Samsung Galaxy S7 Active vs. Galaxy S22 5G: A Generational Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Galaxy S22 5G is the clear winner in terms of modern features, performance, and camera capabilities. However, the S7 Active boasts incredible battery endurance and ruggedness. If you prioritize longevity and durability, the S7 Active remains surprisingly competitive, but for most users, the S22 offers a significantly better experience.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S7 active | Samsung Galaxy S22 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 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, 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 (3CA) Cat9 450/50 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | 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 | 2016, June. Released 2016, June | 2022, February 09 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2022, February 25 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 4), plastic back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 148.8 x 74.9 x 9.9 mm (5.86 x 2.95 x 0.39 in) | 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm (5.75 x 2.78 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 184.8 g (6.53 oz) | 167 g / 168 g (mmWave) (5.89 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) 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 4 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2560 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~576 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.1 inches, 71.7 cm2 (~64.3% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) | 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 MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 (14 nm) | Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - EuropeQualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - ROW |
| GPU | Adreno 530 | Xclipse 920 - EuropeAdreno 730 - ROW |
| OS | Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), upgradable to 7.0 (Nougat), TouchWiz UI | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) | No |
| Internal | 32GB 4GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS | 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@30fps (gyro-EIS), 1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., OIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 5 MP, f/1.7, 22mm (wide), 1/4.1", 1.34µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | - | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio, RDS | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0, OTG | 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 (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2 | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| ANT+ S-Voice natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 15W wired, QC2 Wireless (Qi) (market dependent) | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Music play | Up to 110 h | - |
| Stand-by | Up to 384 h (3G) | - |
| Talk time | Up to 32 h (3G) | - |
| Type | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3700 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Camo Green, Titanium Gray, Sandy Gold | Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet, Cream, Bora Purple |
| Models | SM-G891A | SM-S901B, SM-S901B/DS, SM-S901U, SM-S901U1, SM-S901W, SM-S901N, SM-S9010, SM-S901E, SM-S901E/DS |
| Price | About 360 EUR | $ 172.63 / C$ 304.00 / £ 186.11 / € 198.01 |
| SAR | 0.92 W/kg (head) 0.75 W/kg (body) | 1.03 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.32 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) | 1.21 W/kg (head) 1.59 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -94.3dB / Crosstalk -93.4dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 96h | Endurance rating 85h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 72dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 78dB | -26.4 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | Basemark OS II 2.0: 2487Basemark X: 32362 | AnTuTu: 745496 (v8), 881428 (v9) GeekBench: 3682 (v5.1) GFXBench: 69fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S7 active
- Exceptional battery life
- Rugged and durable design
- Water and dust resistant
- Relatively affordable (used)
- Outdated processor and RAM
- Lower resolution display
- Older software
- Less impressive camera
Samsung Galaxy S22 5G
- Powerful performance
- Stunning display
- Excellent camera system
- Modern features (5G, reverse wireless charging)
- Sleek design
- Shorter battery life than S7 Active
- Higher price
- Can get warm under heavy load
Display Comparison
The S22 5G's display is a significant upgrade. Its 982 nits max brightness and infinite contrast ratio offer vibrant colors and excellent visibility, even in direct sunlight. The S7 Active's display, while functional, is noticeably dimmer and lacks the same level of color accuracy. The S22 also benefits from a higher resolution and smoother refresh rate.
Camera Comparison
The S22 5G's camera system is vastly superior. It offers improved image quality, better low-light performance, and a wider range of features. The S7 Active's camera is adequate for basic photography, but it struggles in challenging conditions and lacks the advanced features of the S22.
Performance
The S22 5G's chipset (Exynos 2200 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1) and CPU provide a massive performance leap over the S7 Active's Snapdragon 820. Apps launch faster, multitasking is smoother, and demanding games run with ease on the S22. The S7 Active, while still capable for basic tasks, shows its age when handling modern applications.
Battery Life
This is where the S7 Active shines. Despite its older battery technology, it boasts an incredible 96-hour endurance rating. The S22 5G, while offering decent battery life (85 hours), doesn't match the S7 Active's longevity. However, the S22 supports faster charging and reverse wireless charging.
Buying Guide
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active is ideal for users who prioritize extreme durability, long battery life, and are comfortable with an older operating system. It's a great choice for outdoor enthusiasts or those working in demanding environments. The Samsung Galaxy S22 5G is perfect for users who want a premium smartphone experience with a stunning display, powerful performance, and a top-tier camera system. It's suited for everyday use, photography enthusiasts, and those who want the latest Android features.