Samsung Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: Which should you buy?

In this comparison, we’ll pit the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus against the iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 Pro. With the Galaxy S22 Ultra separating itself from the series even further with a new design and S Pen support, it gets its own comparison with the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The iPhone 13’s design language stays the same as its predecessor but with some refining that a keen-eyed observer might catch at first glance. The rear cameras of the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini are now positioned diagonally, a slight change from the vertical placement before. The notch is 20% smaller this time around, but without affecting all the Face ID hardware that goes into it.

The iPhone 13 and 13 Mini have more in common than just the camera placement. Apart from the different display sizes and battery capacities, the rest remain identical. The iPhone 13 Mini and standard iPhone 13 come with 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch OLED displays, respectively, with a 60Hz refresh rate. Apple is saving faster 120Hz refresh rates for its Pro models, which you get with the 6.1-inch OLED screen of the iPhone 13 Pro. The iPhone 13 Pro borrows the same triple rear camera setup from the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

First impressions: Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus hands-on

The story stays the same when we look at the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus. It’s nearly impossible to differentiate between the smaller Galaxy S22 models, compared to their predecessors, unless you’re incredibly familiar with the many colorways of the phones. The Contour Cut camera bump returns and houses the upgraded triple camera setup.

You’ll need to pick up the phone to notice a difference. After using a “glasstic” back with the base Galaxy S21, metal and glass are the order of the day again with the newer phone. This makes the Galaxy S22 and the S22 Plus even closer than before, and Samsung managed to make the build quality upgrade without changing the launch price.

Samsung’s display prowess shines through with every phone, and its latest releases are no different. But, there are no surprises with the display. The 6.1-inch and 6.6-inch Super AMOLED displays of the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are as impressive as they’ve ever been on a Samsung flagship. The Full HD+ screens have a 120Hz refresh rate, giving the Galaxy S22 a leg up over the similarly priced iPhone 13 and 13 Mini.

The Galaxy S22 and the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro are very similar in size, while the Galaxy S22 Plus is the biggest of the lot with its much larger display. If you want a genuinely compact smartphone, though, the iPhone 13 Mini is your best, not only compared to the Galaxy S22 series but the Android world in general.

Check out: The best Samsung Galaxy S22 cases | The best iPhone 13 cases

Powering the Samsung Galaxy S22 and the S22 Plus is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, or the Samsung Exynos 2200 in selected global markets. Both phones come with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage built-in as standard but can go up to 256GB. You’ll have to splurge on the Galaxy S22 Ultra for more RAM, but the hardware of the smaller phones will also give you an incredibly smooth performance.

On the other hand, Apple’s A15 Bionic processor under the hood of the iPhone 13 is a powerhouse. Early tests show that the Apple processor benchmarks better than the latest from Qualcomm in certain aspects. Benchmark tests aside, real-world performance will be impressive no matter which phone you get. The Samsungs have more RAM, but the Apple devices offer higher storage (512GB) versions if you want them.

Should you upgrade? Samsung Galaxy S22 series vs older Galaxy phones

The Galaxy S22 has a 3,700mAh battery, while the larger size lets Samsung pack a larger 4,500mAh unit into the S22 Plus. The Ultra and Plus model offer an upgraded maximum charging speed of 45W, but you can charge the regular Galaxy S22 at 25W, while all three support 15W wireless charging. Neither phone comes with a charger in the box, though, so you’ll need to pick up a suitable charger to take advantage of its fast-charging capabilities.

We’ll have to wait for our reviews to give you our final thoughts on battery life. But we were impressed with the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus battery life, so we can expect more of the same with their successors.

Apple doesn’t officially declare the battery capacities of its phones, but we do know that every phone in the iPhone 13 series comes with larger batteries than its predecessors. The iPhone 13 Mini has the smallest battery but offers solid battery life, while the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro are even better.

All three phones also have wireless charging support, 15W with a MagSafe charger and 7.5W with standard Qi chargers. You get some fast charging capabilities with a compatible charger — again, there are no chargers in the box — but it’s far from the quickest charging we’ve seen.

The cameras are usually the biggest selling point of Apple and Samsung smartphones. The smaller Galaxy S22 siblings don’t get the impressive camera array of the Ultra, but there are some significant upgrades here that make them better than recent non-Ultra Galaxy S phones. You’ll find a 50MP primary camera, along with a 10MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultrawide shooter. The selfie camera gets an upgrade to 40MP, another jump from the 10MP sensors we’ve seen in previous years.

The iPhone 13 and 13 Mini have a dual-camera setup with a 12MP wide-angle and 12MP ultrawide lens. The iPhone 13 Pro tacks on a 12MP one if you want a telephoto lens. Don’t let the numbers fool you, though. All three iPhones are among the best camera phones around. We expect the Galaxy S22 series to find its way on that list as well, but we’ll need to test them more.

Related: The best camera phones you can get

The Galaxy S22 and the iPhone 13 start at the same price, but Apple charges extra when doubling the storage. Similarly, the Galaxy S22 Plus and iPhone 13 Pro start at $999, but while you get double the storage with the S22 Plus for $50 more, it’s $100 more with the iPhone. The iPhones give more storage, though, going up to 512GB in the case of the regular models and 1TB with the Pro.

Samsung has plenty of colorways on offer with the two phones. Standard options include Phantom Black, Phantom White, Pink Gold, and Green. The two-toned Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet, and Cream, are exclusively available directly from Samsung’s online store. The iPhones don’t have as many options, but flashy choices are available. The iPhone 13 Mini and standard 13 can be found in Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, and Product Red, while the Pro has Graphite, Gold, Silver, and Sierra Blue as its four options.

When considering any Android vs iOS phone, the choice always boils down to which ecosystem you are already in. If you have an Apple Watch, an iPad, and a ton of official accessories, you probably aren’t thinking about switching over any time soon. But even for new buyers, there’s plenty that makes the iPhone 13 a good buy.

You’ll want to get an iPhone 13 Pro (or the Pro Max if you want a huge display) for the best features. It comes with a triple camera setup, a 120Hz display refresh rate, and up to 1TB of storage. Apart from the extra telephoto lens and the faster refresh rate, you get everything else with the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini. These are all excellent phones, and the relatively cheaper starting prices of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini make them compelling phones.

A big plus for the iPhones is software support. Apple has supported its phones for years with major OS updates. Samsung is getting close with its announced plan to support the S22 series for four major OS updates, but Apple still has the Android phones beat in this regard.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus see valuable upgrades from their predecessors, while the price stays the same. The Galaxy S22, in particular, gets a new build, and both phones come with an upgraded camera setup. It’s not as good as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but these phones are significantly cheaper than the highest-end addition to the S22 series.

Comparing these phones, the Galaxy S22 seems like the better buy over the iPhone 13. It comes with a better display, larger battery, and better camera specs, on paper at least, and both start at the same price point. The iPhone 13 Mini makes a case for itself by being the smallest of the lot, and plenty of people want a compact phone. It’s more of a toss-up between the identically priced Galaxy S22 Plus and the iPhone 13 Pro, with the latter’s features bringing it more in line with its Android counterpart.