Since we’re thankfully spoiled for choice, it might be tough to pick your next smartphone purchase. What about the Samsung Galaxy A22 4G? It’s one of Samsung’s newer releases in the A series, a lineup that gives you a taste of its latest tech at a more budget-friendly price point. This particular handset is on the more affordable side, which might appeal to you.
But is its affordability all it has to offer? I’m here to give you reasons why it could be a candidate to consider when you’re ready to buy your new smartphone.
Light, bright, and OOTD ready
The Samsung Galaxy A22 comes in four different shades: Black, White, Mint, and Violet. While the two former colors are more traditional, I love the pastel Mint and Violet colors.
I have the Violet option with me and loving its almost lavender-like shade. It’s attracted a number of my friends who’ve seen me post about the phone. The colors make this phone eye-catching while maintaining a subtlety that makes it easy to pair it with any outfit.
Samsung isn’t trying to hide the shiny plastic casing it comes in, but it has a sort of matte finish to it that makes it possible to hide smudges. They are still there, but it’s relatively easy to wipe away. And while the phone is easy to grip in hand, it’s somehow very slippery. I’ve had it fall off a shelf and onto my bed after placing it a bit sideways. (I say bed when I mean it fell on my head.)
The Galaxy A22 comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the right that’s placed at an easy-to-reach height. I have average-sized hands for a woman, so it should be easy to reach for many people, especially right-handed ones. It’s responsive and in the best position for a fingerprint sensor. Above it, there’s the volume rocker.
The bottom has a 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C port, and a single bottom-firing speaker, while the left side houses the card slot for two sim cards and a microSD card. The selfie camera is housed in a teardrop notch at the top center of the phone. The camera bump at the rear doesn’t protrude too much that the phone will wobble if you try to use it while it’s placed on a desk.
Even with a 6.4-inch screen, the Galaxy A22 doesn’t feel unwieldy in one hand. Samsung’s One UI makes things easy to reach things even with one hand, at least for its apps, and that’s something I’ve always appreciated.
Gives you social media-ready content
There is a youthful look to the Galaxy A22, so it isn’t surprising that Samsung targets social media-savvy youth. But honestly, its cameras will work for anyone who loves posting online or just wants to keep their memories kept in photos.
It has a quad-camera setup at the back with a primary 48-megapixel sensor with Optical Image Stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and 2-megapixel macro and depth sensors. You get a 13-megapixel selfie shooter in front.
The Galaxy A22 is not a phone for enthusiasts. It wants you to take advantage of the camera features, but it’s not a lot when compared even to Samsung’s own devices. Given the price point, that isn’t surprising.
I’m not going to be the first person to tell you that there really isn’t much you can do with the 2-megapixel cameras. They’re mostly there to increase the number of cameras, so like me, you’ll probably spend more time using the primary, selfie, and ultra-wide lens. And you can get a lot done with those three cameras alone. Even without the help of the depth sensor, you can get some decent separation between your subject and the background.
In true Samsung fashion, the photos will come out with colors boosted a bit. It’s easy to get some shareable pictures instantly. It will try to brighten shots you take in low light, but these will come out a bit muddy. For zooming in, your best bet to get good photos is around 2x to 3x.
If you want more detail in the shots, Samsung will let you use the full 48-megapixel resolution instead of the default 12-megapixel resolution.
Selfie shots operate somewhat the same. Samsung has basic beauty features that help smoothen out the skin if you’re looking for that feature. And I’ve noticed it will try to brighten your complexion if you shoot in low-light areas. The selfies aren’t my favorite, but they are handy when you need a quick photo.
You can use Night Mode to help improve the overall photo quality in low light. But that will only take you so far. Photos also seem grainier in this mode. You’ll need some form of a light source to make these shareable. But you can tweak around with the somewhat pared-back Pro Mode, which lets you tweak ISO, White Balance, and Exposure. We still do appreciate that you get a Night Mode and Pro Mode on this phone.
Auto (Left) vs. Night Mode (Right)
Auto (Left) vs. Night Mode (Right)
Auto (Left) vs. Night Mode (Right)
Other dedicated modes you can use include Portrait, Food, Panorama, Macro, Hyperlapse, and Slow Motion. Portrait offers you the option to change the bokeh after you’ve taken the picture. It even comes with four different background effects to choose from.
I don’t need the hyper-specific modes many smartphone makers add to their Camera apps, but I miss Samsung’s Single Take feature. It just makes creating social-media content that much easier since it gives you photos, videos, and GIFs instantly.
Without that, I could still take the photos and videos I wanted and even needed for work. The unboxing video below and this linked one were both recorded and edited on the Galaxy A22. I used a third-party app to edit the video because you can’t really do anything with the Samsung Gallery app beside trim the clips.
You can record up to Full HD clips at 30 frames per second with this handset. The primary rear sensor comes with OIS, which will help stabilize videos, especially if you like to walk and talk. I tried shooting samples on TikTok, and, as expected, the best option is still to use the phone’s camera to shoot for social media. Here’s a sample video on TikTok that I posted:
Also, shot a couple of clips using the camera in the TikTok app, which you can check out here.
LiTT Tip #1: If you want to shoot square videos instantly for social media, you can select the [9:16] icon at the top of the Camera app and toggle to [1:1]. The Galaxy A22 also has the option to shoot in Full, which uses the entire area of the mobile phone display. But that mode means it will crop in a bit. Shooting in Square is possible both for photos and videos.
LiTT Tip #2: Aiming for a unified look to your feed? Samsung offers My Filters, a quick way to create custom filters for your pictures. Tap on the wand-like icon on the top-right corner of the camera app. You’ll see the My filters option there. You can apply the included filters with the app or create one from the photos you’ve taken. If you select the latter, you can tap on that reference photo to pick which portion of it you want to reference for your filter.
Ready for all-day use
As with many devices in this segment, the Galaxy A22 is armed with a sizeable 5,000mAh battery, which usually gets me a day and a half’s use before I need to top up. But, of course, I’ve spent most of that time at home, which means I don’t switch between data and Wi-Fi regularly.
When pushed, it’s possible to drain the battery by the end of the day. And by the end, I mean, you’re just about ready for bed, and you plan to charge your phone anyway.
Samsung only sent a test unit to me, so it didn’t include the retail box and its charger. But this handset supports 15W fast-charging. Using the USB-C chargers I have on hand takes me around two hours to fully charge this phone.
LiTT Tip #3: If you typically charge your phone while you sleep, it’s best to disable the fast-charging setting on your phone. You can head to Settings > Battery and device care > Battery > More battery settings on this phone. There’s a Fast charging option with a toggle beside it that you can turn on or off.
Work, socialize, and play without problems
The Samsung Galaxy A22 won’t be as snappy as its more expensive siblings. But it holds its own, even with 4GB of RAM (there’s also a 6GB version). Samsung uses a MediaTek Helio G80 chipset (like the Galaxy A32) and the Android 11-based One UI Core 3.1. For day-to-day use, I’ve never had an issue with it. The lag is kept to a minimum. I can count on one hand the number of times it felt like I needed this phone to work faster or be more responsive.
OneUI also makes it very easy to navigate the device with one hand. It is one of my favorite Android user interfaces. But, as I mention in many of my smartphone reviews, I’m still not a fan of too many pre-installed apps. I know Samsung wants you to use its products and apps, but I don’t like them sticking unnecessary or duplicate apps that I don’t need. I do like the Samsung Calendar app, though, feels more intuitive than Google’s version.
Samsung pairs this 4GB variant with 64GB, which might not be to your liking, especially if you download many apps or take a lot of photos and videos. But you can expand storage with a microSDXC card into the dedicated slot.
I can easily switch from taking photos and videos for social media to replying to messages and emails to playing quick rounds of Cooking Battle and Ragnarok X without trouble on this phone.
Samsung knows how to make displays, so I’ve enjoyed watching and playing my casual games on this phone’s 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Display. It’s a pretty vibrant display. I can use it outdoors, even on a sunny day. With a 90Hz refresh rate, it offers a better scrolling experience with fewer lags. Netflix lovers can only enjoy HD content here, though. While it supports Widevine L1 (the digit rights management tech allows you to stream Full HD content), the screen only has 1,600 x 720 resolution.
I would’ve wanted a dual-speaker setup, but the single speaker can work in small to mid-sized rooms if you’re going to blast some tunes through it. It performs as well as typical smartphone speakers in this price range. It’s okay, but it won’t blow you away with how loud it is and the audio quality, too.
Using it for a couple of weeks, I know this phone is built for more casual users who want an attractive, functional handset. You can access all your social media accounts, do some work, access your favorite content, and play a bit. It does reasonably well all around.
What’s lit and what’s not?
What’s lit about it:
- Light and bright design
- Easy-to-reach and responsive fingerprint sensor
- Uncomplicated camera modes to use with OIS for the main rear camera
- Battery to last you through a busy workday
- Fuss-free daily driver
- 90Hz refresh rate for better scrolling
What needs the extra spark:
- A tad slippery
- Missing the Single Take mode
- Could do without the 2-megapixel sensors
- Could still do with fewer pre-installed apps
Final thoughts
If you were looking to dip your toes into Samsung’s Galaxy A series, the Galaxy A22 is a good representative of the lineup. It offers a relatively lag-free experience with access to basic yet decent tools for a budding creator. It helps that it’s on the more affordable side of Samsung’s product portfolio, too.
The Samsung Galaxy A22 4G retails for PHP 11,990.
If you’re interested in buying one, Samsung is offering some promos you might want to check out:
- Get the Galaxy A22 for as low as PHP 481 per month for 18 months with 0% interest via Home Credit until September 30.
- Enjoy 0% interest with flexible payment offers on any credit card for six months until September 30.
- Enjoy one year of VIU Premium after registering on Samsung Members until November 30.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy A22 4G HERE. *
* If you buy something from this link, LiTT may earn a commission, but it won’t cost you extra. Prices are subject to change without prior notice.