Samsung entered 2022 with a bang, launching its flagship Galaxy S22 collection earlier than the top of February. Whereas the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus felt like iterative updates (albeit very succesful ones), the premium Galaxy S22 Extremely was an influence lover’s dream with its Galaxy Observe-inspired design and options. It shortly established itself as top-of-the-line Android telephones you would purchase, however has it stayed there? Let’s look again at top-of-the-line telephones from early 2022 in our Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely evaluation revisit.

I ought to say earlier than we get into it that I’ve by no means thought of myself an influence consumer relating to smartphones, as an alternative prioritizing a extra balanced — and barely smaller — gadget once I’m fortunate. Nevertheless, with some work occasions and private journey deliberate for the summer season, I figured it was time to see what Samsung’s productiveness powerhouse might do. I popped my main SIM into the Galaxy S22 Extremely, wedged the large phablet in my pocket, and set off to expertise the most effective that Samsung has to supply.

The nice

Samsung’s stylus-toting flagship earned 4 and a half stars and our coveted Editor’s Selection badge in our full evaluation, which suggests it had a lot in its favor off the bat. It needs to be no shock that the premium gadget has aged effectively over the previous half-year. In reality, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Extremely stays at or close to the highest of a lot of our greatest lists regardless of the numerous variety of gadgets launched within the months since.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely soared to its place among the many greatest digicam telephones shortly after launch. That it did so with none vital enhancements over its predecessor is a testomony to how forward of the sport Samsung has been within the imaging stakes.

The telephone’s four-camera setup is a well-rounded quartet, with a class-leading 108MP primary sensor because the star of the present. Two 10MP telephoto sensors and a 12MP ultrawide choice present protection for nearly each situation and distance, and that’s earlier than we’ve even touched on images software program options. Lastly, the 40MP punch gap selfie shooter rounds out the ultra-premium package deal.

Though I relied on the Galaxy S22 Extremely’s main sensor throughout most of my time with the telephone, I by no means felt hesitant to present the peripheral lenses their run. Samsung’s digicam app affords fast choices to optical zoom in 3x or 10x because of the 2 corresponding telephoto lenses. In case you’re feeling significantly adventurous, you may punch in digitally for 30x or 100x “Area Zoom,” however I discovered that the acute zoom made extra sense as a magnifying glass than an precise digicam.

You’ll be able to take a look at the total vary of zooms for your self and determine the place your cutoff level could be.

As you may see, when you stretch previous 10x zoom, you’re doing so at the price of colours and particulars, although for a smartphone digicam these are mightily spectacular outcomes. You’ll be able to nonetheless determine the weathervane at 30x, however the shingles and red-painted wooden are far darker than in actuality. At 100x, the form of the duck continues to be clear, although there are some odd colour results across the edges. That mentioned, Samsung’s picture stabilization is superb at these longer lengths and nearly eradicated my shaky fingers.

Irrespective of which digicam you utilize, you’re sure to note Samsung’s barely oversaturated colour profile. Sure hues, largely reds and greens, come again far richer than actuality, particularly the pepperoni on the pizza under. The grass at Yankee Stadium wasn’t that inexperienced, however it’s nonetheless higher than the product on the sector (sorry, Yankees followers).

General, Samsung’s digicam app stays top-of-the-line, particularly should you like management. The big viewfinder is surrounded by settings that allow you to management all the pieces from the side ratio to devoted taking pictures modes for meals and panoramas. If that’s not sufficient, the default app packs a Professional mode, which swaps the controls to focus in your ISO, shutter velocity, white steadiness, and extra. If that’s nonetheless not sufficient, there’s Skilled RAW. Samsung’s strongest digicam app doesn’t come put in by default, however should you obtain it you may then export photos in RAW format to dig into the enhancing course of utilizing Lightroom or every other platform you favor.

Samsung shipped its premium flagship with Android 12 onboard, and it’s nonetheless there — for now. The Android 13 replace isn’t too far off, however the newest era of One UI software program is already glorious. It incorporates among the greatest Materials You customization choices with intelligent Samsung options that make one-handed use that a lot simpler. One UI won’t ever be the lightest Android pores and skin, however it’s sure to stay some of the feature-rich.

I significantly recognize that Samsung has lastly accepted Google Messages as its default SMS app. It’s not Google Messages as you generally understand it, nevertheless, it has some Samsung twists. As an alternative of launching your conversations to the highest of the expansive show, they begin about midway up, making them a lot simpler to achieve. It’s a small contact however a welcome one for these of us with small fingers.

The Galaxy S22 Extremely’s S Pen integration is one other good instance of what the telephone will get proper. The place its predecessor required an exterior stylus and a pairing course of, the interior housing implies that the S Pen springs to life the second you set it free. It’s change into a go-to for fast note-taking, and the flexibility to double as a distant shutter button isn’t half dangerous, both.

Nevertheless, there’s nonetheless a little bit little bit of bloatware out of the field, which is disappointing for a tool of this stature. You must inform Samsung that you don’t have any curiosity in further Microsoft apps (except you do need them, after all), and the Galaxy Retailer is all too pleased to ship push notifications for video games you’re not fascinated by.

Whereas bloatware and app retailer advertisements won’t ever have a spot in my coronary heart, Samsung’s unimaginable replace promise will get quite a lot of love. The Galaxy S22 Extremely is primed for 4 full Android updates and 5 years of safety protection. It’ll keep present by Android 16 and into early 2027 earlier than it heads out to pasture. That is past every other Android OEM available on the market, and it retains Samsung’s flagships among the many best to suggest for long-term worth.

Though we’ll come again to the design itself (in a barely much less constructive gentle), there’s no denying that the Galaxy S22 Extremely is constructed to final. It’s a large slab of Gorilla Glass and Armor Aluminum wrapped up with an IP68 score to face as much as the weather. The general package deal oozes high quality, not simply because it has a sure heft whenever you decide it up.

Samsung’s Phantom finishes have been a few of our favorites when launched on the Galaxy S21 collection, they usually stay glorious. The black satin glass has hardly aged within the months since launch and continues to really feel glorious in my hand. My Galaxy S22 Extremely has admittedly taken a tumble or two, however it isn’t exhibiting any put on.

As for the show, Samsung’s behemoth 6.8-inch AMOLED is nearly as good as they arrive. Regardless of loads of use (and a a number of journeys throughout the nation to numerous members of the Android Authority group), it solely reveals one minor scratch on its Gorilla Glass Victus Plus show, and the 120Hz refresh charge and Quad HD decision make the blemish straightforward to disregard. The Galaxy S22 Extremely is without doubt one of the brightest telephones I’ve used, providing a peak brightness of 1,750 nits that stands as much as the solar with out challenge. It homes the 40MP punch gap selfie digicam and the ultrasonic fingerprint reader, each of which have continued to excel since launch.

The Galaxy S22 Extremely’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor (within the US) could be a double-edged sword total, however it stays a pointy performer half a yr after its introduction. It breezed by all the pieces I threw at it, together with 4 hours of Spotify streaming and GPS navigation on a highway journey throughout Pennsylvania. Qualcomm’s flagship chipset nonetheless runs sizzling beneath load, however I discovered it greater than able to getting the job accomplished.

You can even pair the premium processor with as much as 12GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB of storage, even when it’s greater than most individuals want. The bottom configuration drops to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, however I nonetheless discovered it greater than enough all through my testing. It’s value taking a look at elevated base storage, provided that there’s no choice for a microSD card, however you may at all times join extra cloud storage to economize.

As for connectivity, the Galaxy S22 Extremely sports activities Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, which proceed to set the usual amongst flagships. It additionally packs NFC, vital for Samsung Pay (or Google Pay, relying in your desire).

Though the Galaxy S22 Extremely units the usual for Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 gadgets, it’s behind the curve in comparison with the newer Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. The Asus ROG Telephone 6 Professional and OnePlus 10T go away Samsung’s prime canine behind because of their half-generation enhancements, with the primary increase coming to sustained efficiency. However, it’s nonetheless a really highly effective smartphone. For these in areas with the Exynos 2200 variant, the reward isn’t fairly so effusive, although it’s nonetheless a wonderfully succesful flagship-tier gadget for day-to-day use.

What’s outdated is new once more, proper, Samsung? Hold your apple-bottom denims within the closet, we’re speaking about charging. Samsung launched 45W wired charging on its Galaxy Observe collection a couple of years again earlier than knocking it again all the way down to 25W in current generations. Now, the highest speeds are again as soon as once more — so long as you will have a succesful charger.

The Galaxy S22 Extremely calls for a USB PD PPS-capable charger to achieve its high-speed potential, and it’s well worth the funding. My testing achieved a full cost from round 5% remaining in simply over 70 minutes. It’s a lot quicker than even a 30W charger, which took practically an additional half-hour to fill the hefty cell. Try our information for some recommendation on the greatest Galaxy S22 chargers to purchase.

Samsung’s 15W wi-fi and 4.5W reverse wi-fi speeds are good, although neither is especially helpful in a rush. You’ll be able to count on to spend two hours tethered to the wall on a appropriate wi-fi pad, whereas the reverse wi-fi choice is greatest saved for earbuds and wearables. I had to make use of it as soon as in an emergency scenario, however it was barely well worth the battery drain on my secondary gadget.

The not so good

Incomes our prime award and coming residence with greater than 4 stars makes it robust to search out a lot unsuitable with a tool. Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely nonetheless isn’t good. We’ll skip over the dearth of expandable storage, headphone jack, or a charger within the field (three omissions that, for higher or worse, are widespread on nearly all fashionable premium flagships), however there are a couple of different shortcomings value mentioning.

The Galaxy S22 Extremely packs a large battery — a full 5,000mAh. It’s sized to rival the most effective flagships available on the market, but I can’t assist feeling prefer it comes up quick. We known as it “adequate” in our preliminary evaluation, however that’s as excessive because the Galaxy S22 Extremely will ever attain.

Whereas I by no means struggled to make it by a full day of utilization throughout my month with the Galaxy S22 Extremely, I by no means got here shut to 2 full days. As an alternative, I typically reached for a charger by lunchtime on my second day. It’s definitely not horrible, however it pales in comparison with the iPhone 13 Professional Max, a telephone I’ve discovered can simply push by two full days of use in testing.

Sadly, among the battery woes will be traced again to the Galaxy S22 Extremely’s processor. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has been chewing by battery life on a number of gadgets launched in early 2022, with little hope of a treatment. It returned underwhelming outcomes on Samsung’s different Galaxy S22 gadgets, and a large battery isn’t sufficient to save lots of the Extremely. The tendency to run sizzling implies that as soon as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 kicks into excessive gear, there’s no good solution to gradual the battery drain outdoors of shortly toggling Energy Saving.

The Galaxy S22 Extremely’s battery life is way from dangerous, however it’s one of many areas the place the telephone doesn’t stay as much as its “Extremely” moniker.

Sure, the Galaxy S22 Extremely is constructed to final, with premium supplies and a sturdy design, however so is a tank. Sadly, the 2 are on equal footing relating to intercourse attraction, too.

Samsung’s extensive, flat slab is devoid of virtually any persona, and what it does have is fully borrowed. Its dimension and form are pulled from its Galaxy Observe cousin, whereas the digicam format is nicked from its predecessor and slimmed down. There’s nothing inherently unsuitable with reusing design parts, just like the built-in S Pen slot, however it’s additionally honest to count on distinctive and thrilling options when dropping $1,200 on a smartphone.

A few of Samsung’s different model selections draw ire for the truth that they make life tougher. The shiny body, for instance, is sort of a magnet relating to fingerprints. It picks up noticeable smudges from the minute you decide it up within the morning till the time you go to mattress.

Then, there’s the waterfall show. Many people at Android Authority have by no means been shy about airing our grievances in opposition to the design selection, however the Galaxy S22 Extremely’s curved show edges are extra annoying than most. I discovered myself cleansing up a number of typos per day ensuing from unintentional button pushes alongside the sides of the keyboard. I’m prepared accountable my fats fingers to some extent, however I’ve by no means had this a lot hassle on different waterfall panels like that of the Pixel 6 Professional.

That mentioned, you would possibly love the Galaxy S22 Extremely’s design. It’s tailored for energy customers and Galaxy Observe followers, and also you’ll in all probability find yourself slapping a case on it anyway.

It’s not at all times straightforward for a smartphone to drag double obligation. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely needed to fulfill followers of each the Galaxy S collection and Galaxy Observe collection and it discovered a manner to take action. All it took was throwing the kitchen sink on the drawback and never reducing corners alongside the way in which.

Regardless of the Galaxy S22 Extremely’s few flaws — the battery life and comparatively uninspired design — the flagship stays top-of-the-line all-around telephones you should buy proper now. It’s constructed to final because of its mixture of Gorilla Glass Victus Plus and Armor Aluminum with an IP68 score on prime and a long-term replace dedication to match. Samsung’s productiveness powerhouse affords way over easy fan service to these lacking the Galaxy Observe 20 Extremely, with in-depth S Pen integration and the return of a built-in housing. We’re nonetheless impressed by its all-star set of cameras, and 45W wired charging needs to be the baseline for flagships, not the outlier.

Regardless of all of that, the premium flagship market is extremely aggressive. It not takes $1,200 to get a superb all-around gadget, because the Pixel 6 Professional ($899 at Amazon) demonstrates. Google’s flagship leapfrogs the Galaxy S22 Extremely for fast updates, and it affords picture processing that’s among the many greatest within the enterprise — all for $300 much less at MSRP. Apple’s iPhone 14 Professional Max ($1099 at Greatest Purchase) is one other premium choice that undercuts the Galaxy S22 Extremely, although it requires a transfer to iOS. It pushes a smaller battery to unimaginable lengths because of spectacular optimization and could be the one flagship to rival Samsung’s software program dedication.

Fancy splashing much more money? The place the Galaxy S22 Extremely is Samsung’s secure wager, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 ($1799.99 at Samsung) is the place it seems to innovate with refinements to the folding kind issue it has pioneered around the globe. It’s definitely not low-cost, the crease continues to be there, and the upgraded cameras aren’t fairly as spectacular as these on the Extremely, however should you’re seeking to stay life don’t the leading edge, the Fold 4 is Samsung’s greatest and boldest play.

What do you suppose — is the Galaxy S22 Extremely nonetheless value shopping for? Tell us within the ballot under.