Battle of the ‘small’ flagships

Last year’s Pixel 6 series was a reinvention of the Pixel line, and the Google Pixel 7 come close to perfecting this new era of Google phones. It has strong competition, though, as Samsung’s Galaxy S22, while eight months older, gives the new Pixel a run for its money. Both phones are without a doubt among the best Android phones you can buy today, but of course, only one can be your digital lifeline — so which deserves your love and your hard-earned money?

While hardware specs don’t tell the whole story, you can see them side-by-side below:

Both phones trade blows in most areas, with the S22 taking the win in display quality and camera hardware. But as we said at the start, hardware specs don’t tell the full story.

Pixel 7 vs. Galaxy S22: Design and hardware

The Pixel 7 and Galaxy S22 take different approaches to the same design idea — protecting the rear cameras with a metal housing that wraps seamlessly into the phone’s frame. The Pixel 7 does this with a now-iconic visor bar that sits horizontally across the phone’s top. The S22 is more subtle by comparison, with its three cameras laid out vertically in the top left corner wrapped up in a small camera bump.

Design is something that will always be subjective. Some might prefer the more subtle look of the S22, while others appreciate the boldness of Google’s approach. We can confidently say that the Pixel’s camera bar will be less annoying if your phone is lying on a table as it prevents wobble when typing. However, that arrangement can also lead to the bottom edge of the Pixel 7’s camera bar scratching if you don’t grab a sturdy case with a good camera lip.

The Pixel 7 is available in Lemongrass (very pale green), Snow (white), and Obsidian (black). The Galaxy S22 comes in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Pink Gold, and Bora Purple at all retailers, with Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, and Violet available exclusively on Samsung’s website.

Around the front, the two phones feature slim bezels, a flat 1080p display, and a small hole punch camera centered at the top. That’s where the similarities end. The S22 has perfectly symmetrical bezels, while the Pixel 7 has a slightly larger chin, though you likely won’t notice it in everyday use unless you’re hyper-detail-oriented. Samsung brought variable refresh rate up to 120Hz to the Galaxy S22, while Google limited 120Hz to the 7 Pro, leaving the Pixel 7 at 90Hz. While part of this may have been due to keeping down costs on the $600 Pixel 7, it still means that the S22 will be smoother to most folks. While on the topic of smoothness, the Pixel 7 seems to be experiencing some scrolling issues.

The S22’s 6.1-inch screen is noticeably smaller than the 6.3-inch Pixel 7, with the Galaxy S22 being slimmer and lighter in every dimension. (If you’re after a 6.1-inch Pixel, that would be the Google Pixel 6a.) Underneath that screen, the Pixel 7 has an improved optical fingerprint scanner that is faster and more reliable than what we saw in the Pixel 6, but it still pales in comparison to the ultrasonic scanner in the Galaxy S22. Both phones have Face Unlock via the front camera, though the Pixel’s version is a pale imitation of what we had with Soli on the Pixel 4.

The Pixel 7 uses Google’s new Samsung-made Tensor G2 chip. While it’s not as powerful on paper as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200 on the Galaxy S22, in practice, both phones are monsters, and you won’t notice a difference in performance unless you open a demanding game and crank the settings up.

Battery life on the Pixel 7 isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s better than the Galaxy S22. The S22 has a smaller battery due to its smaller overall size, but it also has a more power-hungry display and chip. While the S22 can dynamically lower the display’s refresh rate to 48Hz, it only does this when watching videos or when the display is idle. When actively using the display, it’ll crank up to 120Hz.

90Hz is the perfect middle-ground on small-ish flagships, giving users a smooth experience while retaining some efficiency. Tensor G2 also helps here, with many of the phone’s functions relying on more efficient AI cores rather than the main cores of the processor. If you want to be sure you’ll make it through an entire day, the Pixel 7 is your best bet.

For charging, things are comparable. The S22 can charge at 25W with a wire and 15W wirelessly, while the Pixel 7 can charge at 20W for both — but the only Pixel 7 wireless charger to charge it at that full speed is the $80 Pixel Stand (2nd Gen).

As a final note, the Pixel 7’s cellular reception can be a bit weaker than the Galaxy S22 because it’s not using a Qualcomm modem. We’ve seen some improvements over last year’s Pixel 6 connectivity woes, but if you live in a more rural area where signal is often spotty or weak, you’ll be much better off with the Galaxy S22. After all, what good is a phone if you can’t get enough signal to use is?

Pixel 7 vs. Galaxy S22: Cameras

On paper, the Galaxy S22’s cameras should destroy the Pixel 7, and in hardware versatility, it does. The Pixel 7 has a 50MP primary sensor and 12MP 114° ultrawide. The Galaxy S22 has a similar 50MP main shooter, but it’s backed up by a 10MP 3X telephoto and 12MP 120° ultrawide.

Photos out of the primary sensor will look better on the Pixel, even though the hardware is similar. Google’s computational photography is unparalleled, meaning the Pixel 7 can be the most consistently good point-and-shoot smartphone on the market. The zoom isn’t that bad either, thanks to Google’s improved super-res zoom, and it comes close to the Galaxy S22 despite the fact it only has 8x digital zoom.

The only win for Samsung is the ultrawide sensor, which is disappointing on the Pixel 7, which has the same sensor as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It just doesn’t get wide enough, while the Galaxy S22 can suck in the world around it with that 120° field of view.

Another small win for the Pixel 7 is the selfie camera: the Galaxy S22 has autofocus while the Pixel 7 is fixed focus, but the Pixel 7’s 92.8 degree field of view is much wider than the S22’s 80 degree FOV. Wider selfies mean more people can get in the shot, and you have more wiggle room trying to squeeze the entire Millennium Falcon into the shot behind you while visiting Galaxy’s Edge. That combined with Google’s algorithmic processing help the Pixel achieve better selfie photos. Both front cameras are capable of 4K 60fps and 4K 30fps video recording, if you’re hoping to start or continue your quest for TikTok stardom.

Pixel 7 vs. Galaxy S22: Software

The Pixel 7 launched with Android 13, while the Galaxy S22 is currently running Android 12L beneath Samsung’s One UI 4.1.1 skin, although Android 13-based One UI 5 has been in beta for a while and shouldn’t be far away.

Like all Pixels, the Pixel 7 has incredible AI features, like Call Screening and Hold For Me. These features let you screen potential spam calls by having Google Assistant deal with them — and in the U.S. Google Assistant can do this automatically in the background — and have the Assistant wait on hold for you rather than wait in a queue yourself. This AI prowess makes itself apparent in all aspects of the experience. The Pixel 7 can tell you what song is playing in the shop you’re in without an internet connection and unblur old photos. These are just some examples of what the Tensor G2 enables on the Pixel 7, making it what some would call the smartest smartphone.

Samsung’s software is no slouch, either, though. It might lack the same focused AI smarts, but it has plenty of thoughtful and helpful features that some come to depend on. One UI has an option for everything. Multitasking is only a gesture away, with a two-fingered swipe from the navigation bar opening split-screen and a diagonal swipe from the top corner opening pop-up windows. Samsung’s suite of Good Lock apps allows you to tinker with the software experience even further to build your own system themes, customize the lock screen UI, and more.

There are so many features to explore in One UI that it can seem overwhelming to new users, but the added value really can make or break the experience. The superior software experience will come down to what features you value the most, so it’s a good idea to play with both phones in a store before deciding.

Software updates are a pretty even match between the two devices. Pixels will get Android upgrades before Galaxy phones, but that gap has narrowed to only a few months, and usually, by the time Samsung has the update ready, all the bugs have been squashed.

You’ll get more updates on the S22 than the Pixel 7, though. Google has promised three years of Android upgrades and five years of security patches for the new Pixels, while Samsung offers four years of Android upgrades with a fifth year of security patches.

Pixel 7 vs. Galaxy S22: Pricing

Like its predecessor, the Pixel 7 starts at $600 for the 128GB model, and that’s an absolute bargain, and the deals on it are already plentiful. The Galaxy S22, meanwhile, started at $800 when it launched back in February 2022. Thankfully, the age of the S22 means we see plenty of deals — though the S22 hasn’t seen nearly as many sales as the S22+ and S22 Ultra for some reason.

Of course, the holiday shopping season and Black Friday are just around the corner, so sales should heat up even more over the next several weeks.

Pixel 7 vs. Galaxy S22: Which should you buy?

Given how similar in size and performance these two phones are, it can end up coming down to the details. The Galaxy S22 has a brighter, smoother, and more uniform screen and a smaller profile, but the battery life suffers for it while costing significantly more. The Pixel 7 feels a bit smoother in normal use and its exclusive features are hard to give up once you try them, but the more AI-focused Tensor G2 can’t quite keep up in demanding games and the modem is still not as good as the Qualcomm modem inside the S22. The photos are better on the Pixel 7 overall, but the ultrawide camera is disappointing.

If you’re a Samsung fan, the Galaxy S22 will still probably win your over, but the Pixel 7’s $599 price point is a sweet spot most buyers are willing to forgive a few small quibbles for. That said, if 4G/5G connectivity is crucial to your sparse-signal life, the Galaxy S22 is the one to consider.

Google Pixel 7

Source: Google

While bigger and heavier than the Galaxy S22, the Pixel 7 is more affordable, more focused, and has better camera main and front-facing cameras. So long as you’re not on a cell network’s fringe, the Pixel 7 is a steal.

Samsung Galaxy S22

Samsung’s smallest S22 may not be quite as fancy as the S Pen-wielding Ultra, but she’s got more raw power, a more polished build quality, and more cameras for your Instagram needs.