A whole lot of AI
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is the most affordable model in the new line and it comes chocked full with plenty of AI features. Some of the specs are the same as the model that came two years before it. But with a more powerful processor, brighter screen, and AI, plus longer future support, it's a worthwhile upgrade.
For
- Tons of AI integration
- Lots of photo editing features
- 7 years of software and security updates
- Durable, water-resistant design
Against
- Much more expensive
- Not compatible with the S Pen
An oldie but a goodie
The Samsung Galaxy S22 might be two years old, but it’s still a viable phone to consider if you can find one for a steal. While it doesn’t live up to the Samsung Galaxy S24, it still has some impressive features and a bit of life left. For a short-term phone, it’s worth considering, but only if you plan to upgrade again in another few years.
For
- More affordable
- Fairly durable and water resistant
- Many of the same specs
- Updateable to the new OS
Against
- Older, outdated model
- Slower processor
- No AI feature integration
- Not as many software and security updates
So, you’re on the market for a new smartphone and you’ve narrowed down the choices to Samsung. Two models you might be considering are the new Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22. It might be tempting to go with the older model phone, especially if you can find it for a steal. But is it still a viable option, or should you save up and fork out the dough for the Samsung Galaxy S24? If you already own a Samsung Galaxy S22, is it worth upgrading?
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22: How do they compare in terms of looks?
Before diving into the features, processing power, and cameras, let’s see how these two phones compare in the looks department.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 comes in Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Onyx Black, and Marble Grey plus Samsung-exclusive colors Sapphire Blue, Sandstone Orange, and Jade Green. The satin finish is complemented by a flat front and back and rounded edges, similar to the Galaxy S23. It’s also made of Armor Aluminum, which is lighter than steel.
On the front is a durable 6.2-inch AMOLED 2X FHD+ Corning Gorilla Armor screen offering 2,340 x 1,080 resolution. There’s also Vision Booster that allows the phone to reach a peak brightness of 2,600 nits for better visibility outdoors. Scene optimizer intelligently recognizes each scene and optimizes colours accordingly. With the 120Hz refresh rate, this phone can keep up with multitasking, gaming, and other data-intensive tasks while keeping everything cool and crisp on the screen. On the back, meanwhile, are three cameras running down in a vertical row.
The phone meets an IP68 water resistant rating and comes in 128GB or 256GB capacities with no memory card slot, so it’s advisable to go with the larger option. It has a 4,000mAh battery to last for about a day of Internet usage per charge, but it does support fast and wireless charging, and includes PowerShare for using its battery to recharge other compatible Galaxy devices as well.
With Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, dual SIM slots, and 5G connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy S24 does not come with nor does it work with an S Pen.
Available in Phantom White, Green, Pink Gold, Phantom Black, and Samsung exclusive colors Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, and Violet, the Samsung Galaxy S22 employs an angular look with a flat back and nearly flat aluminum frame. Despite how smooth it is in texture, Android Central’s Derrek Lee says in his review that it doesn’t feel slippery at all.
It is made of armor aluminum as well, so you get the same lightweight, durable design. But the screen is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, so ultra-durable but not Armor like with the Galaxy S24. The phone is almost identical in dimensions: at first glance, it might be tough to tell these two phones apart.
The screen is slightly smaller at just 6.1 inches, and the flat FHD+ screen is 2,340 x 1,080 in resolution, so identical in this respect. You get the same Vision Booster technology, scene optimizer, and 120Hz refresh rate, but peak brightness taps out at 1,300 nits, so it won’t be as viewable in direct sunlight.
Available with the same 128GB or 256GB capacities (not expandable), the battery is only 3,700mAh, so expect to charge it more often. But it supports fast charging as well (though not as fast) and 15W wireless charging and wireless PowerShare. The battery also adapts to how you use the phone, so it could possibly last beyond 24 hours, depending on how you use it.
The 5G phone includes Bluetooth 5.2 and USB-C, but it does not come with nor work with a Samsung S Pen either.
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22: Spec comparison
How do these phones compare head-to-head on specs alone? Let’s take a look.
There are, as you can see, a lot of similarities between these two phones when it comes to specs. But when you dive deeper is when you see the differences.
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22: Power and performance
Not surprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is the more powerful of the two phones. It boasts a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor with 8GB RAM. For audio, there are stereo speakers while the inclusion of Samsung DeX makes this phone great for productivity. With SmartThings, it can also be used to easily control connected smart home devices.
This phone is not only newer but it also supports more software and security updates: up to seven years of software and security updates, which future-proofs the investment in this phone for many years to come.
The standout feature the Samsung Galaxy S24, however, that you won’t get with the Samsung Galaxy S22, is the inclusion of AI. Using Google’s Gemini AI, you can leverage powerful AI tools like Google’s Circle to Search for scribbling on or circling an image to pull up search results instantly. It sounds like a simple tool, but Android Central’s Nicholas Sutrich said in his early hands-on of the Galaxy S24 that it’s actually his favorite feature. Note that you can also access Google Circle to Search on other phones, like the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.
The AI integration extends beyond that as well, with features like Live Translate for translating conversations in two languages using a split screen. With Note Assist, you can get AI-generated summaries, templates, and cover creations. Transcript Assist, meanwhile, uses AI and Speech-to-Text to transcribe, summarize, and translate recordings. The AI features are available for the cameras as well, which we’ll discuss more in the next section.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 doesn’t have any AI features, and it has a less powerful processor overall with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Thus, it won’t be as snappy and responsive, but it’s still a powerful phone, all things considered. It offers the same 8GB RAM, so the Galaxy S24 isn’t an improvement in this respect. You can access Samsung DeX and SmartThings from this phone, too.
The big deal here is that while the Samsung Galaxy S22 right now is upgradeable to both Android 14 and Samsung One UI 6.1 (without the AI features), it’s already two years old. This means you only have two more years of software and three years of security update promises left. If you plan to upgrade in a few years, or you still have a Samsung Galaxy S22, this is worthwhile. But if you’re looking to buy a new phone you can keep for the next five years, this might deter you.
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22: The cameras and camera features
What about the cameras? They are actually quite similar in these two phones. What truly sets the Samsung Galaxy S24 apart is, once again, the AI features.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 has a 50MP wide main camera, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto, and 12MP wide front camera. It offers 30x space zoom and 3x optical zoom. It’s where AI comes in that truly makes the difference, both while taking the photos and for editing once they have been captured.
All of these features are driven by a ProVisual Engine, an AI tool suite that powers the intelligent features, including the reduction of motion blur. Features like Edit Suggestion, which recommends the best way to edit a photo, are neat. Flaw detection is another one that helps improve your photos.
The most talked about feature is Generative Edit, which can fill in parts of the background of a photo or even a missing piece of an item that was cut off. Sutrich says it works similarly to the Magic Editor feature on the Google Pixel 8 series phones. You can reposition subjects in a photo and AI will complete the background for you. Don’t’ worry about authenticity, as a watermark will be added to every modified photo, and AI data is included in its metadata.
In his review, Sutrich found this phone still struggles to capture good photos with motion, but he did love the telephoto cameras, which took great shots in any lighting condition.
When it comes to the cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S22, they are largely the same. You get the same 50MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP telephoto along with 30x space zoom. The front camera is slightly lesser resolution at 10MP, however.
Lee loved using the cameras, saying he got good color reproduction, with images that were vibrant and warm, without being oversaturated. He found that night-time shots were particularly impressive, even without using the dedicated night mode. The same results, he reports, are true when shooting videos as well. He says the images have great dynamic range, with shadows brightened and with more detail overall than when using comparable cameras (released around the same time as that model).
The one thing Lee did not like about the Samsung Galaxy S22 cameras is the time it takes for the image to actual be capture after pressing the shutter button. If you like to take quick and candid shots, this is something to consider.
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22: Which should you buy?
It’s decision time! Which should you buy between the Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22? It’s a no-brainer to go for the newer Samsung Galaxy S24, which is overall more powerful and will support software and security updates for likely longer than you’ll even want to keep the device. The benefit here is that you can resell it once you’re ready to upgrade, trade it in for higher trade-in value, or hand it over to a friend or family member and it will still be current even five years from now.
If you already own a Samsung Galaxy S22, the good news is that the specs are pretty comparable between these two phones. Unless you need a more powerful processor, brighter screen, faster wireless charging, and you want to try out all the cool AI features, there’s no desperate need to upgrade just yet. Keep your Galaxy S22 for another few years or so and consider an upgrade at that time to this phone, or whatever the latest in the series is when you're ready.
For those on a tight budget considering the Samsung Galaxy S22 as an option because it’s much cheaper, you will get a lot of comparable features. So if you happen to find a good deal where you're saving a bundle, it’s worth considering. But this is only if you think you’ll be ready to upgrade in a few years. Since the phone comes out of the box with Android 12 and is currently updateable to Android 14, there are only two major OS updates left before it’s considered out-of-date, and three more years until no more security updates. You’re on a clock with that phone.
On the flip side, two years is still a long time. As a viable phone for a teen or tween who will want to upgrade to the latest once they are of age, the Galaxy S22 could be a perfect option. But it’s also worth looking into the Samsung Galaxy S23, which might be slightly more expensive than the S22 but less than the S24, and you’ll get support for longer with that device. Both the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Samsung Galaxy S24, it should be noted, rank among the best Samsung phones you can buy.
Bottom line: the Samsung Galaxy S24 not only offers compelling upgrades in the AI space, it’s also a more powerful phone, overall. And it will be supported for many years to come. So even though it’s a bigger investment, you’ll get much more bang for your buck with that device.
More bang for your buck
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is more expensive, but considering you get many more years of software updates, which you can begin counting from now versus two years ago, you’ll get much more out of it. It has a more powerful processor, more durable and brighter screen, and fascinating new AI features you’ll find both fun to use and useful.
Good for some
If you’re looking for a first phone for a teen or tween you know you’ll be upgrading in a few years, the Samsung Galaxy S22 is still worth considering. If you can find it for a steal, it has plenty of the same specs as the Samsung Galaxy S24. But this is a phone that will be outdated in a few years, so it has a limited lifespan at this point. For some use cases, however, it could work.
