It’s a good idea to make a comparison between the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy S22 if you’re on the fence between Samsung’s latest foldable phone and its more traditional flagship.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 (from $999) is generally an incremental update, with the latest foldable phone improving on its predecessor in several major ways. It offers a fast Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, 65% brighter camera sensor, a versatile FlexCam mode for capturing photos and videos, a larger battery, and a more versatile screen coverage.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 (from $799) and Galaxy S22 Plus (from $999) aren’t folded or flipped, but they do offer a sharper 50MP main camera and a telephoto lens that the Flip 4 lacks. The Galaxy S22 Plus also offers a bigger battery for the same money as the Flip.
So which Samsung flagship is right for you? Let the Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy S22 showdown help you decide.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy S22 specifications
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 | Samsung Galaxy S22 | Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus | |
| price | From $999 | From $799 | From $999 |
| Show | 6.7 inch FHD AMOLED (2640 x 1080) / 1.9 inch AMOLED (260 x 512) | 6.1 inch AMOLED (2340 x 1080) | 6.6 inch AMOLED (2340 x 1080) |
| CPU | Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| storage | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB |
| wide camera | 12 Megapixel Main (f/1.8) | 50 MP (f/1.8) | 50 MP (f/1.8) |
| Ultra Wide Camera | 12 MP Ultra Wide (f/2.2) | 12 MP (f/2.2) | 12 MP (f/2.2) |
| telephoto camera | Unavailable | 10 MP (f/2.4) | 10 MP (f/2.4) |
| selfie camera | 10 MP (f/2.4) | 10 MP (f/2.2) | 10 MP (f/2.2) |
| battery | 3700 mAh | 3700 mAh | 4500 mAh |
| size | Unfolded: 2.8 x 6.5 x 0.27 inches. Folded: 2.8 x 3.3 x 0.62 – 0.67 inches | 5.7 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 6.2 x 3 x 0.3 inches |
| Weight | 6.5 oz | 5.9 oz | 6.9 oz |
| Colors | Bora Purple, Graphite, Rose Gold, Blue (plus 71 custom combinations) | Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Rose Gold, Pura Purple | phantom black, phantom white, green, rose gold |
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy S22 price
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 starts at $999 with 128GB of storage, but you can get the 256GB and 512GB versions for $1,059 and $1,179, respectively.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is a bit cheaper than that. Back in February, it started at $799 for the 128GB version, and jumped to $849 for the 256GB version.
There’s also the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus, which is nearly identical except for faster charging, ultra-wideband, and a larger screen and battery. It starts at $999 for 128GB, then goes up to $1,049 for double the storage.
Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S22 family is now seven months old, so it pays to shop for the best Galaxy S22 deals.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy S22 design and screen
The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus both have a very familiar design. The metal camera hump provides a neat contrast to the rest of the body, but it’s not much different from other Android flagships.
On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 will get an impressive look wherever you go. Reviving the foldable phone spirit of the early 2000s, this phone can be folded in half like a compact mirror to take up less space. It’s a trick that hasn’t lost its novelty yet, even in its fourth generation.
This compact design means it actually has a larger screen than both models other than the Ultra S22, with a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display when opened. The S22 and S22 Plus have 6.1-inch and 6.6-inch screens respectively. All three panels are 1080p panels, though the Z Flip 4 has a height of 2,640p, compared to 2,340p for both S22 models.
On top of the foldable screen, the Z Flip 4 also has a thin cover screen that can be seen when closed. This 1.9-inch bar with a resolution of 260 x 512 is designed to give you notifications at a glance, but can also be used as a viewfinder for better quality selfies.
In terms of weight, at 6.5 ounces, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 falls between the standard S22 (5.9 ounces) and S22 Plus (6.9 ounces).
One last thing to note: While the S22 range comes in a handful of colors, the Z Flip 4’s custom range lets you create your own, for a total of 71 different color combinations.
Comparison of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy S22 cameras
Aside from the (stylish) ability to use the main camera for selfies, the Z Flip 4’s photographic credentials aren’t quite as good as the S22 series. The Z Flip 4 has a dual 12MP lens, albeit with 1.8µm pixels instead of the 1.4µm specs found in its predecessor.
That’s a clear win for the Samsung Galaxy S22 phones, then. The S22 and S22 Plus have triple camera arrays that include a 50MP main camera, a 10MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide sensor. You don’t get optical zoom on the Z Flip 4.
All three phones feature a 10MP front camera for selfies, although the Z Flip 4 also lets you use the main lens for this if you’re happy to use the cover screen to set things straight.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 performance vs. Galaxy S22 performance
This is a straightforward area where the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 wins.
While the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, the Z Flip 4 uses an enhanced “Plus” version. With all three phones using 8GB of RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, that should be the only difference in terms of performance.
The latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset delivers top speeds of 3.2GHz, which in theory gives it a 10% performance boost, but we’ll have to see how it performs in benchmarks.
Perhaps most importantly, Qualcomm has made significant improvements to the efficiency of the chipset, with the chip manufacturer saying it will consume 30% less power. This can be very important for battery life.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 battery life vs Galaxy S22
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3’s biggest disappointment was definitely its battery, which lasted just under six hours in our tests.
The good news is that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 somehow manages to pack an extra 400mAh, bringing it to 3,700mAh. We hope this combines with the efficiency improvements of the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset to deliver significantly better endurance.
This could leave it in a better place than the Samsung Galaxy S22, which shares the same 3,700mAh capacity. But that’s likely far from the Galaxy S22 Plus, which has a more powerful 4,500mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy S22 Predictions
The S22 and S22 Plus offer better cameras, probably stronger battery life and (in the case of the regular S22) a savings of at least $200. It’s slower, but not by much.
But what the S22 phones can’t do is fold, and that’s clearly the main attraction of the Z Flip 4: It’s compact and undeniably cool, especially if you do a lot of content creation on the go.
If owning a modern and futuristic phone is important to you, paying for the Z Flip 4 might make sense.
