By Jason Murdock

Published: Wednesday, 09 February 2022 at 12:00 am


The Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Apple iPhone 13 are both premium smartphones – but how do they compare and which handset should you buy in 2022?

Samsung unveiled a trio of new flagship devices during its Galaxy Unpacked event on 9th February, consisting of the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Apple showcased and released its iPhone 13 series last September, with the line-up including the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

In this comparison, we will focus on the standard model in each family of phones: the S22 and the iPhone 13, placing them head-to-head based on design, features, cost, battery life, compatibility, colours, storage, screen size and more.

The release of the S22 comes just weeks after the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE – a lower-cost alternative to last year’s flagship. If you want to read more about that device here’s our Galaxy S21 FE review, plus our earlier Galaxy S21 Ultra review.

Jump to:

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: key differences at a glance

  • Galaxy S22 series is Android, iPhone 13 runs on iOS
  • Galaxy S22 has up to 120Hz refresh rate, iPhone 13 is 60Hz
  • Galaxy S22 has a triple camera, iPhone 13 is dual set-up
  • Galaxy S22 is priced from £769, iPhone 13 starts from £779
  • Galaxy S22 has a 3,700mAh battery, iPhone 13 is 3,227mAh
  • Galaxy S22 has two storage options, iPhone 13 has three

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: display

The Samsung S22 has a 6.1-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It also offers a 240Hz touch sampling rate in Game Mode and AI blue light control. The display adjusts to your surroundings, dimming or brightening lighting as needed.

The iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display (OLED) with a 60Hz refresh rate, unlike the 13 Pro models which offer an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: design

The S22 looks very similar in appearance to the S21, with the triple camera module in the top left of the rear and rounded corners. The S22 series has “armour aluminium” for durability, plus a glass front and back. It has IP68 water resistance.

The iPhone 13 also looks similar to its predecessor. It has a big notch, and the camera module is squared, housing a dual-lens set-up. The iPhone 13 has a Ceramic Shield front and is built with “aerospace-grade” aluminium and IP68 resistance.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: OS

The Samsung Galaxy S22 runs on the Android operating system with a skin known as One UI 4, which the company says offers more customisation than ever before – such as colour pallet themes for the menus that match your wallpaper, plus more emojis.

Like all Apple handsets, the iPhone 13 runs on iOS.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: pricing

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is available from £769 for the 128GB model. The handset with more storage (256GB) starts from £819 in the UK. Both have 8GB of RAM.

The iPhone 13 is available from £779 for the 128GB model. The 256GB model will cost £879, while the biggest storage option of 512GB is priced at £1079 in the UK.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: camera

The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a triple camera set-up: a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 50MP wide lens and a 10MP telephoto lens. The front “selfie” camera is a 10MP lens.

The Apple iPhone 13 has a dual 12MP camera system, consisting of a wide lens and an ultra-wide lens. The front-facing “selfie” camera on the iPhone 13 is a 12 MP lens. For video, the iPhone 13 shoots 4K content at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: connectivity

The Samsung Galaxy S22 5G connectivity and Bluetooth 5.2. It uses USB-C and also has wireless charging of up to 15W. The 25W wall adapter is sold separately.

The iPhone 13 has 5G connectivity and Bluetooth 5.0. It uses Apple’s Lightning port and has wireless charging of up to 7.5W. The 20W adapter is sold separately.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: size

Galaxy S22 dimensions: 146mm (H) x 70.6mm (W) x 7.6mm (D). It weighs 169 grams. The screen size is 6.1-inches when measured diagonally, according to Samsung.

Apple iPhone 13 dimensions: 146.7 mm (H), 71.5 mm (W), 7.65 mm (D). The standard handset weighs 173 grams. The screen size is also 6.1-inch measured diagonally.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: battery

The standard Samsung Galaxy S22 has a 3,700mAh battery. The Apple iPhone 13 is slightly smaller – instead housing a 3,227mAh battery, according to MacRumors. Both phones support Qi wireless charging, but only the iPhone 12 and 13s have MagSafe – which is a series of magnet-based cases, charging hardware and accessories.

Galaxy S22 vs iPhone 13: colours

The Galaxy S22 comes in four colours: Phantom White, Phantom Black, Green and Pink Gold. The iPhone 13 comes in five tones: white, black, blue, pink and red.

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