Galaxy S22 vs. Apple iPhone 13: Comparison of the smartphone giants
Whenever Samsung introduces a new flagship device, such as the Galaxy S22 now, it also has to compete with the current iPhone. That is why we now pit the base model of the Galaxy S22 series against Apple's iPhone 13 in this duel of smartphone heavyweights.
Samsung has presented its new top smartphones. The Galaxy S22 is the new vanilla model, which is flanked by the Galaxy S22+ and the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Thus, the almost eternal smartphone duel between Apple and Samsung has entered a new round. We therefore take a look at the base models, which are the Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Apple iPhone 13. As always, let us first take a look at the most important technical specifications:
| Samsung | Apple | |
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| Display | 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2340 x 1080 pixels, 10 - 120 Hertz, Gorilla Glass Victus, 1300 nits, 425 ppi | 6.1-inch OLED display with 1,170 x 2,532 pixels (460 ppi) at 60 Hertz |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 1x ARM Cortex-X2 @ 3.0 GHz 3x ARM Cortex-A710 @ 2.5 GHz 4x ARM Cortex-A510 @ 1.8 GHz Qualcomm Adreno |
Apple A15 Bionic 2x Avalanche @ 3.24 GHz 4x Blizzard @ 2 GHz Apple proprietary 4-core GPU |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM, 128/256 GB storage | 4 GB RAM | 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB internal |
| microSD | No | No |
| Software | Android 12 with OneUI 4.1 | iOS 15 |
| Rear camera | Main camera: 50 MP (main camera, 85°, f/1.8, OIS Ultra wide-angle:12 MP, 120°, f/2.2 Telephoto: 10 MP, x3 optical zoom, 36°, f/2.4, OIS |
Main camera:12 MP: f/1.6 / Dual Pixel PDAF / Sensor Shift OIS Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP: f/2.4 / 120°. |
| Front camera | 10 MP, f/2.2, 80° | 12 MP, f/2.2, 120° |
| Battery | 3,700 mAh Wired charging. 25 watts Wireless charging. 15 watts |
3,227 mAh Wired charging. 20 watts Wireless charging. 15 watts |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, USB Type C 3.2 Gen 1, NFC, Wi-Fi 6 (WLAN AX) | 5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO |
| IP certification | IP68 | IP68 |
| Colors | Pink Gold, Green, Phantom Black, Phantom White exclusive in Samsung store: Graphite, Cream, Violet, Sky Blue |
Rosé, Blue, Midnight, Polaris, (PRODUCT) RED |
| Dimensions and weight | 70.6 x 146 x 7.6 mm / 168 g | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65 mm, 173 g |
| Prices | From $799 | From $799 |
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You know how it goes here when it concerns smartphone comparisons when at least one of the devices is still as new as today's Galaxy S22: We compared the two smartphones here based on their technical specifications alone. As soon as the ink is dry in our review of the Samsung smartphone, we will revise this post and add our findings.
Until then, you can at least read our hands-on stories: Ben took a look at the Samsung Galaxy S22/S22+, while Stefan took a look at the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Jump to:
- Display and case
- Performance and connectivity
- Cameras
- Software
- Battery and Quick Charging
- Price and availability
- Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Display and case
The new smartphones from South Korea present themselves in the so-called "Contour Cut" design. The Galaxy S22 has a flat, 6.1-inch display and relies on Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both the front and back. Samsung also opted for aluminum when developing the frame. You can choose between four colors: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Pink Gold. Four more colors will be available exclusively on Samsung's online store.
Their rival from Cupertino also relies on a similar 6.1-inch screen size in the iPhone 13. Apple also uses glass at the back, but the camera array with a diagonal arrangement of the sensors looks significantly different than the three cameras in Samsung's vanilla flagship. The iPhone 13 also arrives in various colors, such as pink, blue, midnight, polar star and the red model with the "(PRODUCT) RED" label.
Both smartphones are almost identical in size, although the iPhone is exactly 5 grams heavier than its rival at 173 grams. Both models are also IP68 certified. Another specification that is also identical: Both devices make do without any microSD slots, which could have been be used to expand the storage.
The differences between the displays are bigger: Samsung's adaptive "Dynamic AMOLED" display repeats images with a frequency of 120 Hertz and is able to hit a 1,300 nits brightness level. The iPhone also uses an OLED panel with a resolution of 1,170 x 2,532 pixels, which is a bit higher than Samsung's handset. However, the 60 Hz refresh rate is not really up to par anymore.
If you had to make a decision based on the bare numbers and bear in mind that displays are one of Samsung's core competencies, the Galaxy S22 edges slightly ahead.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Performance and connectivity
Performance is one of those areas where we can't do the iPhone 13 justice if we really only evaluate what's on paper. Apple consistently lags behind in terms of available working memory, which is again very meager with 4 GB of RAM in the iPhone 13. The Galaxy S22 has twice the amount at 8 GB. While the South Koreans rely on the brand-new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (market dependent) chipset which was produced using the 4 nm manufacturing process, the Apple iPhone relies on the A15 Bionic (with a 5 nm process).
Apple knows how to perfectly optimize all of its components with each other and the software like no other smartphone manufacturer on this planet. As a result, the iPhones often run circles around the competition in terms of performance. So let's discuss this category in more detail once we know how the S22's SoC actually fare in reality.
In terms of storage, Apple also has more to offer, as there is also a 512 GB storage option in addition to 128 GB and 256 GB options. A quick look at connectivity: Both models use the LTE and 5G networks, offer Wi-Fi 6 and NFC. The Galaxy S22 only looks a bit fresher in terms of Bluetooth with Bluetooth 5.2 versus Bluetooth 5.0.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Cameras
Many battles have been fought between Samsung and Apple, especially in the camera department. As a smartphone user, I find that to be wonderful, greatly benefitting users as different manufacturers push each other so hard. As in the whole comparison between the iPhone 13 and the Galaxy S22, the same rule applies here: We are on an indecently high level of performance and often only nuances or personal preferences decide which camera performs better for us.
- Read here how the iPhone 13 Pro performed: The best smartphone cameras rated in a blind test
Back to the bare numbers: Triple cam vs dual cam! Apple relies on an ultra wide-angle and a wide-angle sensor at 12 megapixels each. In contrast, Samsung offers a main camera with 50 MP, an ultra-wide-angle sensor with 12 MP, and a telephoto sensor. The latter can shine with a triple optical zoom - a sensor that is sorely missed in the iPhone 13.
Samsung's press release floods us with plenty of buzzwords and information that the larger sensors with 23 percent larger pixels are supposed to provide better night shots. AI-powered image processing also plays an important role in this matter and it will be exciting to see how the cameras perform in a review.
- Also read: The best smartphone cameras today
My dear colleague Camila Rinaldi talked about the device's camera being her highlight in the iPhone 13 review. This is also due to the fact that apart from the camera hardware, there are also great features like Cinematic Mode to take into account. On paper, the pendulum would swing in Samsung's direction due to the telephoto sensor alone. However, we also want to see how the camera proves itself in everyday use first arriving at a conclusion. Either way: You do not take any risks with both smartphones and can look forward to great photos!
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Software
Android versus iOS is a similarly exciting duel as the one between Apple and Samsung. Android is more widespread and popular, but also incredibly fragmented. Google is trying to get a grip on that. But when we look at how many smartphones are still waiting for the update to Android 12 months after release, we want to throw our hands up in horror and give up If you use an iPhone, on the other hand, you can sit back with a smile and be happy that iOS 15 runs on your smartphone.
Over the years, we could see that Apple and Google like to improve their functionality by adapting a competitor's feature for their own operating system. As far as features are concerned, it is essentially a question of personal preference and the ecosystem that you use, which one is better for you? Thanks to OneUI 4, Android 12 is very popular in Samsung's camp and does not have to hide behind iOS in this respect.
Apple's mobile OS is ahead of Android in another aspect: Namely, when it comes to supported devices as well as length of support. If we were to look at the models that were still supported by iOS 15, we even see the iPhone 6s there, which celebrates its seventh birthday this year!
However, Samsung in particular cares intensively about reasonable support for its models. Now it is said that the South Koreans will add another year for selected models. This means that there will be four major Android updates as well as five years of security updates! Still, if you had to pick a winner based on past performance, the answer is clear - it would be the iPhone 13.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Battery and Quick Charging
As far as battery technologies are concerned, I dare venture that both Samsung and Apple have lost a bit of ground to the world leaders. This is at least true when it comes to charging speed. Xiaomi batteries, for example, can now be fully charged faster than iPhone and Samsung smartphone owners who have to live with "slow quick-charging".
In particular, this means that the iPhone 13 can be charged at speeds of up to 20 watts, while the Galaxy S22 is only marginally faster at 25 watts. It is a pity that Samsung withheld its 45-watt charger from the base model. Speaking of chargers: Both manufacturers continue to exclude the chargers into the box for "sustainability reasons". Thus, you have to buy them separately if you do not have a charger at home.
Wireless charging is also present in both models. Each has a maximum wireless charging speed of 15 watts, which is only achieved with MagSafe for the iPhone. The Qi standard is only half as fast with 7.5 watts. Beyond that, both manufacturers install some decent-sized batteries: The iPhone 13's battery capacity stands at 3,227 mAh, while Samsung offers 3,700 mAh. We already know that the iPhone 13 will still get you through the day comfortably, while Samsung has yet to prove this.
Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Price and availability
As we all know, the iPhone 13 has been available since last September, while the Galaxy S22 has just been released. The following table shows which storage variants are available and how much you have to pay for each.
| Samsung Galaxy S22 | Apple iPhone 13 | |
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| 128 GB |
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| 256 GB |
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| 512 GB |
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You can place a pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S22 now. Delivery will begin on February 25. The models will be available in stores everywhere from the 25th onward this month. By the way, those who pre-order in the Samsung store until February 24 can benefit from some offers. There is a $100 trade-in bonus value and a storage upgrade for early birds.
If you decide to buy the Apple iPhone 13, you already know what you need to pay for in the table above. In another article, we will show you where you can purchase the iPhone 13 with a contract. As soon as we can recommend you offers for the Samsung Galaxy S22, we will of course also post about it including a purchase recommendation.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Full Coverage
| Samsung Galaxy S22 | Samsung Galaxy S22+ | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra |
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Galaxy S22+ Review | Galaxy S22 Ultra Review |
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Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Apple iPhone 13: Conclusion
As always, the conclusion of a comparison of the respective specifications is but a preliminary one. I honestly wished for a somewhat bolder hardware from Samsung. Nevertheless, we are dealing with a worthy flagship smartphone, even though the highlights continue to be reserved for the Ultra variant.
This is a meeting of two absolutely high-quality devices that are visually and functionally top drawer. Thus, you do not have to worry about a bad camera or mediocre performance with either. Even though I like OneUI a lot, I think the software advantages lie with Apple.
In return, the Galaxy S22 offers a telephoto lens with triple optical zoom, can be charged at a faster rate, and definitely scores with the display. quality Last but not least, the price can also play a role. Samsung is considerably cheaper, especially for the 256 GB model. Ultimately, the ecosystem in which you feel more comfortable will probably decide which smartphone is the better one for you. We will wait for the review and revisit this article then.
Until then, you can tell us in the comments what you think of the Galaxy S22 in the vanilla version and which of the two smartphones is the stronger one for you.
