Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S22: the key differences

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is Samsung's latest entry-level Galaxy S model, which is to say a high but not top-end phone, and it's out now, alongside the pricier Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Among the most excited about this news will be Samsung Galaxy S22 owners, many of whom will be coming to the natural end of their 24-month contracts. That’s right: it’s upgrade time. But just how much of an upgrade can Galaxy S22 owners expect from the Galaxy S24? Based both on the specs and what we found in our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, we can now fully answer that question.

Below then, you'll find a full rundown of how these two phones compare. But if you think you might want something even higher end, take a look at our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review and our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S22: price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S24 was announced on January 17, 2024, at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, and it's now available to buy.

It starts at $799 / £799 for a 128GB version, rising to $859 / £859 / AU$1,399 for a 256GB model, which is the cheapest model available in Australia. Then there's also a 512GB version in Australia, which costs AU$1,599, and isn't available in the US or the UK. In all cases that's with 8GB of RAM.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S22, this landed in shops on February 25, 2022. Pricing for the 8GB / 128GB model began at $799 / £769 / AU$1,249. In other words, US pricing has remained consistent between the S22 and S24, but non-US territories are slightly more expensive this year.

Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S22 is now significantly cheaper than it was at launch. Prices can vary, but expect to pay a fair bit less than the prices above if buying it today.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S22: design and display

Image 1 of 4

The Samsung Galaxy S24 looks broadly similar to the Samsung Galaxy S23, which itself wasn’t a million miles away from the Galaxy S22.

There are a couple of key differences between these two phones, however. One is the camera module, which was raised and heavily stylized in the Galaxy S22, but which is flat and featureless in the Galaxy S24.

Another big difference is the rim of the Galaxy S24, which is much flatter than the slightly rounded Galaxy S22 edge. The display bezels are slightly smaller on the newer phone, too, which makes it appear more premium.

Both phones have an IP68 rating though, and their weights and dimensions are similar, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 being 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm and 167g, while the Galaxy S22 is 146 x 70.6 x 7.6mm and 167g.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S24 colors, it comes in seven shades: Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Sandstone Orange, Sapphire Blue, and Jade Green, with the final three of those being exclusive to Samsung's online store.

The Galaxy S22 is available in nine colors: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Pink Gold, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet, Cream, and Bora Purple, though not all of these were available on day one. Still, that means you have slightly more colors to choose from with the older phone.

Moving on to the Samsung Galaxy S24 screen size, and this phone has a slightly larger 6.2-inch display to the Galaxy S22 and its 6.1-inch equivalent. Both phones have exactly the same 1080 x 2340 resolution, however.

While the Galaxy S24 shares a 120Hz maximum refresh rate with its older brother, the newer phone has switched to a more advanced LTPO panel, allowing it to drop as low as 1Hz where appropriate, thus saving power. The Galaxy S22 screen can only drop to 48Hz, by comparison.

Another key difference is the brightness. While the Galaxy S22 could hit a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, the Galaxy S24's display is capable of double that, at 2,600 nits.

We noted in our Galaxy S24 review that it has an "excellent display", that's "colorful and bright." However, the Samsung Galaxy S22's screen impressed too back when that launched, with our review of that phone noting that it had a "bright and attractive display." So while the S24's screen is an upgrade, they both have decent displays.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S22: cameras

While there are some significant design differences, the Samsung Galaxy S24 cameras are very similar to those of the Galaxy S22.

Once again, we’re talking about a 50MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto with a 3x optical zoom. The main hardware difference with this year’s model is a 12MP selfie camera, in place of the 10MP selfie camera on the Galaxy S22.

The big advance to the Galaxy S24’s camera system over older models is Samsung’s focus on AI. Samsung is going big on artificial intelligence with its new phones – and indeed everything else in 2024 – and it packed the Galaxy S24 full of AI tricks.

For example, the Galaxy S24 allows you to move or remove people and objects from photos, as well as expand the background of images. In our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, we found that its AI tools are "surprisingly useful", and that it offers the "most versatile cameras on a phone this price."

Of the Galaxy S22's cameras, we said "you can't help but be pleased" with the photos it takes, but noted that "if you want absolute color fidelity, you might look elsewhere."

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S22: performance and software

Last year’s Galaxy S23 made great performance strides over the Galaxy S22 by offering the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in all regions. The Galaxy S22 offered a split chip provision, with most territories getting the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and the UK and Europe getting the less impressive Exynos 2200.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy S24 has gone back to the bad old days of split processor offerings, as while the US gets the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, most other places get a Galaxy S24 with Samsung's Exynos 2400 chipset.

As usual, the Snapdragon version appears the most capable, but the gulf doesn't seem as wide as in some generations. With either chipset though, that's still a huge jump over the Galaxy S22's power, with our review of the Snapdragon model noting that the Galaxy S24 delivers "excellent performance, close to the Galaxy S24 Ultra."

Where it doesn't see any real improvement is RAM, as both the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S22 come with 8GB of the stuff. In most regions storage is the same too, with 128GB and 256GB options, but Australia additionally gets a 512GB version of the Galaxy S24, and lacks the 128GB model.

Software is broadly consistent between these two phones, with the Galaxy S22 eventually set to receive an upgrade to the same version of One UI that’s shipped with the Galaxy S24. What the Galaxy S22 probably won’t benefit from, however, is the S24’s new AI smarts.

As already mentioned, Samsung is focusing on AI in a big way in 2024, both in terms of camera features like those mentioned above, and with the likes of live voice call translations, among other things. Many of these features are expected to trickle down to the Samsung Galaxy S23, but not to the Samsung Galaxy S22.

The Galaxy S24 will also be supported for longer, with seven years of software updates promised for the first time on a Samsung phone.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S22: battery life

The Samsung Galaxy S24 has a 4,000mAh battery, which makes it a fairly substantial 300mAh bigger than the Galaxy S22's 3,700mAh cell.

In practice, that's seemingly led to a small increase in life, with our Galaxy S24 review stating that it delivers "hours more active screen time" than the Galaxy S23, and that it can last a full day with little trouble.

In our Samsung Galaxy S22 review, we found that phone "got roughly 12 hours of battery life with varied and almost constant use."

However, the Galaxy S24 is stuck with 25W maximum wired charging and 15W wireless charging, just like the Galaxy S22.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Samsung Galaxy S22: verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S24 offers a solid, if hardly seismic upgrade for those coming to the end of their Galaxy S22 contracts. It packs a slightly more premium design and a bigger, brighter display.

It also offers the kind of performance boost that comes with the territory when you’re talking about the passing of two smartphone generations, along with a bigger battery.

There hasn't been a huge advance in camera technology, but thanks to AI the Galaxy S24 has at least learnt a few neat new photographic tricks that place clear daylight between it and the Galaxy S22.

With prices being broadly similar, the Galaxy S24 is close to a no-brainer of an upgrade – albeit a relatively unexciting one.

You might also like

• Samsung Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 15: the key differences
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review: taken to the extreme
• iPhone 16: release date speculation, latest leaks, and more