Samsung Galaxy S22 5G vs Apple iPhone 12: The Ultimate Showdown

Choosing a new smartphone can be overwhelming. The Samsung Galaxy S22 5G and the Apple iPhone 12 are both excellent devices, but cater to different preferences. This comprehensive comparison will break down their strengths and weaknesses to help you make the right decision.

Phones Images

🏆 Quick Verdict

The Galaxy S22 5G offers a brighter display, more versatile camera system, and potentially faster charging. However, the iPhone 12 boasts the seamless iOS ecosystem and generally smoother long-term software support. It's a close call, but the S22 5G edges ahead for Android enthusiasts.

PHONES
Phone Names	Samsung Galaxy S22 5G	Apple iPhone 12

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, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2172
5G bands	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2172
Speed	HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL)	HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
Technology	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / 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	2022, February 09	2020, October 13
Status	Available. Released 2022, February 25	Available. Released 2020, October 23

Body
Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame	Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame
Dimensions	146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm (5.75 x 2.78 x 0.30 in)	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 in)
SIM	Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)	· Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China)
Weight	167 g / 168 g (mmWave) (5.89 oz)	164 g (5.78 oz)
	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 Victus+	Ceramic Shield glass
Resolution	1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density)	1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
Size	6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio)	6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio)
Type	Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak)	Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)
	Always-on display	-

Platform
CPU	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	Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)
Chipset	Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - EuropeQualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - ROW	Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
GPU	Xclipse 920 - EuropeAdreno 730 - ROW	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
OS	Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8	iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 26.1

Memory
Card slot	No	No
Internal	128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM	64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM
	UFS 3.1	-

Main Camera
Dual	-	12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6"
Features	LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama	Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Single	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	8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps), stereo sound rec.

Selfie camera
Features	HDR	HDR
Single	10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF	12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
Video	4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS

Sound
3.5mm jack	No	No
35mm jack	No	No
Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers	Yes, with stereo speakers
	32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG	-

Comms
Bluetooth	5.2, A2DP, LE	5.0, A2DP, LE
NFC	Yes	Yes
Positioning	GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO	GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
Radio	No	No
USB	USB Type-C 3.2, OTG	Lightning, USB 2.0
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot

Features
Sensors	Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer	Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
	Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)	-

Battery
Charging	25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless	Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.4 update
Type	Li-Ion 3700 mAh	Li-Ion 2815 mAh (10.78 Wh)

Misc
Colors	Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet, Cream, Bora Purple	Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple
Models	SM-S901B, SM-S901B/DS, SM-S901U, SM-S901U1, SM-S901W, SM-S901N, SM-S9010, SM-S901E, SM-S901E/DS	A2403, A2172, A2402, A2404, iPhone13,2
Price	$ 172.63 / C$ 304.00 / £ 186.11 / € 198.01	$ 190.00 / C$ 307.99 / £ 190.00 / € 219.00 / ₹ 54,900
SAR	1.03 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body)	-
SAR EU	1.21 W/kg (head) 1.59 W/kg (body)	0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body)

Tests
Battery life	Endurance rating 85h	Endurance rating 84h
Camera	Photo / Video	Photo / Video
Display	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Loudspeaker	-26.4 LUFS (Good)	-24.4 LUFS (Very good)
Performance	AnTuTu: 745496 (v8), 881428 (v9) GeekBench: 3682 (v5.1) GFXBench: 69fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)	AnTuTu: 568674 (v8) GeekBench: 4067 (v5.1) GFXBench: 58fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)

Samsung Galaxy S22 5G

Brighter Display
More Versatile Camera
Faster Charging
Reverse Wireless Charging
Modern Design

Exynos variant performance can be inconsistent
Software updates may be slower than iOS

Apple iPhone 12

Seamless iOS Ecosystem
Excellent Video Recording
Smooth Performance
Strong Resale Value
MagSafe Wireless Charging

Less Camera Versatility
Slower Charging
Limited Customization
Lightning Port (older standard)

Display Comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S22 5G takes the display crown with its measured peak brightness of 982 nits, significantly brighter than the iPhone 12. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (nominally infinite), but the S22 5G's vibrancy and outdoor visibility are superior. The iPhone 12's display is still very good, but lacks the S22's punch.

Camera Comparison

The Galaxy S22 5G provides a more versatile camera system with its multiple lenses and advanced features like Space Zoom. The iPhone 12 excels in computational photography and consistently delivers excellent image quality, particularly in video recording. Both capture great photos, but the S22 5G offers more creative control.

Performance

While the iPhone 12's A14 Bionic chip remains incredibly powerful, the Galaxy S22 5G's Exynos 2200 (Europe) or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (ROW) offer comparable performance in most tasks. The Snapdragon variant generally outperforms the Exynos. Both phones handle demanding games and multitasking with ease, but the iPhone 12's optimization often results in a slightly smoother experience.

Battery Life

Both phones achieve a similar endurance rating (85h), suggesting comparable real-world battery life. The Galaxy S22 5G supports faster 25W wired charging and reverse wireless charging, while the iPhone 12 offers 50% charge in 30 minutes with PD2.0 and MagSafe wireless charging.

Buying Guide

The Samsung Galaxy S22 5G is ideal for Android users who prioritize a vibrant display, flexible camera options, and a modern design. The Apple iPhone 12 is a great choice for those deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem, valuing simplicity, and seeking reliable software updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Which phone has better software support?

The Apple iPhone 12 generally receives longer and more consistent software updates than the Samsung Galaxy S22 5G.

❓ Is the Galaxy S22 5G worth the extra cost?

It depends on your priorities. If you value a brighter display, more camera features, and faster charging, the S22 5G is a worthwhile investment. If you're already in the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 12 remains a compelling choice.