Samsung’s mid-range phones are really confusing in 2021. We have the Galaxy A32, A22, and M32—all of which are very similar in one way or the other. So don’t be alarmed if things start to sound familiar in this review of the Samsung Galaxy F22.
Here, you’re getting a relatively underpowerful Helio G80 chipset, mono-speaker, and an outdated teardrop notch on these phones. But at the same time, they also deliver incredible battery endurance and camera experience. And the same trend seems to have followed suit with the new Galaxy F22 as well.
Samsung Galaxy F22 Specifications:
- Body: 74.0 x 160.0 x 9.4mm, 203 gm
- Display: 6.4-inches “Infinity-U” Super AMOLED, 90Hz Refresh Rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio, 274 PPI
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio G80 4G (12nm Mobile Platform)
- CPU: Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Arm Mali-G52 MC2
- Memory: 4/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64/128GB eMMC 5.1 storage (expandable)
- Software & UI: Android 11 with Samsung’s One UI Core 3.1 on top
- Rear Camera: Quad-camera;
– 48MP, f/2.0 primary sensor, PDAF
– 8MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 123º FOV
– 2MP, f/2.4 portrait lens
– 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens
- Front Camera: 13MP f/2.2 sensor (notch)
- Audio: Loudspeaker, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Face unlock
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Virtual Light, Virtual Proximity
- Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Galileo / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE
- Battery: 6000mAh with 15W fast charge (15W adapter inside the box)
- Color options: Denim Blue, Denim Black
- Price in Nepal: Rs. 20,499 (4/64GB) | Rs. 23,999 (6/128GB)
Samsung Galaxy F22 Review:
Starting at INR 12,499 in India and NPR 20,499 here in Nepal, because the F22 costs much less than the other three phones I mentioned earlier, I feel like this is the best value among all the midrange options in Samsung’s arsenal right now.
The company has copied all the features of the more expensive M32 and A22 while sacrificing in some aspects, which might not be a deal-breaker for many. With that out of the way, let’s get into this review of the Samsung Galaxy F22.
Design & Build
- 74.0 x 160.0 x 9.4mm, 203 grams
- Polycarbonate back/frame, Glass front
The first cost-cutting measure on the F22 can be directly seen with the phone’s look. It has a basic design language with a plastic back and curved edges that couples with the frame. The color options available are also pretty generic and these horizontal stripes don’t ooze a premium finish either.
Galaxy F22 is also quite heavy at 203gms, whereas the buttons don’t give you good tactile feedback too. As you can tell, this power button also doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. Overall, the F22 is not a good-looking or premium-feeling device.
But that shouldn’t matter much since you can always get a nice case or a skin. For me, while getting a budget phone, what’s underneath is what truly matters. And this is where I think F22 provides better value.
Display
- 6.4-inches HD+ Super AMOLED display
- 90Hz refresh rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
First off, it comes with quite a similar display as the M32 and A22. This AMOLED panel produces nice, punchy colors, the contrast levels are great, and we didn’t encounter any issue with the brightness while using the phone indoors or in a well-lit environment.
The display is also protected by Gorilla Glass 5, so that’s great too. Still, this screen is only HD though. So you will notice the panel lacking in sharpness, contrary to other Full HD displays.
On top of this, I noticed F22’s touch responsiveness to be inferior compared to its more expensive counterparts. Regardless, Samsung has opted for a 90Hz refresh rate here. And for the most part, the fluidity it brings is noticeable and feels incredibly optimized.
Performance
- Octa-core MediaTek Helio G80 4G SoC (12nm)
- 4/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64/128GB eMMC 5.1 storage (expandable)
- Android 11 with Samsung’s One UI Core 3.1 on top
Now, moving on to its performance, as I mentioned earlier, Galaxy F22 comes with the same Helio G80 chipset found in basically all the Samsung midrange phones right now.
If you’ve checked our reviews of the Galaxy A22, A32, and the M32, we have been very vocal about their sub-par performance. But given the cheaper price tag of the F22, I must say that things aren’t as bad here.
The Helio G80 offers a good experience for your day-to-day tasks, especially when complemented with Samsung’s One UI skin. We faced no issues while using light apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and such. Multitasking is fairly swift too, and Samsung has optimized RAM management well enough to keep apps in the memory for a longer period.
Gaming experience
Gaming, on the other hand, isn’t extraordinary on this phone. But again, for the price, it’s not all that bad. PUBG Mobile is playable in Smooth graphics and Ultra frame rates with 100% stability, although the graphics quality is not as detailed.
Likewise, lighter games like COD, Critical Ops, ShadowGun War Games run fine in medium to high settings. But Genshin impact is one of those games where the Helio G80 struggles. So, even when keeping the graphics settings to the lowest, F22 ultimately fails to deliver a playable experience.
Cameras
- Quad-camera setup at the back
- (48MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP portrait, 2MP macro)
- 13MP selfie camera inside the teardrop notch
Another aspect where the F22 has an edge over its competition is its cameras. You get a quad-camera setup that comprises of a 48MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, and two useless 2MP macro and depth sensors. I compared its cameras against the more expensive M32 and found both of them to be pretty neck and neck.
Normal Images
M32’s photos have slightly better details, while the ones from F22 look softer at times. But, both of these phone produces similar colors.
Interestingly, F22 does a better job with contrast management and dynamic range in some situations. So yeah, the Galaxy F22 might just be the best camera phone at this price range.
Wideangle Images
The ultra-wide lens isn’t that great though but is usable.
Images turn out a tad bit darker with soft output, but at this price range, it’s completely fine.
Portrait Images
Moving on, the portraits look pretty good though.
While it smoothens the skin tone and makes subjects look pale, overall, the background colors have a pleasing tone and the F22 offers better portraits than most other phones in this price bracket.
Nighttime Images
Nighttime shots from the F22 are also surprisingly good.
In fact, I found it to be doing a better job than the M32, both in normal and night mode.
Selfie Images
However, other aspects of the F22’s camera are pretty subpar.
Here, the selfies have soft output and blow out the background at times. In comparison, M32’s selfies have better details, focus, and fuller colors.
Videography
Even in terms of videos, this phone lags behind the M32. It caps out at 1080p 30fps recording and videos come out shaky if you are trying to vlog or aren’t stationary. Selfie videos aren’t that great either with a narrow field of view and average stabilization.
Battery
- 6000mAh battery with 15W fast charging
Getting to the battery, you get the same 6000mAh cell on the F22 as the Galaxy M32. And since the phone has an HD display, I got even better endurance on the F22.
I managed to get like 8 to 9 hours of screen-on time on my typical usage which includes turning ON mobile data all the time, playing light games, and watching videos a lot. So, this is an easy “2-day battery phone” even if you are a semi-heavy user.
However, you only get a 15W charger inside the box, which doesn’t charge the phone very fast—which could be a bummer when you’re in a rush. So, I suggest you get the 25W Samsung PD charger, that will take this big 6Ah battery from 0 to 100% in 1 hour 45 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy F22 Review: Conclusion
Overall, the Galaxy F22 is a phone I would definitely recommend for its price. I think everything is quite balanced with this phone, making it the best budget phone from Samsung right now.
Likewise, if you want superior performance, a sharper Full HD display, and maybe a better-looking design, you’ll have to spend a bit more and get the Redmi Note 10S or Realme 8. And given their higher price tag and superior hardware, they are certainly better than the Galaxy F22.
Samsung Galaxy F22 Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Vibrant SAMOLED panel
- Smooth 90Hz refresh rate
- Optimized RAM management
- Decent camera performance
- Excellent battery endurance
Cons:
- A boring-looking design
- No Full HD (1080p) resolution
- Inferior Helio G80 chipset
- Sub-par selfies, videos
