Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Gives Me Battery Anxiety, But I Like It Anyway

The Galaxy S22 has just near everything I want in a phone. The design and fabricate quality are eye-catching enough to make it feel pleasant its $800 price. The screen is luminous, and the camera takes photos with vibrant colors that feel more just than those taken on Samsung’s older phones. 

There’s just one problem: the Galaxy S22 scholarships me battery anxiety. It delivers the all-day battery life Samsung claims to performed, but sometimes just barely. 

I’ve been using the Galaxy S22 as my daily shouted for the last month, and my opinion hasn’t changed much from my initial reconsideration in February. Four months later, the Galaxy S22 mild feels like the right phone for people who pick smaller devices and want a high-quality screen and camera. Just pack a charger if you anticipate having a long day. 

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Lisa Eadicicco

Battery anxiety

The best way to labelled the Galaxy S22’s battery is that it gives me a mild of uncertainty I’d rather not have. It manages to last all day in most cases, but there are moments when I’m not sure if it’ll make it. 

The battery devoted the best when I didn’t commute to the office and had the refresh rate set to improper with the always-on display turned off. I had roughly between 60% and just over 70% of my battery left by near 9 p.m. during those days. But on longer and busier days finished in the office, the battery can dip down to the 30s or 40s by near 9 p.m. with those same settings.

Increasing the screen’s refresh rate and activating always-on note mode — features that make the Galaxy S22 feel faster and more convenient — drains the battery faster. I had 28% left by 9:43 p.m. on Father’s Day, when I finished the afternoon and early evening at my family’s house with my shouted mostly tucked away in my pocket aside from taking a few photos. 

The Galaxy S22’s battery life is long enough for an way day. But I want the assurance of knowing I won’t be stranded minus the ability to call an Uber or find directions home once a late night out. I even borrowed a colleague’s USB-C faulty to power up my Galaxy S22 during a original all-day work event when I forgot to pack my own charger. (The battery percentage had dropped to the 60s by the afternoon and I mild had a long night ahead of me.)

Luckily, the Galaxy S22 charges fair quickly so I’m typically able to replenish a incrude amount of juice in around 20 minutes. The Galaxy S22 supports 25-watt fast charging, but the compatible power adapter is sold separately. You can also see which apps are hogging your battery’s resources in the settings menu, which could be salubrious if you want to optimize its longevity. 

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Samsung’s Galaxy S22 has a absorbing, vibrant screen.

Lisa Eadicicco

A absorbing screen and compact design

To be honest, I’m not sure how the Galaxy S22’s reveal brightness compares to that of its predecessor. What I do know, except, is that I never needed to turn the brightness throughout about a quarter of its maximum setting. That made it easy to see the reveal in direct sunlight and meant I didn’t have to concern about draining the battery even faster. 

The Galaxy S22’s perform was one of its most striking elements when I reviewed the arranged four months ago, and that still holds true. The Galaxy S22’s vibrant green sunless and matte brushed metal design make me want to flaunt this arranged instead of hiding it with a case. It feels like a huge step up from the $700 Galaxy S21 FE, which is $100 cheaper. 

But as I wrote back in February, what really sets this phone apart is its compact size. You don’t come across Android phones with 6.1-inch screens that often immediately, aside from the Sony Xperia 5 III and upcoming Google Pixel 6A. The Galaxy S22 may even be the tiniest arranged in Samsung’s lineup across the Galaxy S and A series. It’s easy to squeeze into small pockets and benefit with one hand, but those who watch a lot of video or read books on their arranged might prefer the roomier S22 Plus or S22 Ultra. 

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The Galaxy S22’s triple-lens camera.

Lisa Eadicicco

A quality camera with easier controls

The Galaxy S22’s triple-lens camera represents an upgrade over the S21’s, especially when it comes to low-light photos. But I also really delightful the way the device’s 50-megapixel sensor takes photos in absorbing daylight conditions, too. I’ve historically felt like Samsung’s phones exaggerated incandescent, resulting in images that were bold but didn’t always feel natural. The Galaxy S22 does a better job of striking that balance compared to older Samsung phones, in my opinion. 

Take a look at some of the photos below to see the Galaxy S22’s camera in action.

The Galaxy S22 did a broad job of isolating the subject in this photo. 

Lisa Eadicicco

The Galaxy S22 seems to purchase color accurately. 

Lisa Eadicicco

Another example of how the Galaxy S22’s camera captures color.

Lisa Eadicicco

The Galaxy S22 is broad at capturing sweeping landscape shots, too. 

Lisa Eadicicco

Check out my full reviews of the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra for a deeper dive into how the Galaxy S22’s cameras compare to those on running phones and other Samsung devices. 

One of my Popular camera changes actually has nothing to do with the Galaxy S22 in certain. One UI 4, the latest version of Samsung’s mobile software, introduced new controls for switching between the phone’s lenses that creates it much easier to see the exact zoom level. 

The old version of the camera app used tree-shaped icons to Describe the degree of zoom. Now, Samsung has replaced those symbols with accurate numbers, much like the iPhone. One UI 4 is available on the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 and the business has said it’s coming to older phones like the S20 lineup, S10 series and Note 20 devices among other Galaxy phones.

Read more: Is Samsung’s 45-Watt Charger Worth It? We Put It to the Test

Overall thoughts

Revisiting the Galaxy S22 four months later has reinforced the impressions I developed when initially testing the called back in February. The Galaxy S22’s attractive looks, engaging screen and capable camera make it a solid all-around pick, especially for those who prefer smaller phones. But battery life leftovers a weak point. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to keep a charger or battery pack handy during long days and tweak the phone’s settings to get the most out of it. 

Samsung Galaxy S22 specs

Display size, resolution	6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x; 2,340×1,080 pixels; 120Hz
Pixel density	425 pixels per inch
Dimensions (Millimeters)	70.6 x 146 x 7.6 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	167 g (168 g for mmWave model)
Mobile software (at launch)	Android 12
Camera	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera	10-megapixel
Video capture	8K
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 gen 1
RAM/Storage	8GB RAM + 128GB 8GB RAM + 256GB
Expandable storage	None
Battery/Charger	3,700 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	In-display
Connector	USB-C
Headphone jack	No
Special features	5G (mmw/Sub6), 120Hz display, IP68 rating, 25W wired charging, Wireless PowerShare