The Samsung Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra are the top models for 2022. With Apple’s iPhone 13-series already on the market, there are a lot of good reasons to compare these two device families. Both are seen as the best phones for their respective platforms, and they come with large ecosystems and a wide range of cases and third-party accessories.
We’ll compare the basic iPhone 13 and the Samsung Galaxy S22 to help you decide which of these two phones you should buy. They are the basic models of each line, and they have more in common with each other than with other lines.
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and Apple’s iPhone 13 are made for two types of customers: those who want a “new flagship” but don’t want to pay too much and those who don’t want a big flagship phone. At the moment, both phones cost $699 and have “just” 6.1-inch screens (measured diagonally, so the actual height of the phones is well under 6 inches). This means that both phones are a good fit for those two groups.
Both the iPhone 13 and the Galaxy S22 are slab phones made of glass and metal. The front and back are made of toughened glass, and the aluminum frames are strong. Both are small, light, and easy to hold with one hand. They will also fit in most pockets.
Price and availability
When they first came out, there wasn’t much difference in price between the Galaxy S22 and the iPhone 13. Both cost $799. But since the iPhone 14 line came out, the prices of older models have gone down. Because of this, you can now buy an iPhone 13 for $699. This model has the same amount of storage as the S22, which is 128GB.
When you add storage, things start to get interesting. The 256GB model of the iPhone 13 costs $799, while the 512GB model costs $999. The 256GB Galaxy S22 only costs $50 more than the base model, but after Apple cut the price of the iPhone 13, the 256GB iPhone 13 is now cheaper than Samsung’s model.
Since there is no 512GB model of the Galaxy S22, you have to get an iPhone if you want the most storage space. With the best iPhone 13 deals, you can save money on Apple’s best phone. Same goes for Samsung devices and the best deals on Galaxy S22.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Comparison Table
| Feature | Samsung Galaxy S22 | iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.2-inch AMOLED, 2400 x 1080 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 2532 x 1170 pixels, 60Hz |
| Processor | Exynos 2200 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 | A15 Bionic chip |
| RAM | 8GB or 12GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP primary, 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto | 12MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide |
| Front Camera | 10MP | 12MP |
| Battery | 4,000mAh | Not specified |
| Operating System | Android 13 | iOS 15 |
| Water Resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Official Website Link | Visit website | Visit Website |
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13 Design and displays
At first glance, the Galaxy S22 looks a lot like its predecessor, the Galaxy S21. However, it is made of glass all the way through (no plastic). It also has a 6.1-inch OLED screen with slightly curved sides and a screen refresh rate that can go up to 120Hz. There is a punch hole selfie camera in the middle of the top of that screen.
The front and back of the iPhone 13 are also made of Gorilla Glass, but the edges are much flatter. The iPhone 13 is very similar to the iPhone 12 (except for the notch), but unlike the S22, it doesn’t have a 120Hz screen. Instead, it has a standard 60Hz screen.
The variable 120Hz refresh rate means that the screen on the Galaxy S22 can feel twice as smooth. The iPhone 13 beats the S22, though, because its screen resolution is better: 2532 by 1170 pixels, while the S22’s is only 2340 by 1080. The iPhone 13 also has more pixels per inch (457 PPI) than the Galaxy S22 (422 PPI), which might make the screen on the iPhone 13 look a little bit sharper.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13 Cameras
When the iPhone 13 models came out, they quickly became known as some of the best camera phones. It’s easy to see why when you look at the hardware improvements Apple made. The main sensor in the iPhone 13 is bigger than the one in the iPhone 12, which means that it lets in more light.
Both the wide and ultrawide lenses on the iPhone 13 still use 12MP cameras. The main sensor on the Galaxy S22 has been upgraded to 50MP, and the ultrawide angle camera has a wider field of view than older Samsung models. More importantly, the Galaxy S22 now has a 3x optical zoom instead of the Galaxy S21’s 3x hybrid zoom. Since the iPhone 13 doesn’t have a telephoto lens, the Galaxy S22 is much better in terms of cameras.
The iPhone tries very hard to keep up with the Galaxy S22 by taking this picture of the Oakland skyline with a digital zoom. But if you look at the picture closely, you can see that it has some blurring and noise. Even at 3x, the photos from the S22 are still pretty clear. You can still read the letters on the Tribune Tower.
When comparing pictures taken with the same kind of lens, however, things are a bit more even. Either the Galaxy S22 or iPhone 13 photo of this frog statue would be fine, though I think the colors are a little too bright on the Galaxy S22. Not only does the iPhone 13 picture look more natural, but the frog has deeper shades of green and the purple flowers on the ice plants are brighter.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13 Software
The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with the Android 12 operating system and Samsung One UI 4.1 home software on top. While Android 12 brings improvements to performance and security. The iPhone 13 comes with iOS 15, which improves FaceTime and supports a new feature that uses the iPhone 13’s wide selfie camera to zoom in on the user and follow them around during calls.
iOS 15 also adds a new feature called “Notification Summary and Focus” and lets you copy or translate text from images. iOS 15 lets you add widgets to the home screen along with app icons, and swiping to the left of the home screen brings up an app library where you can quickly access all installed apps.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13 Performance
As mentioned, the iPhone 13 has a more powerful chip, and this is noticeable when doing intensive tasks like rendering 4k videos. It’s just faster on the iPhone 13 than on the Galaxy S22. But other than this and a few other niche tasks for power users, the Galaxy S22 will work fine. In fact, the software on the Galaxy S22 can do more things.
Samsung DeX really opens up the possibilities, which makes Samsung’s phone a better work machine, or so some people say. A big benefit that iPhones still don’t have is the ability to open two apps at once. But the Galaxy S22 is also a bit better for playing games or watching videos because its screen isn’t as scratched up.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13 Battery life and charging
The Galaxy S22 has a smaller battery than the Galaxy S21, which had a 4,090 mAH battery. The new phones use a 3,700 mAH battery. On the other hand, Apple went in the opposite direction and made the batteries in every iPhone 13 model bigger. Apple doesn’t say how big its batteries are, but teardowns show that the iPhone 13’s battery is 3,095 mAh.
After testing each phone, we can see how the battery sizes of two different phone brands affect each other. In our battery test, we set the iPhone 13’s screen brightness to 150 nits and had it surf the web over 5G until the battery died. The iPhone 13 lasted for 10 hours and 33 minutes.
The iPhone 13’s time is better than average for a smartphone, and it’s also 2 hours faster than the iPhone 12’s time on this test. Not as well as the Galaxy S22. It didn’t last 8 hours. We were only able to get the Galaxy S22 to last 8 hours and 2 minutes on our test by turning off its adaptive refresh rate.
With charging speeds, Samsung makes up a little ground. The Galaxy S22 can be charged at 25W, while the iPhone 13 can only be charged at 20W. This means that you can charge your Samsung phone faster. We got a dead Galaxy S22 to 60% after 30 minutes of charging, but the iPhone 13 only got to 51% in that time.
Samsung Galaxy S22: Pros and Cons
Pros
- High refresh rate and resolution make for a great display.
- The camera setup is flexible and has advanced features.
- Rating of IP68 for water resistance.
Cons
- No jack for headphones.
- There is no microSD card slot for adding more space.
- Some people may think it’s too expensive.
iPhone 13: Pros and Cons
Pros
- The camera system is impressive and has advanced features.
- Long battery life and the ability to charge quickly.
- The Ceramic Shield front cover makes it last longer.
Cons
- No jack for headphones.
- The base model has few storage options.
- There is no way to add more space with a microSD card slot.
Which one should you consider?
After a rough start, the iPhone 13 came back like a storm and won this round. Most of the time, this was a battle of inches. The iPhone won in a few categories, like performance and battery life, but not by much.
The Galaxy S22 is still one of the best phones on the market because it has a great 120Hz display, a beautiful design, an excellent triple camera array, and long software support. Even though it lost in a few other categories, I think the battery life is the only one that could really be a problem for some people.
On the other hand, the iPhone 13 has a great new main camera, a battery that lasts a long time, a chip that looks like it was made by Tony Stark, and software support that will probably last as long as you own the phone.
FAQs
Is iPhone better than Samsung Galaxy S22?
When all the models and options are taken into account, the iPhone 14 Pro Max stands out as the best iPhone overall. It has the latest A16 Bionic processor, the best iPhone camera system to date, and a dynamic design that beats even last year’s lineup.
Which is better S22 or iPhone 13?
The iPhone 13 beats the S22, though, because its screen has a higher resolution: 2532 by 1170 pixels instead of 2340 by 1080. Also, the iPhone 13 has more pixels per inch (457 PPI) than the Galaxy S22 (422 PPI), which might make the iPhone 13’s screen look a little bit sharper.
