Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: the base model flagships compared
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The Galaxy S22 has been around for a while now, and it's the base model of Samsung's latest flagship S series. Are you curious how it fares up against the competition, in the face of Apple's current base model flagship, which itself was released last year?
Below we've prepared a comparison between the Galaxy S22 and what is pretty much its biggest competitor on the base-model flagship phone market – Apple's iPhone 13.
Psst! The Galaxy S23 series is out now! Feel free to also check out our more up-to-date Galaxy S23 vs iPhone 14 comparison.
Galaxy S22 pros and cons
iPhone 13 pros and cons
Price and release date
- Both the Galaxy S22 and iPhone 13 start at $799.99
The Galaxy S22 starts at $799 for the base-storage 128GB model. It began shipping on February 25, 2022. Apple's iPhone 13 was announced on September 14, 2021, and began shipping on the 24th, 2021. Its starting price is exactly the same, $799.99 for the base model with 128GB of storage.
Of course, both phones have variants with more storage for purchase, with the maximum being a 256GB Galaxy S22, currently costing as much as the 128GB model - $799.99, courtesy of a Samsung launch promo. The iPhone 13 also has a 256GB model, but also an additional 512GB one, which costs $1129.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Design and displays
- Gorilla Glass front and back on both the Galaxy S22 and iPhone 13
- 6.1-inch Dynamic 120Hz OLED screen on the Galaxy S22, 6.1-inch 60Hz OLED screen on the iPhone 13
The Galaxy S22's design is quite similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S21, at first glance, but it actually has a fully glass build (no plastic). It also sports a 6.1-inch OLED display and very slightly curved sides, and has variable screen refresh rate up to 120Hz. At the top center of that display is a punch hole selfie camera.
The iPhone 13 is also made out of Gorilla Glass front and back, but it has much flatter edges. Like the S22, the iPhone 13 is very similar to its predecessor (aside from a smaller notch), but unlike the S22, the iPhone 13 doesn't have a 120Hz display, instead a standard 60Hz one.
Thus, the Galaxy S22's display can feel twice as smooth, thanks to its variable 120Hz refresh rate. Where the iPhone 13 beats the S22, however, is its higher screen resolution - 2532 by 1170 pixels, as opposed to 2340 by 1080 on the S22. In addition, the iPhone 13 has higher pixels-per-inch (457 PPI) against the Galaxy S22 (422 PPI), which might make the former's screen appear a tiny bit sharper.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Cameras
- Triple camera on the Galaxy S22, dual camera on the iPhone 13
The Galaxy S22 sports a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a a 50MP wide (with OIS), and an additional 10MP telephoto (with OIS and 3x zoom). On the front, the Galaxy S22 sports a 10MP selfie camera in a punch hole at the top center of the display.
The iPhone 13 sports dual cameras on the back, the main one being 12MP (with OIS), alongside a 12MP ultra-wide camera. On the front, the iPhone has a notch that holds its face recognition (Face ID) sensors, along with a 12MP FaceTime camera.
For reference, below we have sample photos taken with both phones:
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Hardware and specs
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 vs. Apple A15 Bionic
The Galaxy S22 packs the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor in most regions, including North America, while Europe is getting it with a Samsung Exynos 2200 processor instead. In terms of RAM, the Galaxy S22 comes with 8GB.
The iPhone 13 sports Apple's own A15 Bionic chip with 4GB of RAM. Despite the seemingly low amount of RAM, the RAM management on iOS is good enough that the phone doesn't really need more to function quickly and keep apps open in the background without any issues.
| Specs | Samsung Galaxy S22 | Apple iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.1-inch OLED Dynamic 120Hz 2340 x 1080 pixels, 19.5 ratio, 422 PPI | 6.1-inch OLED 60Hz 2532 x 1170 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio, 457 PPI |
| Camera | 50MP main (with OIS), 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto with 3x zoom (and OIS) 10MP front Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps) | 12MP main (with OIS), 12MP ultra-wide 12 MP front Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB Non-expandable | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB Non-expandable |
| Processor and RAM | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 / Exynos 2200 8GB of RAM | A15 Bionic 4GB of RAM |
| Battery and charging | 3700 mAh Wired: 25.0W; Wireless: 15.0W Reverse wireless charging (PowerShare) | 3227 mAh Wired: 20.0W; Wireless: 15.0W |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Biometrics | In-screen fingerprint sensor | Face ID |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Software
- Android 12 with One UI 4.1 vs. iOS 15
Android 12 and One UI
The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with Android 12 and Samsung's own One UI 4.1 software on top. While Android 12 brings performance and security improvements.
iOS 15 on the iPhone 13
The iPhone 13 comes with iOS 15, which brings improvements to FaceTime, including support for a new feature that uses the iPhone 13's wide selfie camera to zoom on the user and follow them around during calls. iOS 15 also brings a new Notification Summary and Focus feature, and now allows for copying or translating any text from any images.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Battery
- Galaxy S22: 3700 mAh, iPhone 13: 3227 mAh
The Galaxy S22 battery is 3700 mAh, less than its predecessor (4000 mAh). Meanwhile the iPhone 13 sports a smaller 3227 mAh battery, but it does have a power-efficient processor.
Below we have our battery benchmarks of the Galaxy S22 against the iPhone 13:
As we can see, despite its smaller battery, the iPhone 13 still managed to last almost an hour longer than the Galaxy S22 in our YouTube video streaming test.
In terms of charging, it's worth noting that both phones come without a charging brick. The Galaxy S22 charges either via it USB Type-C port at up to 25 watts, or wirelessly at up to 15. The iPhone 13 can charge via its Lightning port at up to 20 watts and also wirelessly at up to 15.
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