In the market for a new phone but struggling to choose between Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and the Google Pixel 7? It’s easy to be tempted by Google’s latest, with its Tensor Gen 2 processor, beefy battery, gorgeous 6.3-inch AMOLED display, and top-notch cameras. But don’t discount the older Galaxy S22, with its powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, compact, pocket-friendly profile, 120Hz display, and Samsung’s market-leading updates promise.
Onto the display: The Galaxy S22’s 6.1-inch dynamic AMOLED 2x display has a 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution, is HDR10+ certified, and packs an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung states the refresh rate will only drop to a minimum of 48Hz, but in our review, we saw it sit at a stable 24Hz when the phone was idle. This is one of the best screens on an Android phone, with great viewing angles and perfect visibility even in bright sunlight.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip in the U.S. , providing excellent performance whether multitasking or playing the latest games with settings maxed. The 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage are identical to the Pixel 7, but in our review, we noticed jitters and frame rate drops after playing Call of Duty: Mobile for around 40 minutes at peak graphics settings.
Both phones also support wireless charging — 21W for the Pixel 7 and 15W for the Galaxy S22 — and reverse wireless charging for your earbuds and accessories. Google’s packed in an array of tools to change up your images, including Photo Unblur and Cinematic Mode, which blurs out the background of photos.