Samsung Galaxy S22+ review: a good phone playing it safe

The 120Hz AMOLED display looks fantastic with vibrant colours, good viewing angles and an extremely high peak brightness of 1,750nits (a standard measure of screen brightness), which is enabled when in direct sunlight making it easier to see outdoors than its rivals.

In the US the S22+ has the standard top Android chip for 2022 from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. But in the EU it has a Samsung Exynos 2200 with the first mobile graphics processor designed by AMD, the company behind the chips used in the Xbox Series X and PS5 games consoles.

Testing the EU version, general performance was excellent, although not perceptibly faster than the already snappy models of last year. Gaming performance of the AMD graphics was more variable than Qualcomm-using competitors, likely requiring optimisation for games.

Samsung does not provide an expected lifespan for the battery. Those in similar devices typically maintain at least 80% of their original capacity for at least 500 full charge cycles.

Several internal components are made from 20% recycled nylon or plastic. Samsung offers trade-in and recycling schemes for old devices. The company publishes annual sustainability reports but not impact assessments for individual products.

The S22+ ships with OneUI 4.1, which is based on the latest version of Android 12 and receives prompt updates unlike some competitors. It is a refined version of Android that offers plenty of customisation options and useful tools.

The S22+ has a triple camera system on the back: a 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera.

The ultra-wide camera produces slightly crisper images in good light and handles lower light levels better than before. The 10MP selfie camera did an excellent job of balancing detail and grain in fairly challenging light, producing pleasing, detailed shots the majority of the time.

The Samsung Galaxy S22+ costs from £949 ($999/A$1,549) with 128GB of storage.

For comparison, the Galaxy S22 costs £769, the S22 Ultra costs £1,149, the Z Flip 3 costs £949, the Google Pixel 6 Pro costs £849 and the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max costs £1,049.

The screen is great, the camera is good, performance is snappy and the battery life is reasonable. These are all big upgrades on old models, but no more than expected in a top phone in 2022.

The S22+ feels nicer and is easier to hold than many rivals. In theory it is more durable, made from stronger aluminium and the hardest smartphone glass available.

Buy it at lower than RRP, around the £750-£800 that previous models have been readily been available, and it offers a lot of phone for the money. Keep it for the five years you can safely use it thanks to security updates and it offers better value than many cheaper rivals.