Despite the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, introduced in February 2022, attracted the maximum attention of reviewers, it is its "little brother" Galaxy S22 + that claims to be the true flagship for the average user. Who should take a closer look at the new product, and is it worth its 100 thousand rubles. - in the review.

Set

It so happened that modern flagships offer less out of the box than the cheapest smartphones - this trend was laid by Apple. At first, Samsung even ridiculed the Americans, but in the end, it also decided to “take care of the environment”, saving on the packaging as well. So, along with a smartphone, you can only find a key to remove the SIM tray, a USB cable and documentation.

Why have flagships become so boring?

Previously, the equipment of a smartphone even from the middle segment could surprise - there were headphones, a case, a charger, wires and much more, which the S22 + and modern gadgets lack so much.

Design

It is almost impossible to distinguish the Samsung Galaxy S22+ from last year's S21+, because outwardly it has changed only by 0.1 inches - this is how much the display in the new product is smaller compared to its predecessor.

Front and back, the smartphone is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + tempered glass, and the case itself is protected from dust and water according to the IP68 standard with a claimed immersion in fresh water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

There are changes in the Galaxy S22 +, although noticeable. Firstly, it is stated that the smartphone received an aluminum frame with more rigid resistance to drops and scratches.

Secondly, the weight has become a little less - 195 grams versus 200. With the constant use of a smartphone in a case, a difference of five grams is felt. Considering the size, case materials and battery capacity, the Samsung Galaxy S22+ can even be called a lightweight.

But still, there are questions about ergonomics.

If the predecessor had a more streamlined shape, then the frame can bite into the hands - given the size of the smartphone, it will not suit everyone. Before buying, it is highly recommended to hold it in the store to see if it is comfortable or not.

Display

Samsung flagships are generally considered to have some of the best displays on the market. It is worth noting that this is indeed the case. The S22+ has a 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1080x2340 pixels. The smartphone boasts support for adaptive refresh rates from 48 to 120 Hz. It is noteworthy that you cannot select “High” frequency in the settings, as competitors offer - only “Adaptive” and “Standard” modes are available. That is, the user receives either 60 Hz or from 48 to 120 Hz, and always stable 120 Hz cannot be chosen even in the most undemanding tasks.

It is also worth noting that the aspect ratio of the display has changed when compared with the Galaxy S21 + - 19.5: 5 in S22 + versus 20: 9. It may seem that this is a trifle, but no - now the smartphone does not feel as elongated as its predecessor, somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone.

In the Samsung Galaxy S22+, the maximum declared brightness reaches 1750 nits - the same brightness can boast of the older model Galaxy S22 Ultra. This is the brightest display in my memory. However, how safe is it for both the user's eyes and the smartphone itself? Apparently, Samsung decided to "play it safe", since they cut the screen brightness in standard mode. To get the maximum, you need to enable the appropriate mode in the settings. However, do not rush into this - even with an average brightness, it will be enough in sunny weather.

But what Samsung does not have and probably never will have is DC Dimming. This mode reduces the harmful flickering of OLED displays (PWM), which can cause eye fatigue for some users.

For unknown reasons, Samsung and Apple have been slow to adopt this technology, even though competitors from China have been using it in their devices for years.

In addition, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S22 + is not very suitable for mobile gamers - the declared sampling rate of the screen, refreshing the touch layer, is only 240 Hz. In Chinese smartphones, the value of 360 Hz is already considered an unspoken standard, although there are already gadgets with a frequency of 1 thousand Hz. This can make the S22+'s display less responsive than the competition. In practice, this is noticeable, but only in games.

Shell

Samsung Galaxy S22+ works with preinstalled Android 12 and One UI 4.1 proprietary skin. Of the major changes in the system is support for Material You adaptive colors, which Google recommends that manufacturers use with the new version of the OS. This allows controls and application shortcuts to be colored in the color of the wallpaper or a user-selected palette. It looks fresh and very Google-like.At the same time, One UI works stably and without noticeable slowdowns. But there are some things that make One UI feel like it's a little behind the competition in terms of useful features. For example, it doesn't provide tools like MIUI's VideoToolbox or the same extensive customization options as Realme UI. Externally, the shell from Samsung is almost perfect, and even the former owners of Chinese smartphones will like it.

Performance

In terms of performance, the smartphone surprised both in a good sense and in a bad one. In everyday use, there are no impossible tasks for the Galaxy S22 + - the phone does not "stupid" and opens all applications quickly.

However, the rose-tinted glasses will disappear when starting games.

The entire Galaxy S22 line is powered by the proprietary Exynos 2200 chipset, made using a 4-nanometer process technology. The Xclipse 920 graphics chip was developed by Samsung together with AMD, which is why many mobile gamers had special hopes for these smartphones, but they most likely did not materialize.

So, when you start almost any game, you may encounter the fact that the smartphone will overheat greatly. And so much so that after 30 minutes it is already uncomfortable to hold in your hands - in the camera area and next to it, where the chipset is most likely located, the heat is the strongest.

The second disadvantage of a smartphone is the lack of optimization, which creates even more problems. For example, in one of the most popular mobile battle royale games, Call of Duty: Mobile, you can only select the minimum graphics value.

Even in budget models up to 20 thousand rubles. you can set the graphics settings to medium and higher.

In another popular game - PUBG Mobile New State - when choosing the maximum available graphics values, frequent FPS drops occur. Models of the surrounding world are loaded right under your nose, which is why you can crash into a stone at full speed. And the edges of the map and water when flying on an airplane at the beginning of the game are displayed incorrectly - somewhere the borders are erased, and somewhere instead of the sea and rivers a mirage appears in the form of land.

In Genshin Impact, the flagship from Samsung also proved to be worse than the “budgets” – even with medium graphics settings, the smartphone can’t cope, giving out about 20 frames per second or less. In addition, the heating in this game is felt much stronger. It is possible that during long sessions the smartphone will overheat so much that its battery will degrade.

A Samsung representative said that this is due to the adaptation of games for the new Exynos with AMD graphics - soon the developers will have to optimize the games, and everything will be available.

That is, this is not Samsung's fault, and the entire responsibility lies with the developers of individual games. The only problem is that not every studio decides to optimize their product for a specific chip, which is found nowhere else but in Samsung. There are two main types of mobile graphics chips in the Android smartphone market right now - Adreno and Mali. When manufacturers are ready to fit everything under Xclipse, it is not reported.

In the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the smartphone scored 1151 and 3513 points in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.

We can conclude that the new chipset is successful in terms of its computing performance. But at the moment, the Galaxy S22 series can not be recommended for purchase if you plan to go into demanding mobile games from time.

Cameras

Samsung flagships are known to everyone as some of the best on the market. This is true - each of the four sensors here can be a pleasant surprise when compared with Chinese flagships. For example, the 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera stands out for its wide angle of view and good detail in daylight.

The main camera is to be commended for overall photo and video quality - the 50-megapixel sensor can shoot video up to 8K resolution at 24 fps, as well as FullHD and 4K at 30 or 60 frames. Photos are detailed and very contrasting - in the style of Samsung. The only problem is that they look very bright and saturated only on the screen of the Galaxy S22 +, and already on a computer or on another smartphone, everything is no longer so colorful. Still, the camera in daylight copes very well.

The third module on the rear panel is a telephoto, thanks to which you can zoom in on a photo or video three times without losing quality. At higher magnifications, the quality will noticeably decrease, but it will still be head and shoulders better than on any other smartphone without a telephoto lens.

Judging by the rear cameras, the Samsung Galaxy S22+, like the regular S22, has everything you need to be considered a flagship. At the same time, which is commendable - in expensive models, Samsung does not try to deceive the buyer, "shove" a bunch of useless 2 megapixel sensors, as the Chinese like to do. There is really everything you need and at a good level of performance.The front camera of the Galaxy S22 + cannot boast of a large number of megapixels - there are only 10 of them, while competitors have 16, 20 and 50. At the same time, shooting photos and videos is a cut above. The same video recording is possible up to 4K at 60 frames per second - which is a rarity in the world of Android smartphones.

In general, the Galaxy S22+ cameras showed a very good result, only occasionally overshooting in the evening and night shooting, adding digital noise to the photo.

Features

When testing the Samsung Galaxy S22+, such a trifle as a fingerprint scanner was a pleasant surprise. Firstly, it is located just below the center of the screen - exactly where the finger itself intuitively falls. This seemed very convenient after several years of using Chinese flagships with scanners that are placed almost close to the bottom frame of the smartphone. At the same time, the scanner itself works accurately, but is slightly inferior in speed to its competitors.

The smartphone also has the ability to unlock by scanning the face - this happens through the front camera and is clearly unsafe, as the gadget warns about during setup. Another thing surprised here - when setting up, the smartphone offers to put on or take off glasses in order to remember the user both with an accessory on his face and without it.

Regarding the sound, everything is strange with Samsung - there is a stereo sound, which is usually called a "one and a half". That is, the sound comes out both from the multimedia speaker and from the conversational one. Usually there is a difference between the quality and volume of the two speakers, but it was not possible to notice it here. Although if there was another multimedia speaker on the top end, it would still be better.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S22+ comes with a 4500mAh battery that supports 45W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging. In addition, it supports 4.5W reverse wireless charging, with which you can, for example, charge your headphones.

The battery with active use will last for 6-7 hours, and with normal use - for a day. Charging your smartphone will be more difficult. Firstly, there is no 45 W wireless charging in the box, with which you can replenish the battery by 100% in exactly one hour. With the help of third-party charging blocks, this process takes about two hours.

Why Samsung is reluctant to implement fast charging support in its gadgets is unknown. The Chinese have long been offering to charge devices in 15 minutes - and such blocks are offered "out of the box", that is, for free.

Conclusions

In the end, I would like to note the strengths of the smartphone. First of all, the Samsung Galaxy S22+ and the entire lineup feel expensive thanks to a really well-built case and its materials. Secondly, the smartphone of the best screens on the market. Many will also like the absence of any rounding on it, like the same S22 Ultra. Thirdly, the cameras, although not without drawbacks, are almost perfect.

However, this smartphone has its drawbacks, which probably tip the bowl in its favor.

So, the smartphone clearly came out raw, as evidenced by gaming tests. Of course, first of all, a smartphone is needed for communication, but entertainment should also be available from the very first day of purchase. Immediately, you will have to wait until game developers optimize their product for new hardware.

But the main drawback of this smartphone is its price. Galaxy S22 + 128 GB is offered for 95 thousand rubles. Moreover, the memory can not be expanded with the help of microSD cards. In 2022, this is clearly not enough. The most optimal option for 256 GB will cost 100 thousand rubles.

Is it expensive? Psychologically yes, but in reality no. Indeed, in the near future, Chinese flagships Oppo, Xiaomi and Realme will come to the Russian market, the price of which, according to leaks, will be very close to Samsung gadgets, and somewhere even higher.

bbabo.Net