UP
Our takeEditorialThe S22 is one of the last true compact Android flagships — at refurb prices it earns a look, at Verizon's $699.99 list it does not.
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S22
6.0/10 UpPhone score
Samsung's compact 2022 flagship — small, sharp, and held back by the hot-running Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Storage
Screen
6.1"
Chip
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SM8450 (4 nm)
Camera
50 MP
The verdict, & two little voices
Should you actually get the Samsung Galaxy S22?
The editor weighs in — flanked by the optimist on her shoulder and the cynic on the other.
“Flagship-quality display, real 3x telephoto, IP68, wireless charging — in a 167g body the market mostly stopped making.”
“Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 ran hot from day one. 3700 mAh struggles after four years. $699.99 is for new buyers only.”
Our take
Samsung's compact 2022 flagship — small, sharp, and held back by the hot-running Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
The Galaxy S22 was Samsung's compact flagship in 2022 — a 6.1-inch phone in a year when most flagships were jumping to 6.7 inches and up. Four years on, it sits in resale-and-refurb territory: still recent enough to run Android 15, still feature-complete on cameras and water resistance, but with two real anchors. The first is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 — a chip that ran hot from the start, throttled under sustained load, and ate battery faster than its successor (the 8 Gen 1 Plus) and the Tensor G2 of the same year. The second is the 3700 mAh battery, small even for 2022 and small now — a full charge struggles to make it through a full day of moderate use without a top-up. What you do get is a 6.1-inch 120 Hz panel at 1750 nits, IP68 water resistance, a 50 MP main with optical image stabilization paired with a 10 MP 3x optical telephoto, and a body that fits in one hand and a pocket — increasingly rare in 2026. At Verizon's $699.99 outright list price (only direct-from-carrier in the U.S. in 2026), this is hard to recommend. At refurb prices in the $250-350 range, this is one of the better compact Android flagships still circulating.
What we love
- 6.1-inch flagship in a one-handed body — the small flagship is a category that mostly disappeared after 2022
- 120 Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X at 1750 nits — smooth and bright enough for outdoor reading
- 10 MP 3x optical telephoto is a real telephoto, not a digital crop — rare on phones in this size class
- 50 MP main with optical image stabilization, 12 MP ultrawide — a flexible camera kit at a refurb price
- IP68 — submersion in 1.5 meters of fresh water for 30 minutes
- Wireless charging at 15W and reverse wireless at 4W — features the budget A-series does not have
What we don't
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is the part that aged worst — runs hot under sustained load, drains battery faster than the 8 Gen 1 Plus or 8 Gen 2 from one year later
- 3700 mAh battery is small even for 2022 — a moderate day of use will need a charger by evening
- 25W wired charging is slow next to 2026 flagships at 45W and up — empty to full takes about an hour
- $699.99 at Verizon is a price built for new-from-carrier — refurb at $250-350 is where this phone makes sense
- Samsung's update window is running out — security patches will outlast feature updates by a year or two
- 128 GB with no microSD slot — the storage tier that 4K video fills the fastest
Full specifications
Display
Size6.1"
Resolution2340 x 1080 px
PPI425
Performance
ChipSnapdragon 8 Gen 1 SM8450 (4 nm)
Storage128 GB
OSAndroid 15
Camera
Rear camera50 MP
Rear camera 212 MP
Front camera10 MP
VideoYes
Battery
Wireless charging15W wireless
Design
Form factorSlate
Connectivity
USBUSB 3.2 (5 Gbps)
SIMNano-SIM + eSIM
Samsung Galaxy S22 on individual carriers
All 7 plans with Samsung Galaxy S22
Carrier: Any ▾Lines: 1 ▾Sort: Lowest ▾
CarrierPlanDataTermMonthly
Unlimited
36-mo term
$19.44/mo
total $49.44 over term
Unlimited
36-mo term
$19.44/mo
total $79.44 over term
Unlimited
36-mo term
$19.44/mo
total $109.44 over term
Frequently asked questions about the Samsung Galaxy S22
What kind of display does the Samsung Galaxy S22 have?
A 6.1-inch panel at 2340x1080 with 120 Hz refresh and 1750 nits peak. The size is the headline — a flagship-quality display in a one-handed phone, in a year (2022) and now (2026) when 6.7-inch screens are standard. Outdoor visibility is genuinely good. Color is the Samsung house style — deep blacks, saturated punch, optional natural mode. The 1750 nits peak holds up against today's $300 midranges and lands a step behind the 2500-3000 nit panels in 2026 flagships. For someone who actually wants a phone that fits in a jeans pocket without a fight, this display is the right answer.
What kind of camera does the Samsung Galaxy S22 have?
A 50 MP main with optical image stabilization, a 12 MP ultrawide, a 10 MP 3x optical telephoto, and a 10 MP selfie. The 3x optical telephoto is the part that justifies the kit — it is a real telephoto, not a digital crop. The main and the ultrawide were competitive with 2022 flagships and remain solid in 2026 daylight. Low light is where the 8 Gen 1's image processing shows its age — 2024 and 2025 phones do better with the same sensor sizes. Reviewers placed the S22 a step behind the iPhone 13 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro at launch (DXOMark in the high 120s) and the gap has only widened against the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Pixel 10 Pro. Still a flexible camera kit at refurb prices.
What is the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy S22?
3700 mAh on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that runs hot and drains battery faster than its successor. Light to moderate use is a single day with maybe 10-20 percent left at bedtime — a moderate day that includes navigation, photos, or hotspot use will need a top-up by evening. Charging is 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4W reverse wireless. Empty to 100 percent takes about an hour on a 25W brick. Battery is the dimension this phone has aged worst on — small to start, on a thirsty chip, four years of cycles in.
What processor does the Samsung Galaxy S22 use?
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 on a 4 nm process — and the chip that aged worst in the S22 lineup. At launch reviewers flagged it for running hot and throttling under sustained load (gaming, navigation, video record), and Samsung released the S22 with conservative thermal limits that further capped peak performance. The mid-2022 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus fixed a lot of this; this S22 doesn't have that chip. Day-to-day messaging, browsing, and short app sessions are smooth. Sustained workloads are where the chassis warms and frame rates dip. By 2026 standards the chip is two flagship generations behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and Apple's A19 Pro.
How much storage does the Samsung Galaxy S22 have?
128 GB of internal storage with no microSD slot. UFS 3.1 — fast in 2022, fine in 2026, slightly behind the UFS 4.0 in 2026 flagships. The 128 GB tier is the one that fills fastest, especially with 4K video — at refurb prices the 256 GB tier is a meaningful upgrade if you can find it.
What kind of speakers does the Samsung Galaxy S22 have?
Stereo speakers tuned by AKG — bottom-firing main and the earpiece — clean and loud for the size, slightly thin in the low end. Stereo separation is good when the phone is held horizontally for video. On par with most flagships of its era.
Does the Samsung Galaxy S22 support fingerprint or face unlock?
Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor and 2D face unlock from the front camera. The ultrasonic reader is among the better in-display implementations — accurate even with cold or dry hands, fast enough to feel instant. Face unlock is camera-based, not the secure depth-camera kind — fine for unlocking the phone, not for banking app authentication.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S22 water-resistant?
IP68. Rated for submersion in 1.5 meters of fresh water for 30 minutes — a meaningful upgrade over IP67. Drops in a sink, a toilet, or a shallow pool are survivable. Salt water and pressurized streams (a power washer, a deep-pool dive) are off the table.
