Apple iPhone 14 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22: What’s the Ultimate Flagship Phone?
Apple’s new iPhone 14 lineup is finally here. But how do Cupertino’s latest phones compare with those in Samsung’s Galaxy S22 family? Let’s dig into what each flagship lineup bring to the table to help you figure out which phone is best for you.
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iPhone 14 vs. Galaxy S22: Price
An essential factor to consider when choosing a phone is how much it costs. You want to feel like you’re getting a good value for your money, especially if you’re directly comparing two phones.
Unfortunately, price can’t help you choose between the base iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy S22 because each starts at $799 and offers 128GB of storage.
Hands On With the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Lineup
Hands On With the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Lineup
If you move up to a larger screen size, however, you can save a bit of money with Apple: The iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899, whereas the Galaxy S22+ goes for $999. Both models offer 128GB of storage.
Moving to the top-of-the-line (and largest) phones, the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099 for the 128GB model and the Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at $1,199 for the same amount of storage. If you want the performance of the Pro Max with a smaller screen, you can get a 128GB iPhone 14 Pro for $999.
So if you’re looking for a bigger phone or a top-end model, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro Max are slightly more affordable. You won’t see a dollar figure difference with the base models, however.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
iPhone 14 vs. Galaxy S22: Design and Durability
You probably already know whether you like the look and feel of Apple or Samsung phones better. There’s no wrong answer here because all the phones in each lineup are visually appealing and available in plenty of colors. However, if you don’t like notches on your phone screen you probably won’t like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus because they both still feature that design element. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, on the other hand, include Apple’s new Dynamic Island, which offers a more distinct look and useful OS integrations. None of the S22 models have a notch, though they do have small circular cutouts for the selfie cameras.
Durability is also important for a device that costs $799 or more. Fortunately, both phone families offer excellent IP68 ratings, which means they are fully resistant to dust and can withstand submersion in water at depths of up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) for half an hour.
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)
All three Samsung Galaxy S22 models feature the latest Gorilla Glass Victus+ covers on both the front and back of the phone. Meanwhile, Apple uses its in-house Ceramic Shield glass on the front and back of the iPhone 14s. According to Apple, its glass is tougher than that of any other smartphone, though Victus+ should be durable enough for most people. Without performing our own drop tests, we’ll have to call the phones about even on this front.
iPhone 14 vs. Galaxy S22: Power and Performance
What phones pack under the hood is another important consideration. When you purchase a phone, you need to think about the processor and RAM, in particular.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
Apple uses an optimized version of its year-old A15 chip in the lower-cost iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, but gives its new A16 Bionic processor to both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. All Galaxy S22 models feature the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip.
In our Geekbench tests, the iPhone 13 (with its A15 chip) handily defeated all the Galaxy S22 models. For reference, the iPhone 13 got 1,721 and 4,629 on the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively, and the Galaxy S22+ got 1,232 and 3,433. We plan to benchmark the iPhone 14 when we review it, but expect the A16 to perform even better.
Apple never reveals how much RAM is in its phones, though the iPhone 14 family is believed to pack 6GB of RAM across the board. Samsung offers 8GB of RAM in some Galaxy S22 models and 12GB of RAM in others.
For storage, both Apple and Samsung offer their high-end devices with up to 1TB of storage.
iPhone 14 vs. Galaxy S22: Battery Life
Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t disclose iPhone battery sizes and we haven’t run any of our standard battery drain tests yet. However, we can compare our video streaming rundown tests to Apple’s estimates to get a rough idea.
Apple says the iPhone 14 should get up to 16 hours of battery life while streaming video. In our video streaming test, the base Galaxy S22 got 9 hours and 5 minutes, for comparison. Apple estimates that the iPhone 14 Plus can reach 20 hours of playtime for the same task, whereas the Galaxy S22+ got 10 hours and 30 minutes in our test. Finally, Apple says the iPhone 14 Pro Max should last up to 25 hours while streaming video. In our tests, the Galaxy S22 Ultra lasted for 12 hours and 14 minutes. Again, you need to take these comparisons with a grain of salt because Apple doesn’t specify how it runs its internal battery tests.
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)
If those numbers are accurate, all the iPhone 14 models should outlast their Galaxy S22 counterparts. We’re reasonably certain Apple’s devices have an advantage here, because even the last-generation iPhone 13 models outlasted the Galaxy S22 phones in our tests.
For wired charging, Samsung offers speeds up to 45W on all Galaxy S22 models (via USB-C). Apple, on the other hand, offers slower 20W wired charging on its iPhone 14 devices (all via a Lightning port). On the wireless side, Apple offers 15W MagSafe charging on all iPhone 14 devices, while Samsung supports its own 15W wireless charging standard. In other words, Samsung’s phones will charge a little faster with the proper charger. Neither company includes a charger in the box.
Hands On With the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 Series
Hands On With the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 Series
iPhone 14 vs. Galaxy S22: Display
Starting with the screen sizes, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro both have 6.1-inch screens, while the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max each have 6.7-inch screens. In the Galaxy S22 lineup, you get three different screen sizes: the base S22 features a 6.1-inch screen, the S22+ has a 6.6-inch display, and the S22 Ultra sports a 6.8-inch panel. Screen sizes generally match up across the lineups, but if you need the absolute largest display, the S22 Ultra is the winner.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
All of the phones feature similar pixel densities, though a few models stand out. The iPhone 14’s screen is 2,532 by 1,170 pixels, while the base Galaxy S22 has a resolution of 2,340 by 1,080 pixels. In the middle of the range, the iPhone 14 Plus has a 2,778-by-1,284-pixel display and the iPhone 14 Pro offers a 2,556-by-1,179-pixel panel. The Samsung Galaxy S22+ features the same 2,340-by-1,080-pixel resolution as the base S22, which gives the iPhone 14 Plus a bit of an edge. Finally, the iPhone 14 Pro Max features a 2,796-by-1,290-pixel screen, whereas the S22 Ultra’s display has a resolution of 3,080 by 1,440 pixels. That gives the Galaxy S22 Ultra a distinct pixel density advantage over the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
iPhone 14 vs. Galaxy S22: Cameras
One of the main things you pay for in a smartphone is the camera. Most flagship phones have good cameras that can take solid photos, but there are subtle differences between the cameras systems on the iPhone 14 and Galaxy S22 phones.
Samsung offers the same camera system on the Galaxy S22 and S22+. You get an f/1.8 50MP primary sensor with dual-pixel AF and optical image stabilization (OIS). Both devices also feature a 12MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, as well as a 10MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture, OIS, and 3x optical zoom.
On Apple’s iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, you get a 12MP primary lens with an f/1.5 aperture and sensor-shift optical image stabilization. You also get a 12MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.4 aperture. Apple’s more affordable phones only feature 2x optical zoom, which gives Samsung an edge.
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)
Moving to the high-end, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have a 48MP main shooter with an f/1.78 aperture. The camera features Apple’s second-generation sensor-shift OIS. There’s also a 12MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture and a 3x telephoto lens with an f/2.8 aperture.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra offers a quad-sensor camera stack. The primary f/1.8 lens offers an impressive 108MP with dual pixel AF. The device also includes a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor. Rounding out the cameras is a pair of 10MP telephotos, one with 3x optical zoom and one with 10x. This blows the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 3x optical zoom out of the water.
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 range can capture 8K video, while the iPhone 14 family is limited to 4K.
Again, both phones should take fantastic photos. Still, that juicy 10x optical zoom on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a significant difference between Apple and Samsung’s offerings. For more, see our detailed stories on the the iPhone 14 and Galaxy S22 cameras.
Other Aspects to Consider
The new iPhone 14 models offer a few key features that Samsung doesn’t have—Emergency SOS via satellite and crash detection. With the Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, you get Samsung’s S Pen stylus and all the functionality it enables.
Although it’s not necessarily a feature specific to the S22 lineup, Android phones play nice with Windows, while Apple phones work best with macOS. If you like the idea of sending text messages from your PC or Mac, you might want to stick with the phone that fits in that ecosystem. Similarly, accessories might play a role in your decision. If you already have an Apple Watch and AirPods, the iPhone makes more sense. But if you own Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and a Galaxy Watch 5, the S22 is the way to go.
The final consideration is which app store you want to use. If you already own an Android device and have purchased apps on Google Play, a phone in the Galaxy S22 family might be best for you. The same is true if you’re already invested in Apple’s App Store.
Hands On With the Apple iPhone 14 Lineup
Hands On With the Apple iPhone 14 Lineup
The Right Phone for You
We already highly recommend the Galaxy S22 lineup, and the iPhone 14 looks promising, so you really can’t go wrong with either. Do you prefer the look of the Galaxy S22 hardware paired with Android as your mobile OS? Then go with the Galaxy S22 model that fits your budget. Do you like Apple’s industrial aesthetic and iOS? Pick the iPhone 14 model that suits your fancy.
We’ll have full reviews of all the iPhone 14 models soon and will update this story accordingly, but you can check out our first impressions in the meantime.
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