Samsung Galaxy S21 Vs S22 : unpacking the key specs

It’s that time of year again when Samsung hosts an Unpacked event to unveil new Galaxy S flagship phones that will compete with the latest iPhones. In reality, it’s another year of triplets from Samsung: the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra are the new versions. This time, they include upgraded features and even some Note-like capabilities in the Ultra variant, which has the S-Pen. But how do these compare to last year’s S21 collection? Is it a worthwhile investment? Should you sit this one out or jump on the S22 bandwagon and place your preorder? Let us compare the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup to its predecessor, the S21 lineup.

GALAXY S22 VS. GALAXY S21

As previously stated, the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra were all released just over a year ago. The S21 was the entry-level (smallest) model in the lineup, with a 6.2-inch OLED display, a Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM, an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, a triple-camera array (12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 64MP telephoto), 8K video recording, wireless charging, and IP68-rated protection starting at $799.

The S21 Plus had all of that with a larger 6.7-inch display and bigger battery for $999. The top-end S21 Ultra was the crème de la crème, with a slightly bigger 6.8-inch display, a whopping 108MP main rear camera, a 40MP front-facing camera — and an equally whopping starting price of $1,199. It also had support for the S-Pen, which was a tease of what’s to come.

Finally, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, like the S21 Ultra, has a 6.8-inch screen, but its 120Hz display can now dip all the way down to 1Hz to save battery power when that ultra-fast speed isn’t required — such as while viewing a still image. In terms of photography, the S22 Ultra has the same camera specs as last year’s Ultra, however Samsung is pushing fresh claims of enhanced low-light performance across the board.

The S22 Ultra also acts as the spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note range, complete with an inbuilt S-Pen that merges into the chassis. If you’ve been a long-time Note user who’s been waiting for an update, the Ultra could be great.

But wait, there’s one more phone we can’t leave out. The Galaxy S21 FE was released last month, bringing the S21 line to a close (short for Fan Edition). This one is intended to be the more affordable option without descending into the more humble Galaxy A models. It makes few compromises, matching the S21 in most specs but downgrading the RAM and telephoto camera while sporting a 6.4-inch screen size that falls between the S21 and S21 Plus. Its $699 pricing puts it within $100 of the outgoing S21 and new S22, so it may be worth considering only if it appears in any impending offers.

So there’s a lot to unpack there (sorry). If you’re looking for the latest and greatest, you might evaluate your chosen taste and size of the Galaxy S22 lineup, but when you compare the features, you’ll notice that this year appears to have primarily minor modifications. However, if you’ve been studying the ways of the Samsung S-Pen and have been experiencing a Note-sized hole in your heart, you might find a lot to adore in the S22 Ultra. We’ll be sure to give you our thoughts once we’ve thoroughly reviewed these new Galaxies.

THE S21 AND S22 SPECS SIDE-BY-SIDE

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