Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S22: Should you upgrade?

The long-running Samsung Galaxy S phone lineup now has some new models with the Galaxy S22 series. That includes the standard S22 and the bigger S22 Plus. However, if you already have a 2021 Galaxy S21 or S21 Plus, should you rush out and grab these new editions? Here’s our first look at the Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S22 phones, and we let you know if you should upgrade or not.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S22

Design and display

On the surface, the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus look nearly the same, design-wise, as the older S21 and S21 Plus, with flat screens and rounded bodies for both sets of phones. You are getting a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED flat display on the standard S22, with a bigger 6.6-inch screen on the Plus model. Both displays have an FHD+ resolution, and both support a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

By comparison, the older S21 and S21 Plus are bigger phones with larger displays, at 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively. Both the S21 and S22 phones have a punch-hole front-facing camera on the top of the display.

You may remember that the standard S21 model had glass on the front and a “glassic” back, while the S21 Plus was all glass in an aluminum frame. S22 and S22 Plus buyers will be happy to learn that the phone has glass on both the front and back this time. The rear camera bump design, placed on the top left of the phone’s back, is the same on the S22 and S22 Plus models as it was on the S21 counterparts.

Hardware and cameras

The older Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip inside for the US market and Samsung’s own Exynos 2100 chipset for other international markets. The new Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus models get the brand new powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC processor if you live in the US and the new Samsung Exynos 2200 chip for other parts of the world. The old and new phones all come with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB for onboard storage options.

Perhaps because the new S22 and S22 Plus phones are smaller than the older S21 models, Samsung decided to use smaller batteries. While the S21 had a 4,000mAh battery, the S22 only had a 3,700mAh battery. The S22 Plus has a 4,500mAh battery size, compared to the 4,800mAh battery found inside the S21 Plus. Both of the older phones support 25W wired charging, as does the new S22, but if you get the S22 Plus, you get upgraded to 45W charging support. All of the phones support 15W wireless charging, along with reverse wireless charging. However, none of them include a charger in the box, so you need to get a compatible charger on your own.

People who need better cameras in their phones should be pleased with the upgrades in the S22 models. While the S21 and S21 Plus had a 12MP main rear camera, the S22, and S22 Plus boosts that sensor up to 50MP. The telephoto lens on the S21 and S21 Plus had a 64MP sensor, but the S22 and S22 Plus lenses went down to just 12MP. However, the hardware inside that lens is still supposed to be an improvement. The S22 phones have the same 12MP ultrawide sensor as the S21. The front-facing camera gets a big boost, from just 10MP on the S21 models to 40MP on the S22 phones.

The Galaxy S21 phones went on sale with One UI 3.1, based on Android 11, pre-installed. They have since received an over-the-air update to the current One UI 4-Android 12. The phones will get at least two more major annual software updates and three more years of security updates. The Samsung Galaxy S22 phones will have One UI 4 based on Android 12 installed. Samsung claims the new phones will get four years of major software upgrades and five years of security upgrades.

Alternatives

If you are a Galaxy S21 owner that wants something bigger and more advanced than the S22 or S22 Plus, look no further than the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It has more storage and RAM options, better cameras, a larger screen, and it comes with an embedded S Pen.

You might also want to consider getting the Google Pixel 6 phone. It has a custom processor, impressive camera hardware, and software, and you should get the latest Android OS updates much faster. All of that comes with a pretty reasonable price tag starting at $599.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S22: Price and colors

Launch prices for the S21 and S21 Plus were the same as this year’s new models. You can still get the S21 and S21 Plus on Samsung’s official site, although only in a renewed condition. The 128GB model comes in Phantom Violet, Phantom Gray, Phantom Pink, and Phantom White, while the 256GB version is only available in Phantom Gray for the S21 and Phantom Black for the S21 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S22:  Specs

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S22: Should you upgrade?

Owners of the Samsung Galaxy S21 don’t have a lot of incentive to upgrade right away. Yes, you are getting new processors with the S22 phones, and there are some solid camera hardware improvements. However, the older S21 phones are a bit bigger than the new S22 models and have bigger batteries.

If you own the S21 or S21 Plus, we suggest skipping a generation and getting one from the Galaxy S23 series instead. There simply isn’t enough that’s new with the S22 phones to justify a switch, and, likely, you don’t want to trade in your older phone for a newer one that’s a bit smaller.