Today we are going to take a look at two famous smartphones: Samsung S22 versus the popular iPhone 13. After all, Samsung and Apple are two major companies that set off the trend in the smartphone market.
Each device has its own strengths and weaknesses. Samsung comes with a brighter display and a new chipset. Not to forget about the much-improved cameras, particularly the telephoto lens. We consider this a key improvement because the competition didn’t show an interest in having this.
On the other hand, Apple’s CPU A15 Bionic has the best performance we have seen so far. With this technological advantage, Apple will keep its phones faster than the competition for years. Plus, on this device, Apple paid special attention to the battery life. Not something we see every day.
Device Spec
| Samsung Galaxy S22 | iPhone 13 | |
| Screen size | 6.1 inches (2340 x 1080) | 6.1 inches (2532 x 1170) |
| Refresh rate | 48Hz-120Hz adaptive | 60Hz |
| CPU | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US); Exynos 2200 (K) | A15 Bionic |
| RAM | 8GB | 4GB (based on teardowns) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear cameras | 50MP wide (f/1.8); 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2); 10MP telephoto (f/2.4) with 3x optical zoom | 12MP main (f/1.6), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.4) |
| Front camera | 10MP (f/2.2) | 12MP (f/2.2) |
| Battery size | 3,700 mAh | 3,227 mAh (based on teardowns) |
| Battery life (Hrs:Mins) | 7:51 | 10:33 |
| Charging speeds | 25W wired, 15W wireless | 20W wired; 15W wireless |
| Size | 5.7 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches |
| Weight | 5.9 ounces | 6.14 ounces |
| Colours | Black, white, green, pink gold | Black, white, blue, pink, red |
Display & Design
Both companies show a lack of creativity when it comes to the design part. S22 look similar to its predecessor and the same applies to the iPhone 13. Have a look at the previous Gadgethor article where we have compared the last two models.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Design
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The Galaxy S22 has the same old Contour Cut design. This feature allows the phone’s rear camera array to easily blend into the side of the device. The materials that are used to make the phone have ocean-bound recycled plastics. One big change compared to S21 is the fact the back of the device is made out primarily of glass. It is using Gorilla Glass Victus for both the front and the back. Having this feature, the Galaxy S22 becomes more durable. The available colours are Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Pink Gold.
iPhone 13 Design
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On the other hand, iPhone 13 came up with two major design changes. First, the cameras on the rear have a new orientation. Instead of vertically, the cameras are arranged diagonally. Second, and more importantly in our opinion, the notch got smaller, around 20%. Even though smaller it still delivers the same great TrueDepth camera system and Face ID. You will start to appreciate the new notch more when you are using apps with a white background. A good example is Gmail. One other difference is the location of the power button. It is lower on the right side. The same applies to the ringer switch and volume buttons on the left side. When it comes to the colour, you can choose between black, white, blue, pink and red.
Display Review
The Galaxy S22 has a 6.2-inch display which offers more space than the iPhone 13’s 6.1-inch screen. Not to forget to mention, there’s no notch on the Samsung device. Instead, we only see a punch-hole cutout in the top centre for the front camera. When it comes to brightness, Samsung wins big time. They have increased the brightness on all S22 models. The maxim is 1,300 nits compared to 800 nits measured on iPhone 13. So, when you are on the beach enjoying the sun, you will have no trouble reading our article on the Samsung device.
Camera
Apple has made some hardware improvements and claimed to have the best camera. They increased the size of the main sensor compared to the iPhone 12. So, it allows more light to come through. But compared with the Galaxy S22 where the sensor got to a whopping 50MP, plus the telephoto lens which Apple is lacking, you can easily pick a winner.
The new S22 has now the feature of 3x optical zoom. The previous model only supported the 3x hybrid zoom. The photos are incredibly sharp at 3x, even to the point where you easily distinguished objects that are far in the background.
When you compare photos taken with the same camera settings there isn’t too much difference. The iPhone’s images tend to be more realistic having natural colours while Samsung is oversaturating them. In a darker environment where the light is dim, Samsung’s photos are brighter than what the iPhone 13 produced.
Performance & Storage
And now Performance. Let’s hear the drums… In this category, the winner is definitely and without any question the iPhone 13 device. And, this is because of its A15 Bionic chip. The Galaxy S22 models have a new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset which is an improvement upon other Android phones, but not compared to the A15 Bionic chip.
As for benchmarks, the iPhone scores 1,684 and 4,129 respectively (based on Geekbench 5) while the Galaxy S22 got the following on the same tests: 1,204 and 3,348. Apple is a winner also when it comes to converting a 4k video. The A15 Bionic chip managed to do the job in just under 26 seconds while the Samsung S22 took almost double the time (47 seconds).
On the Storage side, there is no comparison as both devices come with the same storage option: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB.
Battery Life
The sad news is that Samsung decided to shrink its battery from the 4,090 mAH power pack to a 3,700 mAh battery. Meanwhile, Apple did the opposite and improved the size of the battery but without officially disclosing its actual size.
Based on our tests we managed to get 10h and 20mins with the iPhone 13 and almost 9h with the Galaxy S22. The test was done while having the brightness level of the phone’s screen at 150 nits and browsing online over 5G. For the Samsung device, we turned off its adaptive refresh rate.
Samsung manages to get some extra points with charging speeds. It supports 25W charging, compared to the 20W the iPhone 13 is capable of. In conclusion, the Samsung phone is charging faster. After half an hour of charging, Samsung’s battery got up to 61% when the iPhone 13 only reached 52%.
Last Conclusion
The Samsung S22 takes on the iPhone 13 with a bright display and improved cameras, but is it enough? Let us know in the comments which smartphone you prefer.