5 Reasons to buy the Galaxy S22 – Phandroid

The cat’s finally out of the bag, and Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy S22 lineup. As expected, the lineup is comprised of three different options with the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra. But if you’re on the fence and looking to be convinced that you should buy one of these phones, we’ve compiled a few reasons to buy the Galaxy S22.

The latest and greatest Android phone

While the OnePlus 10 Pro has launched in China and select regions, it is still not yet available here in the States and is not widely available across the globe. By default, the Galaxy S22 lineup brings the latest and greatest features and hardware to the Android space, regardless of where you live.

This means big and vibrant displays, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 processors, and Android 12 out of the box. The Galaxy S22 launch also means that you’ll be able to enjoy new camera hardware and other features without needing to wait around for other flagship phones to hit the market.

Galaxy S22 Ultra is an absolute beast

If you want the biggest screen, with the most powerful processor, and all of the cameras you could want in a smartphone, then the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the phone for you. The camera hardware has been vastly-improved, partly thanks to the new 108MP wide-angle lens that captures even more light and detail than previous Galaxy phones. Samsung even went so far as to release a dedicated app for those who want to take their mobile photography skills to the next level.

And going back to the display, this is the brightest screen that we’ve ever seen on a Galaxy phone, reaching a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, which is just absolutely insane. With the addition of Vision Booster in the software, your Galaxy S22 Ultra will “intelligently” change brightness throughout the day, making the screen viewable even if you’re standing right under direct sunlight.

Then there are the other expected additions such as a big 5,000mAh battery, Wi-Fi 6E support, along with its IP68 water and dust resistance rating. If you want the complete package in any smartphone, you’ll get it with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

If you want an S Pen

Without a doubt, the Galaxy S22 Ultra was the star of the show. Samsung infused the Galaxy Note’s DNA into the Galaxy S22 Ultra by including a built-in S Pen. The writing for this was on the wall last year, as Samsung didn’t even release a Galaxy Note for the first time ever, and instead, brought S Pen support to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and then the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Not only will your S Pen always be with you, removing the frustrating need for a case or other accessories to house the stylus, but it also improved the technology itself. The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s S Pen offers up to 70% lower latency compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, making this the fastest and most responsive S Pen ever. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy all of the same great features offered by the Galaxy Note before it was essentially canceled.

Faster charging

One of the biggest complaints amongst the Samsung faithful is the continued implementation of “slow” charging speeds. While other phone makers like OnePlus and Xiaomi continue to push the limits of how fast you can charge a phone, Samsung has played it safe. That is, until now.

The Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra are capable of reaching wired charging speeds of up to 45W, an increase of 20W over last year’s models. Samsung claims that you’ll be able to record more than 50 minutes of video following just a 10-minute charge. It still falls short of what we see from others in the space, but it’s an enormous step in the right direction.

Software updates are king

Rewind back just four years and think about the state of Android updates. Google and OnePlus were kings, while Samsung had an abysmal record that has somehow been surpassed in awful-ness by Motorola. Nowadays, things are so much different than it’s incredible to think just how far Samsung has come.

Samsung’s recent track record with updates hasn’t been without some hiccups, but that is a trend that we’re seeing across the board. Samsung is looking to stand out from the crowd, and with the release of the Galaxy S22 lineup is making a pretty major splash.

The company has announced that starting with the Galaxy S22 series, its devices will be eligible for a whopping total of four major Android OS upgrades. This means that your Galaxy S22 Ultra that ships with Android 12 will get the Android 16 update in 2026. Samsung is even retroactively making these changes to phones released last year, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and S21 series.

For comparison, Google is “only” offering three major Android OS upgrades to its latest devices, thePixel 6 and 6 Pro. It’s just incredible to see that Samsung, not Google, is pushing the limits of how long our smartphones will be relevant.