Don’t want or need an S Pen or an extra-large display? The S22 Plus is a capable alternative.
Shortly after Samsung announced the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra during its Unpacked event earlier this month, a FedEx package containing the just-announced S22 Plus arrived at my house. Since then, I’ve been using it as my main Android phone, replacing the Pixel 6 Pro or Galaxy Z Fold 3 as my go-to non-iPhone option. Thus far, there’s little for me to complain about when it comes to the S22 Plus. I really like the design, the display looks great and the camera has taken some sharp photos. Performance is good, save for an inconsistent scrolling issue I detail below. After receiving a Galaxy S22 Ultra review unit, I’ve come to the strong conclusion that unless you want an S Pen or absolutely need the best S22 Samsung has to offer, the S22 Plus is more than enough phone for most. If you want more thoughts on the S22 Ultra; ZDNet’s Matthew Miller has been reviewing Samsung’s Note replacement since it was announced. Also worth noting, I don’t have the standard Galaxy S22 to compare the S22 Plus to, but they’re effectively the same phone save for overall design and charging speed. The Galaxy S22 Plus and the smaller S22 share the same overall design. It reminds me of a more modern version of the iPhone 5’s design, with flat edges on all four sides. The S22 Ultra’s display has curved edges on either side of the screen — a design I like because it makes the phone feel smaller and easier to hold — but for the rest of the S22 lineup, the display edges are flat. Before getting a review sample in my hands, I wasn’t sure how much of an impact (if any) it would have on holding the phone and managing it in instances where single-hand use is necessary. So far, I haven’t had any situations where I thought the S22 Plus is too big or too unwieldy to manage. Granted, my primary phone is an iPhone 13 Pro Max or a Pixel 6 Pro , so I’m accustomed to dealing with a large phone. That said, if you end up going with the smaller S22, you’ll like appreciate the design, too. The S22 Ultra feels a little too big. It’s slightly wider and taller than the S22 Plus, making it harder to manage.
