Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S22: All the upgrades explained
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Intro
If you still use the Galaxy S22 and think about upgrading, the Galaxy S25 might seem like the perfect moment for that.
But what exactly are the upgrades that you get?
First, the Galaxy S25 remains just as compact as the Galaxy S22, which you probably want. Second, with the Galaxy S25 you get one of the most capable processors launched in years - the new Snapdragon 8 Elite, coupled with a solid 12GB of RAM.
Third, and most interesting, the camera hardware has remained unchanged, but thanks to software improvements photos and videos look better on the S25.
Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S22 differences:
| Galaxy S25 | Galaxy S22 |
|---|---|
| Similarly compact, even slightly lighter | Compact size |
| Slightly larger 6.2 inch screen (thanks to smaller bezels) | 6.1-inch screen |
| 2,600 nits peak brightness | 1,500 nits peak brightness |
| Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite chip (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm) |
| 12GB RAM | 8GB RAM |
| 4,000 mAh battery | 3,700 mAh battery |
| Same 25W charging speed | 25W charging |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
The S25 weighs a bit less and comes with flat sides
Little has changed in the looks and style of the Galaxy series in the past three years, but still there are some distinctions.
The Galaxy S25 measures is essentially the same size as the S22, it is a tiny bit taller and a bit thinner, but you probably won't notice. It is a tiny bit lighter too.
The more noticeable change is the switch to flat sides on the S25 instead of the curved ones on the S22. We prefer this change as it helps with the phone's durability and it's easier to pick it up from a table.
Both phones have the same IP68 water and dust protection rating, and both feature an aluminum body and a glass back.
Display Differences
Thanks to smaller bezels, the Galaxy S25 is able to cram in a slightly larger 6.2-inch screen in the same physical size as the S22, which has a 6.1-inch screen.
Both are AMOLED panels with gorgeous colors and a similar 1080p resolution, so don't expect much of an upgrade in that.
What has changed is that the S25 can get significantly brighter, which is helpful when you use the phone outdoors. It hits 2,600 nits of peak brightness compared to 1,500 nits on the S22.
As you can see, the S25 does indeed get much brighter in our texting too.
For biometrics, both have an ultrasonic fingerprint reader in the screen, which is just a tad bit faster on the Galaxy S25, but it's not a massive difference.
Performance and Software
The new Snapdragon 8 Elite is a screamer
The biggest upgrade in the Galaxy S25 has got to be the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, coupled with 12GB of RAM.
The Galaxy S22 runs on a much slower Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and it has 8GB of RAM.
You will notice this upgrade in more demanding tasks, but chances are that you won't see a huge difference in just daily operations.
Both phones ship with 128GB of base storage.
There is a massive performance gap and the Galaxy S25 is worth getting for the faster performance alone.
GPU Performance
Gaming is also much better on the Galaxy S25, and even after 20 minutes of the intense 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme test, the Galaxy S25 scores nearly twice the GPU performance.
Software, however, is a problem on the older Galaxy S22. It launched with Android 12, so Android 15 and One UI 7 are likely its last update and this update will probably arrive in a few long months in the summer of 2025.
The Galaxy S25, on the other hand, ships with Android 15 and you get much longer, seven year software update commitment from Samsung.
Of course, it is all about AI these days, and we are yet to see if the Galaxy S22 adopts all the AI features of the S25.
But we guess it will get most of them! After all, they are web-based and they are tied ot Google's Gemini, which you get on every recent Android smartphone.
Camera
New camera processing on the S25
PhoneArena Camera Score:
It's so strange to see the Galaxy S25 launching with the same cameras as the Galaxy S22 from three years ago!
Here are the camera specs on both phones:
- 50MP main camera
- 12MP ultra-wide camera
- 10MP 3X telephoto camera
But software is king these days, so most of the camera improvements come from the processing and the new ISP in the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
What does this mean?
Sample Photos
Video Quality
Battery Life and Charging
A slightly bigger battery, but unchanged charging speeds
You have a 4,000 mAh battery on the Galaxy S25 compared to a 3,700 mAh battery size on the Galaxy S22.
That is an 8% difference in favor of the new phone, plus you have some efficiency gains from the newer chip.
But will you get a considerably longer battery life on the Galaxy S25?
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
The Galaxy S25 scores a big improvement in battery life on our lightest web browsing test and it is only slightly faster on our second test, YouTube video streaming. But overall, it feels like a considerable improvement.
Charging speeds are absolutely identical on both models: 25W for wired charging and 15W for wireless charging, far from the fastest around.
Summary
All in all, the Galaxy S25 is an upgrade with slightly tweaked looks, new camera processing and a much faster chip.
But it is not a game-changer, if that's what you're looking for. It still has one-day battery life and most of the new AI feature will make their way to the Galaxy S22 as well.
You should upgrade if you feel the itch and you get a good trade-in, just don't expect anything mind-blowingly new.
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