The Samsung Galaxy S22 was my daily companion for seven months. Seven months of passionate love, but also seven months of annoying frustrations. Here is my detailed comment.
Updated on 03/02/2023 : Since the formalization of the Samsung Galaxy S23 on February 1, 2023, the Galaxy S22 has dropped slightly in price: 749 euros instead of the previously requested 859 euros.
Original article of 09/29/2023 :
In February 2022, Samsung unleashed a new armada of high-end smartphones, which are the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra. Three smartphones in different formats -if not opposed to the Ultra and its inspiration in the Note range- and sometimes with different powers despite belonging to the same family.
At the time, he had awarded the 8/10 note to the Galaxy S22, ensuring that the succession was precisely assured. Several aspects of the phone particularly appealed to me, from its design, to its grip, to the screen, to the software interface, to its photographic versatility.
Others had left me dissatisfied, starting with the autonomy, the relatively slow loading or the fluidity of certain software animations. So I threw myself into a ” long term test – which in Frandroid corresponds to the use for several months. This makes it possible to verify all the points raised, or even detect new ones, over a longer period.
Here are my feedback after seven months with the Galaxy S22. A love for smartphones, which I also learned to hate.
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Maximum design and handling
« The Galaxy S22 is a small jewel in the hand: compact, light and with splendid finishes, it becomes irresistible “. Needless to say, my heart was won when I discovered and tamed the Galaxy S22 last February. So much so that it was given a score of 10/10 for design.
Seven months later, I do not regret this rating. In terms of driving, he has been one of my best partners in recent years. Its small format is very practical to use with one hand or keep it in a small pocket, without fear of dropping it when climbing stairs or riding a bike, which I do a lot.
Its weight of 167 grams is also an important strong point. The phone is almost forgotten when it is stored in the pants and, above all, it does not cause any discomfort if you use it for several tens of minutes on your sofa or lying in bed.
Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid
Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid
Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid
External opinions on its appearance have also been unanimous: the Galaxy S22 is not only beautiful, it is magnificent. The visual effect he gave me at the start of our idyll hasn’t wavered for a moment over the months. It is a phone that I continue to devour with my eyes, without the slightest fatigue.
You still need to take proper care of it. I wrote during my first test that the S22 “it is self-sufficient, and hardly deserves a helmet to admire all its splendor“. In the idea, why not. In fact, the falls were numerous and the back of the smartphone did not resist the few waterfalls.
Race result: even the Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection gave way to a splintered back. The aluminum edges have suffered over time, as many scratches have appeared on the screen. A piece of advice if you are concerned about your S22: protect it. Otherwise, in my opinion, impeccable.
Very good photos, an optic x3 with onions
If there is a sensor that I like to have fun with in high-end smartphones, it is the optical sensor that offers a zoom of x2, x3, x5 or even x10 depending on the model. The one on the Galaxy S22 is a 10-megapixel x3 telephoto lens that opens up to f/2.4. It is probably this sensor that I used the most during my test.
Because ? Because it is with a sensor that I consider that it has taken the most beautiful photos, be it landscapes, food or portraits, with or without bokeh effect. This x3 lens offers very good performance thanks to a very good level of sharpness preserved and colors that are still just as saturated, a Samsung trademark.
The results are even more beautiful.
The 50-megapixel wide-angle (f/1.8), 12-megapixel ultra-wide (f/2.2) and 10-megapixel selfie sensor are nothing to be ashamed of and gave me complete satisfaction depending on the situation where I needed it to be. they. For scenes involving a sunset, I sometimes had to go back and forth multiple times to adjust focus and exposure level, to get the desired result.
Source: Galaxy S22 wide angle
Source : Galaxy S22 Selfie
Source: Galaxy S22 wide angle
Source: Galaxy S22 Ultra Wide Angle
Source: Galaxy S22 wide angle
Source : Galaxy S22 Selfie
Source: Galaxy S22 Ultra Wide Angle
Source: Galaxy S22 Ultra Wide Angle
Source : Galaxy S22 Selfie
Conclusion: if you are looking for good photos with a phone that is sometimes under 700 euros on some e-commerce sites, here is an excellent candidate, with photographic versatility and images that will flatter your retina. Although in this little game, the Pixel 6 Pro clearly has a say, but at a slightly more elite price.
Software and performance, good and bad
The software part is provided by One UI 4, which we don’t have much to complain about in terms of functionality, practicality or overall appearance. On the other hand, the fluidity of certain animations or the transition from one application to another sometimes lacked fluidity, especially during a multitasking session.
In general, a hint of disappointment will remain in my throat: on a smartphone initially sold for 800 euros, I expected a 100% smooth experience, even after seven months of use. This is not entirely the case. Let’s be clear: most of the time, everything remained clear.
Where the Galaxy S22 fishes is at the processor level. The Exynos 2200 is a real thorn in the side, especially when it comes to heating. In the summer, the phone almost burned my fingers when I used it to play music, see a route on Google Maps and reply to my friends.
In general, the S22 began to heat up too quickly for sometimes classic tasks performed simultaneously. The Exynos 2200 SoC doesn’t really belong in that environment: we sincerely hope Samsung sets its sights on Snapdragon processors for the next generation Galaxy S.
Not being a mobile gamer, I didn’t push the chip to its climax during a sessionFortniteFor example. But based on our February 2022 test, the Galaxy S22 was clearly behind on the graphics part in particular.
Not everything is to be thrown away either. It is important here to salute Samsung’s software monitoring. Almost every month, a security patch was deployed to my phone, which is reassuring. However, at the end of September it had not yet received One UI 5 based on Android 13 in a stable version.on the contraryof some Oppo phones.
Autonomy and recharging, it is a big no
My feedback on the Galaxy S22 so far has been relatively positive. Until addressing the autonomy and charging of the phone, two big black spots that have contributed to clouding my vision of things. As we said in our original test, this model posted one of the worst Aim scores in recent years.
On a day-to-day basis, the autonomy of the S22 was a real problem. There have been too many times when the energy bar was dangerously close to 20 or 15%… when the evening was just beginning. It’s simple: we had to adapt and adopt new reflexes by regularly passing the cargo box in the late afternoon when we went out at night.
The remaining 10% also tends to drain at lightning speed when in use – I lost 2-3% of battery in the space of 30 seconds. In short, it is better to have a charger nearby to plug it in quickly in this type of situation.
Speaking of charging, this is not the time to party: what a shame, in 2022 and for such a high-end smartphone, being limited to a power of 25 W, when most competitors go up to at least 33 W, if not 65 or 120. W. Not to mention the fact that Samsung does not provide any compatible charger in the box.
But even with a compatible brick, the time spent charging your phone seems too long. A fact that is all the more detrimental in view of the hungry autonomy that the S22 offers here. If the battery life is low, we expect to at least charge the phone in a short time. Clearly this is not the case.
Bottom line: The Galaxy S22’s battery life and slow charging are its two biggest weaknesses, which might put some people off looking for longer-lasting phones. You can’t imagine how much the Asus Zenfone 9, one of its competitors, gave me a nice nice breath of fresh air in this yardstick.
What results after 7 months of use?
The overall assessment of the past seven months with the Galaxy S22 remains positive overall, but it’s marred by crippling daily battery life and too low charging power to start again in just a few minutes. These two points were particularly frustrating, if not annoying in the long run.
The Galaxy S22 also fails in terms of heating, too marked by a processor -the Exynos 2200- that is far from meeting our expectations. Fortunately, the phone’s excellent grip, exquisite design, beautiful display, balanced software experience, and photographic versatility put us at ease.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 was ultimately a beautiful love story with its ups and downs. A love story that will be recorded, but which, I hope, will be even more beautiful with its successor: the Galaxy S23 expected in early 2023.
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