions are made a little smaller, sacrificing battery capacity even though it is claimed that it will still last longer than the previous generation.

Read: realme 9 Pro+ review: Superior Cameras in Mid-Range Smartphone

After a few days of testing the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus as a daily driver, I can say that this smartphone is the safest. But boring. But if Gizmo friends want to buy it, it will be the right decision. Everything that is a “must-have” in a current flagship, is available. Here’s the full review.

Design

Although overall it looks similar, in fact, there are many minor changes given by Samsung to the design of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and its standard variant. Apart from the color options, of course. At first, I thought the Green variant was the most attractive, but Pink Gold also actually looks luxurious.

Both the pink color on the back body and the gold on the camera module are both made very calm, look elegant and feel suitable for other than women. The frame is reinforced with Armor Aluminum material, has a slightly smaller degree of a bend than before, and unfortunately, it is easy to imprint fingerprints.

The back body is actually made completely flat, using Gorilla Glass Victus + glass material with a matte surface. Fingerprint free? Sure, but it also gets a little slippery. As long as you use it without a case, it’s still safe even if your hands are sweaty.

Not a few people think that the Samsung Galaxy S22+ that I hold is the standard variant. Because the dimensions are quite compact for the dimensions of the screen, it has a weight of 195 grams and a thickness of only 7.6mm. The thin bezel that looks symmetrical also seems to contribute to making the body physically smaller.

Display

The combination of specifications in this section in my opinion is quite perfect. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel on the Samsung Galaxy S22+ has a Full HD+ resolution, not the highest but it’s very sufficient (and certainly has a positive impact on power consumption). Its dimensions are 6.6 inches, support a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, plus a maximum brightness of up to 1750 nits.

I don’t really have any specific way of proving whether the screen can actually turn on to that value, but using the Galaxy S22+ outdoors is very convenient—a combination of a number of other technologies including Vision Booster which can increase contrast by studying the content on the screen. Without a protective layer, Gorilla Glass Victus + also manages to protect against any thin scratches.

Saturation, contrast, brightness, the response rate to the effect of vibration (haptic feedback), all 10/10. The completely flat glass also has its own benefits, making it easier for users to find and install a screen protector, for example. The in-display fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S22+ also feels more reliable and a bit more instant.

Camera

Samsung provides a comprehensive upgrade to the camera capabilities of the Galaxy S22 Series, and the Samsung Galaxy S22+ is no exception. Hardware-wise, the main sensor is now better, using a 50MP 1/1.57-inch sensor with f/1.8 aperture and OIS. Samsung did not specify the type, although it corresponds to the Samsung GN5 and Sony IMX766.

The ultra-wide-angle sensor is still the same as 12MP f/2.2 without autofocus, while the telephoto is 10MP (with interpolation results to 12MP), provides 3x optical zoom, and is also supported by OIS. All three sensors (plus a 10MP Dual Pixel PDAF front camera) can record video up to 4K 60fps, but only the main sensor supports up to 8K 24fps.

Samsung excels in the latest AI capabilities in its cameras. Mention the slogan “Nightography”, of course, the photos at night are greatly helped thanks to a better main sensor. But other than that, the Galaxy S22+ camera can now separate the distance between the subject and the background more intelligently. So it is able to produce more natural portraits, even in night conditions.

Is that actually the case? Yes, and fairly consistent. Separation on difficult areas such as thin objects, human hair, and pet hair is more precise. Although sometimes there are still a few errors, the results of night portraits with 3x zoom (the default sensor in portrait mode) tend to be smooth and require the subject to be completely still.

Overall, the photos from the Samsung Galaxy S22+ camera look better. Both in terms of sharpness, color saturation, and a more precise portrait effect. Samsung’s VDIS aka EIS capability can also provide a consistent level of stability, including at night. Sensor switching is smoother, even from the Instagram app directly.

Feature

Still similar to its predecessor, Samsung perfected the interface of the Samsung Galaxy S22+ with One UI 4.1. Based on Android 12, there are some personalization features implemented. For example, being able to apply a color palette according to the color combination on the wallpaper, to make it look more uniform.

Without the 3.5mm audio jack, the option to listen to music is only available via the USB-C port, wireless earphones, or stereo speakers—the latter is especially good quality and loud enough. Sounds quite balanced both from the hole below and the earpiece, suitable to accompany a superior screen.

The default application is also quite top-notch, such as the gallery which has an object delete feature using AI. And what I appreciate the most, is Samsung’s commitment to providing at least 4 new OS versions and 5 years security update guarantee for all Galaxy S22 Series. Minimizing the gap between the duration of support for Apple’s Android and iOS smartphones.

Performance

Different from previous years, this time the variant that officially entered Indonesia uses a chip from Qualcomm. The Samsung Galaxy S22+ was one of the first to run Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, bringing increased performance as well as power efficiency through 4nm fabrication. The RAM option is only one, namely 8GB with the help of 4GB virtual RAM (RAM Plus).

Of course, it is very natural that the performance is very well maintained, with a consistent refresh rate and minimal lag when multitasking. What feels the same as before is that the body temperature of the Samsung Galaxy S22+ tends to be consistently warm. Generally only felt at the top, to be precise next to the camera. The middle and bottom are still safe.

It’s not even hot, but it’s warm almost all the time and can be a bit annoying especially when you’re using the Galaxy S22+ without a case. It could be because the software is still not perfect thanks to the new chipset, or this issue is only on our unit.

Battery

Down by 300 mAh from the previous generation, the more compact dimensions make the Samsung Galaxy S22+ “only” have a battery with a capacity of 4,500 mAh. But don’t worry, because the battery life is still very safe. You could say it’s even slightly better, thanks to screen technology and a more power-efficient chipset.

From 9 a.m. to around 10 p.m., the Galaxy S22+ has 10-20% battery remaining with a SOT of 4-4.5 hours. Includes activate AOD, use mobile data, and access camera intensively. If it’s not too intensive and activates the power-saving mode, it can certainly take longer. So what about charging?

Supporting up to 45W, the charging speed of the Samsung Galaxy S22+ is standard for a flagship. The first 30 minutes can add about 60% power, while from 5% to full it takes around 60 minutes. Hopefully, in the future, it can be more competitive with smartphones that can reach up to 65W and above, even in the mid-range class.

Conclusion

If Gizmo friends have listened carefully, you will understand why I say that this smartphone is a safe flagship. If all of its features are recorded in a report card, the scores are mostly B+, aka the positive scores are fairly even.

Stylish yet more powerful design, superior screen, the camera that gets better at night, stereo speakers, long battery life, and fast performance. Coupled with a four-year guarantee of Android version updates, proof that Samsung is starting to seriously strengthen software update support. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S22+ is a safe choice for the Android 2022 flagship.

 Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus 5G Tech Specs

The Indonesian version of this article can be read in Gizmologi.ID