Fairphone 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S22 5G: A Clash of Values and Performance
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Galaxy S22 5G is the clear winner for raw power, display quality, and camera capabilities. However, the Fairphone 4 stands out for its ethical design, repairability, and commitment to longevity, making it a compelling choice for environmentally conscious consumers willing to compromise on some performance aspects.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Fairphone 4 | Samsung Galaxy S22 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 18, 19, 20, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 71 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (4CA) Cat18 1200/150 Mbps, 5G 2.3 Gbps DL | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, September 30 | 2022, February 09 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, October 25 | Available. Released 2022, February 25 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame, plastic back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 162 x 75.5 x 10.5 mm (6.38 x 2.97 x 0.41 in) | 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm (5.75 x 2.78 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + eSIM | Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 225 g (7.94 oz) | 167 g / 168 g (mmWave) (5.89 oz) |
| IP54, dust and water resistant MIL-STD-810G compliant | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.3 inches, 97.4 cm2 (~79.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | IPS LCD | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 570 & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 570) | Octa-core (1x2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) - EuropeOcta-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) - ROW |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm) | Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - EuropeQualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - ROW |
| GPU | Adreno 619 | Xclipse 920 - EuropeAdreno 730 - ROW |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 15 | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 48 MP, f/1.6, (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 48 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF TOF 3D, (depth) | - |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 25 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/2.78", 0.9µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | - | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (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 video |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 25 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/2.78", 0.9µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.0, OTG, DisplayPort | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Standard 5-year warranty | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 20W wired, 50% in 30 min | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 3905 mAh, removable | Li-Ion 3700 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Gray, Green, Speckled Green | Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet, Cream, Bora Purple |
| Models | - | SM-S901B, SM-S901B/DS, SM-S901U, SM-S901U1, SM-S901W, SM-S901N, SM-S9010, SM-S901E, SM-S901E/DS |
| Price | About 400 EUR | $ 172.63 / C$ 304.00 / £ 186.11 / € 198.01 |
| SAR | - | 1.03 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.49 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) | 1.21 W/kg (head) 1.59 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 85h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -26.4 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 745496 (v8), 881428 (v9) GeekBench: 3682 (v5.1) GFXBench: 69fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Fairphone 4
- Sustainable and ethical design
- Repairable and modular
- Longer software support commitment
- Good value for money
- Lower performance than flagship phones
- Less impressive camera
- Less vibrant display
- Slower charging speeds
Samsung Galaxy S22 5G
- Exceptional performance
- Stunning display
- Versatile and high-quality camera
- Wireless and reverse wireless charging
- Premium design and build quality
- Higher environmental impact
- Less repairable
- More expensive
- Potential for planned obsolescence
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S22 5G boasts a significantly superior display. Its Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel offers vibrant colors, incredible brightness (up to 982 nits), and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The Fairphone 4's display is decent, but lacks the same level of vibrancy and brightness. Contrast ratio is also significantly better on the S22.
Camera Comparison
Samsung's Galaxy S22 5G takes the crown in the camera department. Its versatile camera system captures stunning photos and videos in various conditions. The Fairphone 4's camera is competent, but lacks the detail, dynamic range, and advanced features of the S22.
Performance
The Galaxy S22 5G's Exynos 2200 (or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1) chipset delivers vastly superior performance compared to the Fairphone 4's Snapdragon 750G. Expect faster app loading, smoother multitasking, and better gaming performance on the S22. The Fairphone 4 is adequate for everyday tasks, but struggles with demanding applications.
Battery Life
While both phones offer respectable battery life, the Galaxy S22 5G's endurance rating of 85h suggests a slight edge in overall efficiency. The Fairphone 4's battery is adequate, but doesn't match the longevity of the S22. Both support fast charging, but the S22 offers wireless and reverse wireless charging.
Buying Guide
The Fairphone 4 is ideal for users prioritizing sustainability, repairability, and a longer device lifespan. It's a great choice for those who value ethical sourcing and reducing electronic waste. The Samsung Galaxy S22 5G is perfect for users seeking top-tier performance, a stunning display, and a versatile camera system, even if it comes at a higher environmental cost.