Samsung's flagship Galaxy S series for 2022 is the the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra. It was announced on 9 February and made available to buy on 25 February 2022.

Which of the three devices is the right one for you though? We've compared the specifications of the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra to help you work out what the differences are, and how they stack up against each other.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S22+
$899.99 $999.99 Save $100

From Samsung's 2022 flagship lineup, we think the S22+ is the sweet spot for most people. Excellent cameras, great battery life and a big, beautiful screen.

Design

  • S22: 146 x 70.6 x 7.6mm, 168g
  • S22+: 157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm, 196g
  • S22 Ultra: 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm, 229g

The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus look the same, except for their physical size, while the S22 Ultra features a slight difference in design to its two siblings.

All three devices come with a centralised punch hole camera at the top of their displays, but while the S22 and S22+ have triple rear camera housings colour-matched to the rear of the device, the S22 Ultra comes with a quad rear camera and the lenses sit within the rear of the device rather than within a housing.

The S22 Ultra also offers an S Pen built into its design, like the Galaxy Note series used to offer.

The S22 and S22+ come in white, pink, phantom green and black colour options. The S22 Ultra comes in black, green, burgundy and white.

Waterproofing - IP68 to be precise - is on board all three models, and all three models offer a glass rear.

Display

  • S22: 6.1-inch, Full HD+, flat, 10-120Hz refresh rate
  • S22+: 6.6-inch, Full HD+, flat, 10-120Hz refresh rate
  • S22 Ultra: 6.81-inch, Quad HD+, curved, 1-120Hz refresh rate

The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a 6.1-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution, while the S22+ has a 6.6-inch display, again with a Full HD+ resolution.

Their displays are flat, and they offer support for HDR10+, as well as a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz.

The S22 Ultra meanwhile, has a 6.81-inch display with a Quad HD+ resolution, making it the largest and sharpest of the three devices. It is also slightly curved at the edges rather than flat, but like the S22 and S22+, it supports HDR10+. It also offers a variable refresh rate, though this is between 1Hz and 120Hz.

All three devices offer under-display fingerprint sensors and they all come with a feature called Eye Comfort Shield with AI-based blue light control.

Samsung Galaxy S22
Samsung Galaxy S22

Hardware and specs

  • S22: Qualcomm SD 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 3700mAh battery
  • S22+: Qualcomm SD 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4500mAh battery
  • S22 Ultra: Qualcomm SD 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256/512GB/1TB storage, 5000mAh battery

All three of the Samsung Galaxy S22 devices run on either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, or the Exynos 2200 chipset, depending on the region. Qualcomm will be under the hood in the US and Exynos in the UK, which has been the case for a number of years now.

The S22 and S22+ both come with 8GB of RAM and storage options of 128GB and 256GB. The S22 Ultra however, comes in 8GB and 12GB RAM options, with storage options of 128GB for the 8GB model, and 256GB, 512GB and 1TB for the 12GB model. None of the models offer microSD support.

In terms of battery capacity, the S22 has a 3700mAh battery and support for 25W fast charging, the S22+ has a 4500mAh battery and support for 45W charging, and the S22 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery capacity and it too supports 45W fast charging. The charger is not included in any of the boxes though, with just the USB-C to USB-C cable offered.

In terms of battery life, the larger cells in the S22+ and S22 Ultra mean they offer better life than the smaller S22 - with the S22 Ultra then putting greater demands on the battery because of the larger display.

Camera

  • S22/S22+: Triple rear (50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto)
  • S22 Ultra: Quad rear (108MP main, 12MP ultrawide, two 10MP telephoto sensors)

The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ have a triple rear camera, made up of a 50-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture and OIS, plus a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens offers 3x optical zoom.

On the front of both the S22 and the S22+, there is a 10-megapixel snapper with f/2.2 aperture.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 Ultra features a quad rear camera setup, consisting of a 108-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture, and two 10MP telephoto lenses - one with an f/4.9 aperture and 10x zoom, the other with f/2.4 aperture and 3x zoom.

The front camera also steps it up a notch compared to the standard Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+, with a 40-megapixel lens offering an f/2.2 aperture.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is a step up in offering over the other models, offering the better camera experience.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Taking inspiration from the retired Note series, the latest Samsung flagship boats a typically brilliant design and camera performance.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ share the same design and the same specifications, except for physical size, battery capacity and fast charging capabilities.

The S22 Ultra is the largest of the three devices and the most capable in terms of camera. It also offers a bump in display resolution and a lower refresh rate capability, and it has more RAM and storage options, as well as a larger battery capacity. Additionally, it offers the S Pen built into it, differentiating it further from the other two handsets and offering a range of additional options.

You pay the price for the S22 Ultra though, even though it is the clear winner in terms of specs, so consider what features are most important to you and weigh up whether they are worth the cash. You might find the standard Galaxy S22 models meet your needs and you can save yourself some money instead.