Introduction
The Galaxy A22 is the LTE sibling to the Galaxy A22 5G, which we already reviewed a few months back. The duo was actually announced together back in June, but we didn't get around to reviewing the LTE variant until now.
The Galaxy A22 LTE a budget phone that does have its merits such as a fast 90Hz AMOLED display, a versatile quad-camera setup and a big 5,000mAh battery. That's a solid foundation, even if not quite on the same level as some of its higher-numbered siblings.
Samsung has been investing big in its sprawling Galaxy A family of devices, particularly since the kick-off of the "Awesome is for everyone" campaign back in March and the unveiling of the Galaxy A52, A52 5G and A72 and the introduction of the Galaxy A32 a bit before that. The Galaxy A22 sits a bit further down in the pecking order but does still get many "trickle-down" benefits that come with the Galaxy A moniker.
Samsung Galaxy A22 specs at a glance:
- Body: 159.3x73.6x8.4mm, 186g; Glass front, plastic frame, plastic back.
- Display: 6.40" Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 600 nits, 720x1600px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 274ppi.
- Chipset: Mediatek MT6769V/CU Helio G80 (12 nm): Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G52 MC2.
- Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM; eMMC 5.1; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, One UI Core 3.1.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 123-degree, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.1", 1.12µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 15W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio; 3.5mm jack; NFC; Virtual proximity sensing.
Sharing key specs with the Galaxy A32 LTE doesn't work in favor of the A22 LTE, especially since they both retail for about the same price.
Firing up a quick side-by-side comparison of the trio quickly reveals the Galaxy A22 and Galaxy A32 essentially trade blows spec for spec. All three models can be purchased for about EUR 250. Which does raise the uncomfortable question - does the Galaxy A22 have its own place in Samsung's portfolio?
Of course, the choice could all come down to a particular regional deal you happen to find when choosing between the A22 and A32. There are some details on their specs sheet that could potentially also tip your own personal preference one way or the other.
As for the comparison to the Galaxy A22 5G, the choice of the better phone is thankfully much clearer and easy to follow. Samsung essentially took the usual approach of implementing 5G into a model without increasing the price point. This, of course, meant it came at the expense of cutting down the rest of the phone's specs until the total package - now with 5G - fits into essentially the same budget. Not a terrible approach by any means, but if 5G is indeed high up on your list of priorities, it makes for an interesting decision. You get some and you lose some like with everything else in life.
We'll know the full picture once we learn more about what the Galaxy A22 LTE is capable of.
Unboxing
Samsung has been doing this sparing "sleeve" kind of packaging for its more affordable models for some time now, and while it seems to do the job well enough, we can't say we are fans. The top cardboard layer is just too thin and flimsy, and there is nothing protecting the phone that sits underneath if something presses on it. Then again, it is arguably a more ecological approach to packaging. Still, we believe that a good middle ground can be struck better.
In terms of accessories, our unit just came with a rather short white USB Type-A to Type-C cable and a wall charger. The latter is one of Samsung's basic Adaptive Fast Charging units, rated for up to 9V@1.67A (15W). Nothing fancy, but still decent for a budget device. The USB cable is also wired for data, which we guess is something.
You get no added value extras in the box, no screen protector, case or buds. This is one area Samsung has cut back in and never looked back. We get it. Even with all three bonus items tossed in the box, the user probably gets about $10 worth of extras at most. Still, competitors like Xiaomi and Realme often include some bonus items and improve the initial experience. Samsung isn't quite as competitive in this aspect, whether you personally care or not.
Design
Samsung currently has a few overall designs going. These tend to differ quite a bit in terms of camera island layout and arrangement yet do somehow manage to pull off a mostly consistent overarching design language. We honestly can't quite put our finger on it, but despite their differences, recent Samsungs do all still have a "Samsung" look to them.
The Galaxy A22 is no exception. If we had to group it together with some of its siblings, it would probably be fair to say that it borrows the "lower-end" design trends from some of its cheaper siblings-notably the square camera island. Though, looking at it in person, the "higher-end" influences from devices like the Galaxy A52 and A72 are also evident, mostly in the gently sloping edges around the camera island, making it sort of gently morph into the back panel, rather than stick out. In that respect, it is much closer in look to the aforementioned models than the Galaxy A22 5G with its sharper angles. We definitely like this look better than Galaxy A32 and its lack of camera island. That much is for sure.
Curves and shapes can go pretty far, but Samsung understandably didn't manage to fit the silky softer velvety finish of the A52 and A72 into the A22 price point. Instead, we get an obviously unapologetically plastic back, which feels sturdy enough, but is a major fingerprint magnet.
One thing that did make the cut here is the awesome colors. Again, these don't look quite as good on smooth plastic as on Samsung's more premium finish, which might be why they lack the "Awesome" moniker in their names. Still, both Mint and the Violet color we have on our review unit really pop in person and are truly eye-catching. And if you prefer not to draw attention, the Black and While look perfectly inconspicuous and blend in anywhere.
Even with its curvy profile, the Galaxy A22 is not slippery and feels great and secure in the hand.
There is nothing remarkable about the front of the Galaxy A22. The display bezels are not thin by modern flagship standards, particularly the chin, yet perfectly reasonable for a budget device.
The same goes for the relatively deep selfie notch, or Infinity-U, to use some of Samsung's older naming. Its rounded shape fits in perfectly with the rest of the design, though.
Materials and build quality
The Galaxy A22 is almost entirely made of plastic. It uses a slightly retro three-piece sandwich design for its construction, with a well-defined plastic back panel curving into a plastic middle frame. A display assembly is mounted almost on top of the opposite side of the frame, with a protective glass finish on top of that. We are glad to see that it is not plastic, but we would have still preferred some brand-name designation for the type of glass used. The official Galaxy A22 specs don't go into details.
Plastic isn't intrinsically bad or even worse than metal or glass. It certainly has its benefits, especially on a phone, since it neither dents nor shatters quite like the above two, respectively. It is potentially more prone to chips and scratches, though, but these might not show up quite as bad on fully colored plastic, which is what the Galaxy A22 seems to be made of. Plus, it does make for lighter construction. Measuring 159.3 x 73.6 x 8.4 mm, the A22 tips the scale at 186 grams, which is not bad for a phone of this size with a 5,000 mAh battery. In fact, it is worth noting that this makes the Galaxy A22 slimmer and lighter than the A22 5G and quite closer in footprint to the A32 instead.
While the A22 feels perfectly solid and has practically no chassis flex, if there is one small complaint we have about the back panel - it does feel a bit hollow when tapping on it. We've seen much worse, though. That and the fact that it's a fingerprint magnet, of course.
Controls
Speaking of fingerprints, the Galaxy A22 has a conventional side-mounted fingerprint reader and power button combo. It is very speedy and accurate, always-on and perfectly convenient in terms of placement. However, we can see how some buyers might be put off by the lack of an under-display unit since the Galaxy A32 does have one at pretty much the same price point.
The volume rocker is also perfectly convenient in terms of positioning but falls rather short when it comes to tactile feedback. It feels too stiff and mushy for our taste. Kind of weird since Samsung typically has a good track record in this department. It is not unusable, though and far from a deal-breaker.
There are no buttons on the left side of the Galaxy A22. Just a SIM tray. It is a long one, with two nanoSIM card slots and a separate slot for a microSD card, so you don't have to pick and choose.
There is just a single hole for the secondary mic on the top of the phone.
The bottom is a lot busier, with a 3.5mm audio jack. The A22 has an FM radio receiver, which requires plugging in some headphones for an antenna.
The USB Type-C port has a basic USB 2.0 connection behind it but does support USB Host mode (OTG). Next to that is the single bottom-firing speaker. There is no stereo setup here, not even a hybrid one.
Speaking of things missing on the Galaxy A22 - there is no notification LED, which is not a major surprise. There is also no proper light sensor or proximity sensor on the A22. The A22 uses its selfie cam to do light detection, which works decently well for the purposes of automatic brightness adjustment but is far from perfect. For proximity, the A22 has something Samsung calls an "Ear Hover Proximity Sensor (ProToS)". It is a virtual sensor emulated via software that relies on data from the gyroscope, touchscreen and selfie cam. Also, not ideal at its primary goal - turning off the display during calls. We've seen these omitted on other budget pones as well, particularly Samsung and Xiaomi ones, but that doesn't mean we like the tradeoff in reliability.
90Hz HD+ Super AMOLED panel
The Galaxy A22 is in an interesting spot when it comes to its display. It is equipped with a 6.4-inch, 90Hz Super AMOLED panel that has HDR support and is advertised to boost up to 600 nits of brightness. It is a bit lacking in the resolution department at 720 x 1600 pixels.
On the one hand, it is great to see OLED, which is sorely missing on the Galaxy A22 5G and without sacrificing the faster 90Hz refresh rate either. On the other, the 5G model has a larger 6.6-inch panel with 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution. As we said, the resolution is a weak point on the Galaxy A22. At HD+ and 6.4 inches diagonal, it has a pixel density of right around 274 ppi. Nowhere near the 400 or so ppi, an FHD+ panel provides at this size, and indeed you can spot the difference in sharpness if you look at the A22 alongside the A22 5G or, better yet, the Galaxy A32. To be fair, though, in isolation, the Galaxy A22 still looks perfectly sharp.
Speaking of the Galaxy A32, however, we can't neglect the fact that its 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel does have a 1080 x 2400-pixel resolution. Plus, it does so while still maintaining a 90Hz refresh rate and by offering an excellent brightness of over 800 nits, which we verified in our review. Unfortunately, Samsung neglected to offer any HDR support on the A32, despite its excellent panel performance.
HDR and Widevine
The same goes for the Galaxy A22. It does not report any HDR support. At least it does have the highest possible Widevine L1 DRM, which enables full resolution streaming from services like Netflix.
The lack of HDR is a bit of a bummer, but on the flip side, the Galaxy A22's panel offers great overall performance. Brightness is officially advertised as 600 nits, and we managed to get very close to that figure in our testing. Though, it should be noted that that figure is only achievable once auto max brightness kicks in. That, unfortunately, is a little bit unreliable and sluggish at times since the Galaxy A22 lacks a hardware light sensor and instead relies on its selfie camera to measure ambient light. We found this to occasionally be a problem when taking the phone out of a pocket in bright sunlight. Max auto mode often took a hot minute to kick in, but once it did, 600 nits were plenty. Not quite flagship-grade, especially for a Samsung, but perfectly good to be usable outdoors. We just wish Samsung sprung for a light sensor.
With auto-brightness turned off, we got just shy of 400 nits of brightness by maxing out the slider.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 826 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 814 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 682 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 657 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 597 | ∞ | |
| 0.4 | 534 | 1335:1 | |
| 0.33 | 510 | 1545:1 | |
| 0.338 | 497 | 1470:1 | |
| 0.4 | 477 | 1193:1 | |
| 0 | 476 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 475 | ∞ | |
| 0.349 | 472 | 1352:1 | |
| 0.327 | 458 | 1401:1 | |
| 0 | 458 | ∞ | |
| 0.337 | 447 | 1326:1 | |
| 0.277 | 439 | 1585:1 | |
| 0.32 | 437 | 1366:1 | |
| 0.286 | 426 | 1490:1 | |
| 0.264 | 410 | 1553:1 | |
| 0.292 | 398 | 1363:1 | |
| 0 | 396 | 1494:1 | |
| 0.252 | 395 | 1567:1 | |
| 0 | 393 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 391 | ∞ | |
| 0.236 | 385 | 1631:1 | |
| 0.239 | 381 | 1594:1 | |
Brightness isn't the only strong suit of the Galaxy A22's display. It is also pretty great when it comes to color accuracy. In keeping with the recent Samsung status quo, the A22 has two color modes - Vivid and Natural. The former targets the DCI-P3 color space and also offers a color temperature slider as well as advanced per-channel correction sliders.
Color modes
Vivid mode comes close to being color-accurate but doesn't quite hit the mark, which is likely by design. It keeps the three primary channels and particularly reds nicely boosted to deliver that OLED "pop" that tends to be appealing to the human eye. Natural mode, on the other hand, sticks closely to the sRGB color space and can even be considered good enough for color-sensitive work.
High refresh rate handling
The Galaxy A22 has a simple and straightforward approach to its 90Hz refresh rate. There are two modes in display settings for Motion smoothness - Standard and High. Standard locks everything to 60Hz, while High basically locks everything to 90Hz.
This has its positives and negatives, for sure, the latter mostly boiling down to the battery-wasting potential in certain situations, like watching video.
On the other hand, if you are aware of how the logic is set up and are remember to toggle down to 60Hz for things like movie watching sessions - everything else remains simple and straightforward.
Both Chrome and the Samsung browser, which we tried, take full advantage of the 90Hz refresh rate of the display, as verified by the Blurbusters UFO test.
Apps running at 90Hz
Samsung never promised any automatic refresh rate switching. Plus, having such logic implemented in a poor way has been known to cause issues with utilizing high refresh rate modes on other devices, especially for gaming. With this simple binary system in place, we managed to get a noticeably smoother (higher than 60fps) experience from pretty much every high-refresh-rate-supported game we tried.
Games running at 90Hz
The only situation we managed to find where the A22 switched down to 60Hz on its own was in the camera app. This is perfectly expected since the camera viewfinder is one of those Android UI components that traditionally require 60Hz to function properly.
Some apps require 60Hz to operate correctly
Battery life
The Galaxy A22 is pretty predictable in the battery department. It has the same 5,000 mAh pack as the Galaxy A22 5G and A32, among others. We also have a good idea of the expected performance and efficiency of the MediaTek Helio G80 chipset - a 12nm part. In fact, as we noted, the Galaxy A32 and A22 share quite a few similarities, one of which is the aforementioned chipset.
In terms of actual endurance numbers, the Galaxy A22 falls in line nicely with its siblings as well, with a solid total endurance number of 121 hours. In fact, that's actually a bit better than the 118 hours the Galaxy A22 5G managed. However, that one has a Dimensity 700 5G chipset. The A22 also does better than the Galaxy A32. Since the two have the same battery capacity and chipset, it seems that the lower display resolution on the Galaxy A22 is at least partially behind its better overall battery numbers.
Since we already mentioned that the Galaxy A22 has comparable endurance to other similar Samsung phones, here is how it stacks up against some of its main competitors in the same price range.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage patterns check out our all-time battery test results chart where you can also find all phones we've tested.
Charging speed
For charging, the Galaxy A22 has the familiar, old Samsung-staple that is 15W Adaptive Fast Charging (based on Quick Charge 2.0). You get a matching charger in the box. Nothing special overall. In fact, the Galaxy A22 has one of the slowest charging rates around, compared to its competitors. Using it, the A22 charges from flat to full in 2:20h, with 23% showing in the battery indicator half an hour into the process. Right around what we would expect from 15W AFC on a 5,000 mAh battery and within margin of error from similar devices like the A22 5G, A32 and A32 5G. At least you get faster charging than lesser Galaxies like the A02s and A12, if that counts for something.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Realme 8 Pro
88% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
65% - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
58% - Realme 8
56% - Samsung Galaxy A72
54% - Poco M4 Pro 5G
54% - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
53% - Samsung Galaxy A52 (25W)
52% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
50% - Poco X3 Pro
50% - Realme 8s 5G
50% - Samsung Galaxy A52
34% - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
34% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
33% - Poco M3 Pro 5G
33% - Samsung Galaxy A02s
30% - Realme 8i
30% - Realme 8 5G
29% - Xiaomi Redmi 10
26% - Samsung Galaxy A32
25% - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
23% - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
23% - Samsung Galaxy A22
23% - Samsung Galaxy A12
20%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Realme 8 Pro
0:38h - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
1:04h - Poco M4 Pro 5G
1:07h - Poco X3 Pro
1:08h - Realme 8
1:09h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1:13h - Realme 8s 5G
1:14h - Samsung Galaxy A72
1:15h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1:21h - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
1:28h - Samsung Galaxy A52 (25W)
1:30h - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
1:39h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
2:00h - Poco M3 Pro 5G
2:00h - Samsung Galaxy A52
2:03h - Xiaomi Redmi 10
2:13h - Samsung Galaxy A32
2:19h - Samsung Galaxy A22
2:20h - Realme 8 5G
2:20h - Realme 8i
2:21h - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
2:24h - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2:29h - Samsung Galaxy A02s
2:36h - Samsung Galaxy A12
3:03h
Speaker test
Like most other non-flagship Samsungs, the Galaxy A22 has a single loudspeaker placed on the bottom of the phone. And, like most other non-flagship Samsungs, it's not particularly impressive in terms of loudness - the A22 earned a 'Below average' rating for loudness in our 7-track test, just like the A32.
That actually makes it sort of the runt of the family, since even the Galaxy A32 managed a slightly louder 30.3 LUFS of output, and both the Galaxy A32 5G and A22 5G did notably better at 28.5 LUFS. At least better enough to squeeze out an 'Average' rating, that is. None of them is particularly impressive overall.
Frequency response is similar on all of these devices as well. That is to say, not overly impressive either. The Galaxy A22 doesn't have any built-in equalizers or optimizers for its loudspeaker. There is Dolby Atmos under audio settings, but that is just for headphones.
It is potentially worth noting that some competitors like the Redmi Note 10 Pro and Poco X3 do offer a stereo speaker setup.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
One UI 3.1 Core on top of Android 11, with most features intact
It is hardly a secret that a lot of the appeal of Samsung devices lies in the software. Of course, it's not a universal appeal, but there is a reason why One UI is one of the most popular custom Android implementations out there and has been so for quite some time. For many users, the added value proposition of a Samsung phone lies precisely in the software and ecosystem.
In keeping with its new "Awesome is for everyone" slogan, the Korean giant is significantly stepping up its software game with the new Galaxy A family of devices. That includes the Galaxy A22.
That being said, feature parity only stretches so far and coming down from the A72 towards the A22 has inevitably resulted in extra feature cuts. Nothing major, though, and the things still there are amazing for a budget device.
The Galaxy A22 actually ships with something called One UI 3.1 Core on top of Android 11. That "Core" bit actually demotes a slightly cut-down version, which explains some feature omissions. In any case, there aren't too many differences compared to the regular One UI 3.1, nor its predecessors, like 3.0 and 2.5. Just subtle things here and there, which we will try to mention.
First, a quick PSA about software support: at the launch of the A72, A52 and A32, Samsung made a huge commitment to offer three major Android OS updates for those phones, as well as four years of security updates. That will apparently be the case going forward for its high-end and some mid-range models.
Unfortunately, the Galaxy A32 and A32 5G are the cutoff point in that list, and the Galaxy A22 is currently scheduled for two major OS updates. This could actually be a reason to prefer the A32 for some prospective buyers, particularly if they intend on keeping it for a long time.
Let's start from the lockscreen. The default shortcuts for the dialer and camera are now monochrome. They used to match the respective apps' colors. Oddly enough, if you pick different apps, they will keep their colors - it's not a first-party vs. third-party type of differentiation either.
As more of a functional change - the lock screen has a wellbeing widget - you can now keep track of how much time you've spent on your phone without even unlocking it.
Lock screen, shortcuts and widgets
The always-on display option is present on the Galaxy A22 and makes proper use of its AMOLED display.
The side-mounted fingerprint reader will likely be the primary method of unlocking for most users, but you can still use face unlock instead or alongside it. It can be more convenient in certain situations, but it is generally less secure since it's based on the selfie camera.
Biometrics and security
The notification shade is a bit different on newer One UI versions and now covers the entire screen underneath, even if there's just one notification card or none at all. Previously, a portion of the screen below the last notification still remained visible, just darkened.
While we're here, the quick toggles can now be edited directly from the plus button at the end of the list instead of going into the menu.
Android 11 includes the nifty Notification history feature. It's accessed from the Settings menu, so it's not within immediate reach, but it's there for those occasions when you dismissed a notification too quickly, and you can't seem to find what it was about. Just make sure to enable it because it's Off by default.
Notifications, quick toggles and notification history
All of the standard layout adjustments and toggles for the quick panel and taskbar are accounted for. Android 11 has a new way of handling notifications for instant messenger apps called Bubbles, and One UI 3 adopts it, too. That's in addition to a previously available similar feature offered by Samsung by the name of Smart pop-up view. You'll find these settings under the 'Floating notifications' submenu, where you can alternatively turn both of them off and opt for the old-school cards-only interface.
Bubbles is an extension of the Conversations feature, another new development. You tap on an icon in the initial incoming message notification. It turns into a conversation that you can then minimize to a bubble, or what was known as a 'chat head' - originally Facebook Messenger's default way of dealing with chats.
Smart pop-up view is one of One UI's lesser-known proprietary features. In the pre-Bubbles days, it used to add the chat head functionality to any application of your choosing. Tapping the hovering 'head' icon opens the app in a floating window, which you can further maximize to fullscreen or minimize again to an icon. Sort of like Bubbles, only slightly different.
Floating notifications
Android 11's refined multimedia controls have made their way onto One UI. You get the active audio playback apps in a stack right below the quick toggles and swiping to the side switches between the apps.
The Media screen was already available on One UI 2.5 pre-Android 11, and it offers similar functionality for picking the output device or using Samsung's Music share feature. The volume control panel has gotten a makeover too, and now the four sliders are vertical instead of the horizontal ones of One UIs past.
Media controls
Samsung's Music Share is just one example of a fairly advanced software feature that originally launched as a flagship one and is now bringing a lot of added value to the mid-range. It fits right in with the new "Awesome' campaign for the Galaxy A family - a fact the PR team has instantly picked up on. The feature allows you to play music through Bluetooth accessories connected to a friend's Samsung phone. It is pretty nifty.
Interestingly enough, Music Share was absent on the Galaxy A22 5G back when we reviewed it, even though it was technically running the same One UI 3.1 Core. Perhaps it was backported with a subsequent update and is now on the vanilla A22.
Samsung Music Share
Yet another of the native Android 11 improvements that Samsung also includes in One UI 3 is the ability to pin apps to the top of the sheet with Share options. It's one of those things that make you wonder how come it had to wait until v11 for us to get there. Things are much better now, but still, we'd like to be able to remove some of the options, too, because that list could sure use some decluttering.
One more thing that Google tweaked in this year's release is the permission handling, and Samsung's implemented it in One UI 3. With this version, you will now see a new prompt for permissions every time an app requests it, letting you deny permission, allow it only while using the app, or just for this one time. If an app requires constant access to permission, you also get a fourth option that takes you to a setting page where you can provide it. This is done to prevent the user from accidentally selecting this option while blazing through the permission dialogs.
Share options pinning and permissions handling
The settings menu has seen a subtle but meaningful makeover. Subcategories are made more legible by using a dot separator and extra intervals, while recent searches are now shown as bubbles instead of a list. Additionally, there's a newly added feature to search settings by hashtags - for conceptually related things found in different places in the menu.
One UI settings
The One UI dialer app lends itself to plenty of customization. There are two different layouts for the in-call screen to choose between. You can also set up a background image or video for that screen, though it's going to be all the same for all of your calls - you can't have a different one on a per-person basis.
Samsung dialer
There are plenty of other smaller visual changes scattered all throughout One UI 3.1. Samsung's excellent theme support and rich online selection are present, as well. The same goes for the system navigation options, with a few tweaks and layouts available for gestures, as well as old-school button controls, even the really-old original style, with the back button on the right side.
One UI 3.1 and navigation options
There are plenty of additional extra features in the Galaxy A22 as well. As we said, most things present on the A52 and A72 made it over, like the Edge panels interface, as well as Game launcher - the hub for all your games, which also provides options for limiting distraction when gaming is here to stay as well.
Game launcher
There are some omissions, though. For instance, there is no mention of Bixby anywhere in the UI. Another thing missing out of the box is SmartThings. Though, the system-level integration for it within the Devices tab in the notification shade is present. All you need to do is download the SmartThings app to get it working.
Additional software features
Samsung Dex is nowhere to be found. But it is absent from the entire Galaxy A lineup, which we get - some things still need to be flagship exclusives. Even in its absence, though, you can still get a lot of its functionality through the Link to Windows feature that has been implemented in cooperation with Microsoft. You don't get Samsung's Smart View display and content casting either.
System benchmarks
The Galaxy A22 has the Mediatek Helio G80 chip inside, an okay performer but one that's going to have a hard time competing with rival offerings in this price bracket. It features an octa-core CPU in a 2+6 configuration (2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) and a Mali-G52 MC2 GPU. A number of RAM and storage options are available, ranging from 4GB/64GB all the way to 6GB/128GB. Our review unit is the 4GB/128GB variant.
These are basically the exact same internals as found inside the Galaxy A32, with the exception of the top-tier 8GB RAM option. Performance is hence, expectedly very similar between the paid, as well as other phones equipped with the Helio G80.
Kicking things off with some pure CPU numbers and GeekBench we can see the Galaxy A22 holds its own well enough, but definitely doesn't excel among its peers in terms of raw performance.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2801 - Poco X3 Pro
2574 - Realme 8i
1886 - Realme 8s 5G
1842 - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
1820 - Poco M4 Pro 5G
1797 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
1796 - Realme 8 5G
1784 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1780 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
1719 - Realme 8
1690 - Realme 8 Pro
1678 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
1673 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1599 - Samsung Galaxy A52
1577 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
1576 - Poco M3
1398 - Samsung Galaxy A22
1372 - Xiaomi Redmi 9 (Prime)
1325 - Xiaomi Redmi 10
1294 - Samsung Galaxy A32
1277 - Samsung Galaxy A12
1034 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
495
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
771 - Poco X3 Pro
735 - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
636 - Realme 8s 5G
616 - Poco M4 Pro 5G
597 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
569 - Realme 8 5G
569 - Realme 8 Pro
566 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
560 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
560 - Realme 8i
539 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
534 - Realme 8
533 - Samsung Galaxy A52
525 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
505 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
502 - Samsung Galaxy A22
376 - Xiaomi Redmi 9 (Prime)
362 - Samsung Galaxy A32
361 - Xiaomi Redmi 10
361 - Poco M3
308 - Samsung Galaxy A12
169 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
131
At least it is good to see that the Galaxy A22 is making the most out of the G80 chipset. In fact, it manages to squeeze a few extra points in CPU tests on average, for what that's worth.
The more compound AnTuTu benchmark isn't overly favorable towards the Galaxy A22 either, but in the older AnTuTu 8 runs, the budget Samsung does manage to outpace the Poco M3 and its Snapdragon 662 chipset and come close to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 and its Snapdragon 678.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
453223 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
429675 - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
334981 - Realme 8s 5G
329661 - Realme 8 5G
302059 - Realme 8
298328 - Poco M4 Pro 5G
296721 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
295442 - Realme 8i
293507 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
290172 - Realme 8 Pro
286666 - Samsung Galaxy A52
261282 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
242155 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
226561 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
218788 - Xiaomi Redmi 9 (Prime)
201829 - Samsung Galaxy A22
185358 - Poco M3
177904 - Samsung Galaxy A32
174332 - Samsung Galaxy A12
107189 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
90811
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
45 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
33 - Realme 8
20 - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
19 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
19 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
19 - Realme 8 Pro
18 - Samsung Galaxy A52
17 - Poco M4 Pro 5G
16 - Realme 8s 5G
16 - Realme 8 5G
15 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
14 - Realme 8i
14 - Samsung Galaxy A32
9.3 - Samsung Galaxy A22
9.3 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
9.3 - Poco M3
7.2 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
3.4 - Samsung Galaxy A12
3.3
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
38 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
28 - Realme 8
18 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
17 - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
16 - Samsung Galaxy A22
16 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
16 - Realme 8 Pro
16 - Samsung Galaxy A52
15 - Realme 8s 5G
14 - Poco M4 Pro 5G
13 - Realme 8 5G
13 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
12 - Realme 8i
11 - Samsung Galaxy A32
8.1 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
7.9 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
6.1 - Poco M3
5.9 - Samsung Galaxy A12
5
To be fair the Mali-G52 MC2 GPU is hardly a powerhouse. That being said, it has more than enough "oomph" for casual gaming, with lighter titles even exceeding 60fps and taking advantage of its 90Hz refresh rate. In fact, with some quality compromises, we even managed to exceed 60fps in PUBG Mobile.
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
27 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
20 - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
11 - Realme 8 Pro
11 - Realme 8
11 - Samsung Galaxy A52
10 - Samsung Galaxy A22
9.4 - Realme 8s 5G
8.9 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
7.8 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
5.3 - Samsung Galaxy A32
4.4 - Poco M3
4.1 - Samsung Galaxy A12
3.8 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
3.5
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
26 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
19 - Realme 8
12 - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
11 - Realme 8 Pro
11 - Samsung Galaxy A52
10 - Realme 8s 5G
9.7 - Samsung Galaxy A22
9.2 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
8.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
5.6 - Samsung Galaxy A32
5 - Samsung Galaxy A12
4.6 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
3.5 - Poco M3
2.8
3DMark paints a similar and mostly unimpressive picture overall. In fact, numbers are even rougher here on account of the QHD test resolution.
3DMark SSE ES 3.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
5010 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
2638 - Realme 8
2610 - Realme 8s 5G
2567 - Samsung Galaxy A52
2529 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2391 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1471 - Samsung Galaxy A22
1361 - Samsung Galaxy A32
1323 - Poco M3
1175 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
438 - Samsung Galaxy A12
365
3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
4231 - Realme 8
2639 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
2509 - Realme 8s 5G
2439 - Samsung Galaxy A52
2406 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2257 - Samsung Galaxy A22
1383 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1372 - Samsung Galaxy A32
1371 - Poco M3
1106 - Samsung Galaxy A12
612 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
489
All things considered the MediaTek Helio G80 is decent enough to provide a perfectly fluent experience with regular daily tasks on the Galaxy A22. OneUI runs smoothly without a hitch and with very minimal stutters and slowdowns. That, however, is pretty much true for most somewhat recent mobile chips and is hardly a major achievement. The fact remains that if you are after the best possible performance on a tight budget there are much better options than the Samsung Galaxy A22.
A familiar quad-camera setup
The Samsung Galaxy A22 has a quad-camera setup closer to that on the Galaxy A32 rather than the A22 5G. The latter saw its setup cut down to reduce costs and got a 48MP main cam and no dedicated macro cam, among other things. The A32, on the other hand, has a higher-res 64MP camera and higher-res 5MP macro and depth sensors.
The vanilla Galaxy A22 has a 48MP, Quad-Bayer, f/1.8 primary camera, which according to its software, could either be the Samsung S5KGM2, commonly known as the GM2 or the Sony IMX 582. Both with 0.8 µm pixels and a 1/2.0" total area and PDAF. Perhaps the most interesting bit here, however, is the addition of OIS, which is not a thing even on the Galaxy A32.
The 8MP ultrawide camera uses a Sony IMX355 sensor - 1/4.0", 1.12µm. It sits behind an f/2.2 lens. Nothing too fancy. No autofocus or anything of the sort. And last but not least - the 13MP, f/2.2 selfie cam is not particularly fancy either with a Sony IMX258, 1/3.1", 1.12µm sensor and also fixed focus.
The camera app on the A22 is the latest one you get with One UI 3.1, the biggest improvement being the relocation of the video resolution to the viewfinder. Other than that, it's the same as on any other Samsung pre-One UI 3.1, which is a good thing since it's straightforward and easy to use.
The basics are as usual - swiping left and right will switch between available modes, and there's an option to re-arrange, add or remove some of the modes from the viewfinder. Vertical swipes in either direction will switch between front and rear cameras.
The familiar tree designation for zoom control is here too, and with no telephoto on board, you get three trees for ultra-wide and two trees for the main cam. You could zoom in with a pinch gesture, at which point additional preset zoom levels appear at 2x, 4x, and 10x.
The viewfinder has the standard set of icons with the settings cogwheel located in the upper left corner of the screen. The usual stuff like grid lines, location data, etc., can be found in the menu.
Camera app and settings
There's a Pro mode, but it's the basic implementation that only lets you pick ISO (100-800) and white balance (by light temperature with icons for common light sources), as well as dial-in exposure compensation (-2EV to +2EV in 0.1EV increments). A metering mode selector also made the cut (center-weighted, matrix and spot). There's no manual focusing option, sadly. The Galaxy A72 and A52 have more Pro controls at their disposal, but the ones on the A22 are about on par with the A22 5G and A32 5G.
Pro photo mode
Speaking of missing things, Pro video also didn't make the cut. Neither did FUN MODE - Samsung's current collaboration with Snapchat that brings a rotating selection of Snapchat filters right into the default camera app. We can't say we miss it sorely, but we still felt we should mention its absence since it was such a big part of the marketing for the A72, A52 and A32. Interestingly enough, our Galaxy A22 doesn't even have the Deco Pic stamps and masks mode that the A22 5G had.
Daylight image quality
By default, the main 48MP camera captures binned 12MP photos. These are a mixed bag. In terms of positives - the colors look nice and natural, and there is a decent amount of resolved detail. Dynamic range is decent, too, especially considering the challenging lighting conditions we were forced to shoot in. However, these shots tend to come out looking too soft. Often times this is actually down to the Galaxy A22 missing focus. We found ourselves constantly tapping on the viewfinder to try and force it to refocus with varying levels of success.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 12MP main camera samples
We also had issues with automatic exposure consistency. Initially, we thought that Samsung's Scene optimiser, which is on by default, was the thing messing with autofocus and other metering, but we still managed to mess up shots with it disabled.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 12MP main camera samples; Scene optimiser OFF
Hence, it is actually pulling its own weight alongside Auto HDR, also on by default. You can also get a pretty good idea of just how much of a difference the extra computational processing is making by looking at shots captured in 48MP mode. Neither Auto HDR nor Scene optimizer is available in this mode, and it shows, especially in scenes with more complicated lighting. You can clearly see highlights and shadows look a lot better in the default 12MP auto mode in general.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 48MP main camera samples
48MP shots, however, definitely offer more resolved detail. If that is a priority for you and individual files of over 20MB in size are not a problem, then go for it. You do have to live with a bit more noise, as well. The extra detail, however, does not really combat the overall softness of the shots, which only further proves that misbehaving autofocus is to blame.
The Galaxy A22 lacks any dedicated telephoto or other hardware zoom. Still, you do get crops from the main 48MP sensor. You can pinch to start zooming, after which you can choose a zoom level that way up to 10x or use one of the convenient buttons for 2x, 4x, and 10x.
Seeing how they come from the same camera, the 2x shots are also plagued by the same focus and softness issues. If you get the autofocus to cooperate, though, you can get good enough results for social media.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 12MP 2x zoom main camera samples
The dedicated portrait mode works surprisingly well on the A22 and produces very competent shots for a budget device. The persistent autofocus issues notwithstanding. The background bokeh effect is particularly nice. You can adjust its intensity via a slider in the camera UI.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 12MP main camera portrait samples
Subject detection and separation are good but could be better. Stray hairs and busier backgrounds can trip it up. Auto HDR is available in portrait mode. And with enough patience, you can also get pretty decent portraits of non-human subjects. The detection algorithm just needs a bit longer to kick in at times.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 12MP main camera portrait samples, non-human subjects
Before we move past the main camera, here are our standardized posted shots from it in both its default 12MP and full-res 48MP modes.
Samsung Galaxy A22 against the Samsung Galaxy A12 and the Xiaomi Redmi 10 in our Photo compare tool
48MP: Samsung Galaxy A22 against the Samsung Galaxy A12 and the Xiaomi Redmi 10 in our Photo compare tool
The 8MP ultrawide camera on the Galaxy A22 is decent, but not spectacular in any way. It offers plenty of detail for what it is. Its color rendition is nice, but the photos have a bit too much contrast.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 8MP ultrawide camera samples
At least, unlike the main cam, the ultrawide is not plagued by autofocus issues because of its fixed focus. It produces pretty sharp still. Perhaps even a bit too sharp, with some obvious oversharpening artifacts here and there.
There doesn't seem to be any software distortion correction or at least the option to toggle any mild correction that might be present.
The dedicated 2MP macro camera is nothing to phone home about. It can get the job done with enough patience, but it only has a fixed focus set a bit further away than we would have liked and a focus plane that is not particularly forgiving. Plus, the tiny 2MP resolution is kind of a crutch.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 2MP macro camera samples
The Galaxy A22 has a 13MP, f/2.2 fixed-focus selfie camera. A bit better than the 8MP unit on the A22 5G but not quite the 20MP snapper on the Galaxy A32.
Considering the hardware at hand, we have to say that selfies still look quite decent. The focus plane is wide and forgiving, resolved detail is adequate, and even colors come out looking decent under moderate and favorable lighting conditions.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 13MP wide selfie camera samples
In typical Samsung fashion, the selfie cam has a narrow and wide mode. The wide mode outputs 4128 x 3096-pixel stills, or just under 13MP, whereas the narrow mode results in just shy of 9MP (3408 x 2556 pixels). This is how the Galaxy A32 hands its two selfie modes, but interestingly enough, not how the Galaxy A22 5G does things, with all of its selfies shot in 8MP. Just an interesting detail.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 9MP narrow selfie camera samples
The Galaxy A22 can actually automatically detect if there is more than one person in frame and switch to the wide selfie mode, which is kind of neat. You can also tell the camera app to remember your last choice between the two modes, which is handy. Though, we still don't get why Samsung insists on having the narrow mode be the default one out-of-the-box.
Video recording
The Galaxy A22 is unfortunately limited to 1080p@30fps for its video capture. That goes for all of its cameras - the main one, the ultrawide and the selfie. There isn't even a 60fps mode available. We aren't quite certain that this is a limitation of the Helio G80 since its encored claims it can do 2K@30fps and 1080p@60fps. We did try Open Camera just to be sure and were still capped at FullHD.
The Galaxy A22 5G is actually capable of an odd max video capture of 1152p@30fps thanks to its Dimensity 700 5G chipset. We wouldn't exactly call that a major jump up, though. Unfortunately, the Galaxy A32 is also limited to FullHD. If you want 4K, then you have to either look at the Galaxy A32 5G or jump up another level to the A52 and its variants.
You get the usual choice between h.264 and h.265 (HEVC) encoding on the Galaxy A22. The latter saves some space at the expense of some quality. The former results in MP4 files with a solid FullHD AVC video stream of around 17 Mbps and stereo, 48kHz AAC audio. Not too shabby at all.
FullHD video quality from the main camera is pretty decent, with respectable detail, mature color processing and low noise. The dynamic range is kind of disappointing, though, with plenty of blown-out highlights.
Videos from the ultrawide hold up surprisingly well. There is plenty of detail and colors look good, even if slightly different from the main cam. Exposure seems to be a bit more balanced here as well, though it is worth noting that the two snappers often tend to select vastly different exposures automatically in the same conditions.
The Galaxy A22 has OIS on its main camera, and while it's not the best we've seen by far, it does visibly smooth out smaller shakes in the viewfinder and create that familiar "floaty" effect while framing. There is additional electronic image stabilization available for both the main and the ultrawide cameras, without sacrificing on the FullHD resolution either.
It doesn't really work amazingly on either camera, though. On the main one, it does an alright job actually smoothing out shakes but introduces an annoying and persistent tiny amount of focus hinting. That's, unfortunately, a common artifact of EIS on lower-end devices.
On the ultrawide, EIS seems to greatly reduce most shakes but not remove them entirely, resulting in small but aggressive shaking.
There is no EIS for the selfie camera. Probably a good thing, too, since its field of view is already kind of uncomfortably narrow to get a face in the frame at arm's length and cropping away from the frame for stabilization would only make it worse.
Selfie videos look decent enough, but the limited dynamic range of the selfie cam is an almost constant hurdle.
Here is how the Galaxy A22 stacks up against competitors in our extensive video compare database. You can pixel-peep away.
Samsung Galaxy A22 against the Samsung Galaxy A12 and the Xiaomi Redmi 10 in our Video compare tool
Low-light camera quality
The Galaxy A22 expectedly struggles quite a bit in low-light conditions. Its main camera is quite unimpressive, though still quite decent for a budget device. There is a decent amount of detail. Noise is well subdued, and even dynamic range is not a major issue, with auto HDR and auto night mode clearly polling their own weight.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 12MP main camera low-light samples
The main issue here, just like with daylight shots, is misbehaving autofocus. The A22 would frequently just miss its focus outright and require quite a bit of fiddling on our end to even get close. Even when the A22 did focus properly, shots still came out looking a bit soft for our taste.
Going for 48MP shots in low-light can offer a nice boost in resolved datil, just like in good lightning. However, these shots still suffer from all of the same issues like misbehaving autofocus, as well as general softness. On top of that, you don't get Auto HDR and Scene optimizer while shooting in this mode. In our view, 48MP mode in low-light makes little sense.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 48MP main camera low-light samples
Zooming with the main camera quickly degrades overall sharpness and level of detail. We would say that past 2x, shots are more of a painting, courtesy of the sharpening and noise suppression systems, than anything else.
Samsung Galaxy A22 zoom samples: 2x • 4x • 10x • 2x • 4x • 10x • 2x • 4x • 10x • 2x • 4x • 10x
The ultrawide camera is quite messy in low-light as well. Noise is quite excessive, plus there are a lot of oversharpening artifacts. Dynamic range is expectedly limited, but honestly not as bad as we've seen with some other budget devices.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 8MP ultrawide camera low-light samples
The Galaxy A22 has a dedicated night mode that's a bit of a mixed bag. Overall it tends to fix up shots a bit, mostly by containing highlights a bit better, suppressing noise further and applying a bit more sharpening. It's not an incredibly stark difference compared to regular low-light shots, but night mode is also quite speedy on the Galaxy A22, making it more viable. We did notice that night mode shots tend to be a bit darker overall, but not by a lot.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 12MP main camera night mode samples
On another positive note, night mode on the Galaxy A22 is also available on the ultrawide camera. That's actually pretty nifty since it was not the case on the Galaxy A22 5G. Night mode has a rather subtle effect on low-light shots as well, but never managed to actually mess up a still in our testing, earning itself a recommendation.
Samsung Galaxy A22: 8MP ultrawide camera night mode samples
The 13MP selfie camera holds-up very well in low-light conditions. There is plenty of detail and very little noise. Even dynamic range is not that much of an issue.
Samsung Galaxy A22: selfie camera low-light sample
Interestingly enough, there is no night mode for the selfie cam, even though the Galaxy A22 5G does have the option.
Finally, we went out and captured a few low-light videos with the Galaxy A22, as well. The main camera holds up quite well. There is plenty of detail at 1080p, and noise is well kept at bay. Of course, dynamic range is far from ideal, and both shadows and highlights suffer. All low-light samples are in the following playlist.
Naturally, quality quickly deteriorates as you zoom. 2x low-light videos still look usable overall. Anything beyond that, though, we would avoid.
Competition
At the time of writing this review, the Galaxy A22 will set you back right around EUR 250. That's a bit of an unfortunate reality in itself since its official launch MSRP was around EUR 20 less back in June, but that's not an isolated occurrence. Like many other things, phones are hardly getting any cheaper these days.
In any case, EUR 250 also gets you a Galaxy A22 5G, as well as an A32 5G, but as we've established, those tend to sacrifice on some specs to facilitate 5G connectivity. There is the vanilla Galaxy A32, however, which we've been referencing throughout the review for a reason. It is honestly superior to the Galaxy A22 in quite a few ways, like - a brighter and higher resolution Super AMOLED display, with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top, higher-res main and selfie cameras and a promise for longer-term software support. With all else essentially equal, including the price tags, it is hard to make a case for the Galaxy A22 in this context.
Samsung Galaxy A32 • Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 • Realme 8
When discussing value budget devices, the Poco X3 Pro just instantly springs to mind. Currently retailing under EUR 250, it remains a crazy good deal and sort of a unique anomaly. For that price tag, you get a 6.67-inch, 120Hz, HDR10, FullHD+ IPS display and a very potent Snapdragon 860 chipset - a killer value gaming combo. But the X3 Pro excels in other aspects as well with things like Gorilla Glass 6 protection and an IP53 rating, stereo speakers, a large 5,160 mAh battery with 33W charging and a 48MP, plus 8MP ultrawide, plus two 2MP main camera setup.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 is also within budget and ticks most of the same boxes. It cuts back in the chipset department with a Snapdragon 678 but makes up plenty of ground with its excellent 6.43-inch, Super AMOLED FullHD+ display.
Last but not least, not to be outdone by Xiaomi, Realme has a viable alternative of its own with the vanilla Realme 8. Some of its highlights include a 6.4-inch FullHD+ Super AMOLED display with official HDR10 support and a higher-res 64MP main camera on the back.
Verdict
Samsung has really been putting in the work when it comes to the current Galaxy A lineup. Pretty much every model from the family recently has been solid and generally competitive in one way or another. The same is mostly true for the Galaxy A22 as well.
The LTE Galaxy A22 is a well-put-together device, with a solid-performing AMOLED panel, complete with 90Hz refresh rate and straight-forward refresh rate handling (even if lower-res). The Galaxy A22 also manages great battery endurance from its 5,000 mAh battery, has a surprisingly feature-rich One UI 3.1 Core skin running on top of Android 11 and uses the decent, if unimpressive MediaTek Helio G80 chipset to its full potential.
It has its fair share of issues and deficiencies as well, though. The plastic body feels a bit hollow at the back, it lacks any formal ingress protection or a "brand name" designation for its protective display glass. There are also no light or proximity sensors onboard the A22; charging is pretty slow, and the single bottom-firing loudspeaker is unimpressive. The main camera's misbehaving autofocus drags the overall positive experience down. And that's on top of a few other smaller camera quirks.
Even with all of the negatives pointed out, though, the Galaxy A22 remains a solid device, particularly for its price. However, Samsung is its own worst enemy in this particular case since, as we pointed out, the Galaxy A32 is better than it in a few notable ways and yet costs the same in most markets. So unless you get a really good deal on the Galaxy A22 LTE, you'd probably be better off getting the A32 LTE instead. Both you and Samsung should be just as happy at the end of the day.
Pros
- Wonderful 90Hz Super AMOLED display and straight-forward refresh rate management.
- Excellent battery life.
- Feature-rich One UI 3.1 Core on top of Android 11.
Cons
- No light or proximity sensors.
- Underwhelming bottom-firing speaker sound.
- Underpowered chipset.
- Inconsistent autofocus on main camera. Pretty soft photos all around.
- No 4K video recording.
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