The Galaxy S20 signified Samsung’s renewed focus on innovating and the ensuing months have given us plenty to believe that the company is committed to this vision. The Galaxy S22 is the company’s latest and greatest, and if you sat out the S21, it’s probably already enticing you to ditch your S20. Should you though?
Still a great phone
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is still a great device a year into its life. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and powerful cameras keep this phone relevant, even compared to new devices. Its secret weapon is Samsung’s commitment to software upgrades.
Pros
Cons
An oldie but a goodie
At three years old, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is getting a bit long in the tooth. If it isn’t giving you any trouble, it may be worth holding onto, but for everyone else, it may be time to consider an upgrade.
Pros
Cons
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is a year old now, and it’s still a fantastic smartphone. The 6.1-inch display makes it pocketable and easy to use with one hand without sacrificing features. While it lost out to the bigger and newer S23 Ultra in our list of favorite phones this year, the baby Galaxy S22 packs great specs and can go toe to toe with most flagships. But Samsung’s flagship phones have been excellent for years now, which raises a question regarding the S22 — is it worth upgrading to an older Galaxy smartphone now that the Galaxy S23 is available?
The Galaxy S22 doesn’t change much compared to the Galaxy S21, save for some improved cameras. Seeing as the S21 still has two-and-a-half years of software support left, it isn’t worth upgrading just yet. But what if you own a three-year-old Galaxy S20? Whether you should upgrade now gets more complicated, so let’s break it down.
Samsung Galaxy S20
Samsung Galaxy S22
SoC
Snapdragon 865 (or Exynos 990 internationally)
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (or Exynos 2200 internationally)
RAM
8GB or 12GB
8GB
Storage
128GB, 256GB, microSD card slot
128GB or 256GB, no microSD card slot
Display
6.2-inch AMOLED (3200×1440), 563 ppi, HDR10+, 1200 nits, 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD, Gorilla Glass 6
6.1-inch AMOLED (1080 x 2340), 425ppi, HDR10+, 1300 nits, 120Hz, Gorilla Glass Victus+
Rear Cameras
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″ 1.4µm, Super Steady video
50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″ 1.4µm, Super Steady vid
Front Camera
10 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF)
10 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF)
Battery
4,000 mAh (25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, 4.5W reverse wireless charging)
3,700 mAh (25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, 4.5W reverse wireless charging)
Software
One UI 2.5 (Android 10), 3-year Android OS updates promise
One UI 4.0 (Android 12) 4-year Android updates promise
Other
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, IP68, stereo speakers
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, IP68, stereo speakers,
Dimensions
151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm
146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm
Weight
163g
167g
Price
Started at $999 at launch
Starts at $699
Price & availability
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is only a year old and can still be purchased through all the major carriers and most of the smaller ones in the United States. Samsung knocked $100 off its price tag, now retailing for $699. If you want to get the S22 brand new, make sure you get a great deal because the S23 is available now and has some improvements over its year-old sibling. The Galaxy S20 is now three years old and can’t be purchased new anymore. You can find it refurbished or new on third-party sites, but it’s not worth the price at this point in its life cycle.
Design
You can’t deny that the S22 looks much better than the S20. I wasn’t a big fan of the S20’s design — probably Samsung’s worst since the S5 — because it didn’t exude any of Samsung’s idiosyncrasies. The S22, on the other hand, with the unique camera module, is a stunner through and through. Not to forget, you can get it in up to eight colors too.
The Galaxy S22 is slightly smaller than the S20, but its weight increased slightly. The S22 measures 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm and weighs 167g. The S20 measures 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm and weighs 163g. Although I doubt the extra four grams will make much of a difference. Another area where the S22 shines is the in-display fingerprint sensor, which is quicker and more accurate than the one used in the S20. The S20 supports expandable storage with its microSD card slot. That is something that was unfortunately cut from the S22 lineup.
Display
The Galaxy S20 has a gorgeous 6.2-inch QHD (3200 x 1440) AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is still among the best. It can hit 1200 nits and supports HDR10+ content. The newer S22 has a 6.1-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) 120Hz display, which we really like. At 1300 nits, it can get a little brighter than the S20 could. The S22’s display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, while the S20 is protected by Gorilla Glass 6. Both displays used by Samsung are excellent, and you can’t go wrong with either one.
Software
One aspect that the S22 dominates in – unsurprisingly – is software support. With the S22, Samsung promises four years of Android upgrades and five years of security updates. The S20, which will get three Android updates (it’s already running Android 12 right now) and four years of security updates, wasn’t a letdown, but it’ll only ever get Android 13 officially. Now that Samsung has released Android 13 for the S22, the S20 won’t be too far behind, and next year it’ll only have security patches to look forward to before it reaches the end of software support.
One UI 5 is available for the S22, while the S20 currently runs One UI 4.1. The S22 debuted Smart Calendar and a host of other new software tricks, most of which came to the Galaxy S20 in an update.
Performance & Connectivity
The S20 has aged well, with the Snapdragon 865 (Exynos 990 internationally) keeping things running smoothly. It comes with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. The S22 is equipped with the much more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. It has 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. While the Snapdragon 865 can still handle most tasks today, it pales compared to the chipset used in the S22. If performance is a top priority for you, especially for games, the S22 is the hands-down winner here.
Battery life & charging
If you are unhappy with the S20’s battery endurance, the S22 will not be a relief. It features a 3,700mAh battery that’s a tad smaller than the 4,000mAh unit on the S20. This doesn’t put the S20 at an advantage, though, since it also has more pixels to power when used in QHD mode, and the S22 is technically powered by a more efficient chipset. In practice, though, the S22’s battery life has been disappointing, and if you’re looking for a massive jump when upgrading from the S20, you’re likely in for a disappointment. Things also haven’t changed even on the charging front, with both phones supporting 25W fast wired charging, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Cameras
Speaking of the camera, there are some differences to consider here. The S20 rocks a 12MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and a 64MP telephoto camera (1.1x optical zoom), whereas the S22 boasts of a 50MP primary, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom), and a 12MP ultrawide (reasonably similar to the S20’s). It’s easy to get lost in the megapixel count, but the S22 will offer better shots with the telephoto sensor. As for the primary sensor, although the S22 boasts more pixels and has a more powerful chip for image processing, the S20 has a larger sensor size that captures more light. Despite this, results from both phones should be pretty similar in daylight. However, Samsung did tout better low-light performance and better edge detection in portraits for the S22.
So should you ditch your S20 for the S22?
If you’re looking for a flagship phone that doesn’t breach the $1000 mark, the S22 is surely a great phone to consider, especially as one of our favorite 5G phones. However, if you’re holding an S20 in your hand and don’t see anything wrong with it, it does make sense to stick with it. The S22 offers a better design, an upgraded camera setup, longer software support, and a slightly brighter display, but none of these upgrades scream, “Oh, I’ve got to get this phone!”
With the launch of the Galaxy S23, we now have to consider if it is worth skipping the Galaxy S22 and jumping to Samsung’s latest and greatest. It’s great that Samsung is keeping the S22 around with a lowered price point of $699. Unless you can find the S22 at a great deal, it makes sense to spend the extra $100 on the newer version.
On the other hand, your S20’s battery is probably starting to give up after more than three years of use, and the much-improved cameras on the S22 may be catching your eye. If that’s the case, you won’t regret upgrading to the new phone, especially when it’s discounted as regularly as it is now.
Samsung Galaxy S22
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is still a great device a year into its life. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and powerful cameras keep this phone relevant, even compared to new devices. Its secret weapon is Samsung’s commitment to software upgrades.
Samsung Galaxy S20
At three years old, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is getting a bit long in the tooth. If it isn’t giving you any trouble, it may be worth holding onto, but for everyone else, it may be time to consider an upgrade.
Conclusion on Samsung Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S20
If you have any query let me know in comment section.
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