Apple and Samsung compete in the main entry space

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and iPhone 13 target two groups of consumers: those who want a “new flagship” but don’t want to pay too much or consumers who don’t want a bulky flagship phone. With both devices priced at $699 at the moment and with “only” 6.1-inch screens (this is measured diagonally, so the actual height of the two phones is well under 6 inches), these two devices easily meet the needs of these two groups.

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Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Hardware and Design

The iPhone 13 and Galaxy S22 are glass-and-mineral phones with premium construction, including tempered glass that covers both the front and back, and sturdy aluminum frames. Both are lightweight, easy to hold with one hand and fit in almost any pocket.

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Screen sizes may be identical, but the Galaxy S22’s screen is a bit better than the iPhone 13’s: The Galaxy S22’s screen has twice the refresh rate at 120Hz, gets a little brighter, and has a smaller notch — just a tiny hole, rather than the big notch that’s eating the iPhone screen. 13.

However, iOS animations are better optimized than Samsung’s OneUI, with the iPhone 13 at 60Hz feeling way smoother than 60Hz, while Samsung’s 120Hz could see occasional stutter. The Galaxy S22’s eventually still animations are more fluid with double the number of animations, but the gap is closer than the usual 120Hz versus 60Hz. The point is, enthusiasts might opt ​​for the iPhone 13 display, but for most people, it’s still totally fine.

Both screens are flat as well, giving the phone a similar feel in the hand, but the iPhone’s edges are a bit sharper, as Samsung wisely added precise beveled edges where the screen meets the aluminum frame.

cameras

The iPhone 13 has a dual camera system that covers both wide and ultra-wide focal range, while the Galaxy S22 uses a triple-lens set that covers wide, ultra-wide and telephoto. Since the iPhone 13 does not have a dedicated zoom lens, any magnification beyond 3x begins to lose important details. However, you can stick with 2x zoom, and it’s still serviceable.

The Galaxy S22’s 3x telephoto zoom lens, on the other hand, is excellent, especially for a phone in this price range. Other cameras aren’t shabby either, with a 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. Samsung’s main camera has a larger image sensor and benefits from pixel binning technology compared to the 12MP direct main camera on the iPhone 13, so low-light photos tend to benefit from the Galaxy S22 as well. But the iPhone 13 cameras are a bit more efficient in the software interface – there’s virtually no shutter lag (this can’t be said about the Galaxy S22), and switching between the two iPhone lenses feels smoother.

However, the main cameras of both phones are very good day and night thanks to the computational intelligence of photography. As for the ultra-wide sensor, it is a virtual linker as they both have strong performance while providing sufficient illumination. The iPhone 13 performs better in video, including the ability to shoot a fairly realistic bokeh video.

SoC and memory

The iPhone 13 is powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic SoC, and while Apple doesn’t publicly reveal RAM information, the teardowns have revealed that the phone runs on 4GB of RAM, with storage options of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB. The Galaxy S22 uses 8GB of RAM and comes in 128GB or 256GB storage options, but the silicon placement is a bit complicated. In countries like the US, China, India and a few others, the Galaxy S22 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 but in many other parts of the world including Samsung’s home in South Korea and almost all of Europe, the phone runs on its own Exynos 2200. Samsung company. Most reviewers in their tests found the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to be the most capable chip.

If we’re going through pure processing power, the iPhone 13 wins this regardless, with the Apple A15 Bionic beating the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in every benchmark test and some real-world tests as well. But in real-world uses, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and even the Exynos 2200 are more than powerful enough to satisfy most users.

Battery and other parts

The batteries for both phones are a bit small, with the Samsung powered by a 3,700mAh cell and the iPhone with a 3,227mAh battery. Because Apple’s iPhones have a superior synergy between hardware and software (particularly the processor), the iPhone 13’s battery life is noticeably better than the Galaxy S22 — and it doesn’t help that Samsung’s screen is more power hungry. The iPhone 13 is a phone that can last 12 hours a day for most people, but the Galaxy S22 will definitely need a top-up in the evening if it’s going to last an entire day. Neither phone comes with charging bricks, but both support wireless charging and fast wired charging, although the definition of “fast” is still ultimately conservative.

Elsewhere, both phones have loud stereo speakers and IP68 water and dust resistance, but the iPhone 13’s touches are noticeably better than the Galaxy S22’s.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Software

Ah, the good old debate between iOS and Android. With both phones, you get the latest software that each platform has to offer — Android 12 for the Galaxy S22 and iOS 15 for the iPhone 13. But Samsung’s Android 12 has an extra layer of Samsung software on top that can bring both the good and the bad. (Mostly good).

For example, Samsung’s OneUI offers useful multitasking capabilities like opening apps in resizable floating windows that aren’t even available on the pure Google version of Android. OneUI also offers Samsung DeX, a useful sandbox user interface that allows the Galaxy S22 to project a Windows-like user interface to an external display. But OneUI also brings redundant apps, such as Samsung having an internet browser alongside Google’s Chrome, or various plugins that a user has to download just to pair the Samsung smartwatch.

On the other hand, iOS is more refined and smooth, which is due to Apple’s tight grip on the operating system. This, too, can be both good and bad. On the plus side, iOS often runs more efficiently, with fewer animation or app crashes. Apple’s tight control over its App Store means that iPhone apps are generally more polished than Android apps, especially when it comes to small business apps. But Apple’s limitations also mean making a stubborn decision like not giving users the ability to boot more than once, or not having a free home screen grid.

I’m part of the Samsung program because I multitask often, but if you’re familiar with iOS or have used the Apple ecosystem in the past, the iPhone 13 software will feel right at home.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Overall performance

As mentioned earlier, the iPhone 13 runs on a more powerful chip, and this can be felt when doing intensive tasks like viewing 4K videos – it’s noticeably faster on the iPhone 13 than the Galaxy S22. But outside of specialized power user tasks like these, the Galaxy S22 will do just fine. In fact, the Galaxy S22 software can do more things – Samsung DeX really opens up the possibilities – and thus makes the Samsung phone an arguably superior working machine. The ability to have two apps open simultaneously is a huge benefit that iPhones still frustratingly don’t offer. But as a gaming or media consumption device, the Galaxy S22 is also a bit better thanks to its screen which is less distortion.

Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Which one is right for you?

Personally, I think the Galaxy S22 is a better standalone device – better screen, better main camera, better productivity capabilities – but it’s undeniable that the iPhone 13 Pro is surrounded by a better hardware and software ecosystem. The iOS 16 update coming to the iPhone 13 this fall, for example, will bring some fun new tricks. It’s hard to see the Samsung Galaxy S22 gaining significant new features within months of Google announcing it at I/O.

The synergy between the iPhone, Mac, and iPad is also slightly better than the Galaxy S22’s connectivity with other Samsung products — although the South Korean tech giant is hard at work catching up. Ultimately, I think this confrontation comes down to whether you prefer to use Android or iOS, and both phones will serve you well if you can’t or aren’t willing to pay more than $699.