We compared the Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S21 specs, and the upgrade doesn’t seem worth it unless you really want the S Pen stylus

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• The Galaxy S22 should be a top Android phone, but most S21 owners don’t need to upgrade.
• The S22’s processor and camera improvements are too incremental to justify upgrading at full price.
• That said, a good trade-in offer should help buyers who love to get each latest Galaxy model.

I’m finding very few reasons why anyone would upgrade from their Galaxy S21 series phone to the new Galaxy S22 series. 

Don’t take that as a bad sign for the Galaxy S22 lineup — based on the photos and specs I’ve seen so far, they look like excellent phones. But I rarely find reasons for people to upgrade from one-year-old phones from any company. 

Though the new models do feature an updated processor, they aren’t expected to offer a big leap in overall performance. To be clear, we haven’t tested the Galaxy S22 phones yet, so we’re basing our comparison on the official details released so far and my eight years of experience reviewing similar mobile devices. 

That said, there are still two scenarios I see where you could justify buying a Galaxy S22 if you currently own last year’s Galaxy S21. 

One: You’re someone who really loves to have the latest phone model every year and you have an old device to trade in. Samsung and carriers often have excellent trade-in offers, and the trade-in value is better if your phone is recent.

And two: If you want to switch to a different phone size than the one you currently have, you could go bigger or smaller with an upgrade to one of the Galaxy S22 models. 

To help you decide whether an upgrade is right for you, I’ve broken down all of the key differences between the Galaxy S22 lineup and the S21 series. 

What’s new with the Galaxy S22 series compared to the Galaxy S21 series

The Galaxy S22 phones come with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, which should provide an incremental bump in performance over the processor used in the S21. The main camera also makes the jump from a 12-megapixel (MP) shooter to 50MP, which should make for better low-light shots.

Oddly, the Galaxy S22’s zoom cameras are downgraded to 10MP compared to the Galaxy S21’s 64MP zoom cameras. It seems like a huge downgrade, but it shouldn’t significantly affect zoomed photo quality, at least in well-lit situations.  

The new lineup’s most notable upgrade is found in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which includes an S Pen stylus — a niche-yet-popular feature from Samsung’s Galaxy Note line. Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra was compatible with an S Pen, but the S22 Ultra marks the first instance where a Galaxy S phone comes with an S Pen with a built-in enclosure.

All Galaxy S22 phones also ship with Android 12 and come with Samsung’s promise to deliver three versions of Android operating system updates, and four years of security updates. With that in mind, the Galaxy S22 will get up to Android 15, while the S21 phones will get up to Android 14. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Galaxy S22 specifications

Specification	Galaxy S21	Galaxy S22
Display	6.2-inch FHD AMOLED, adaptive refresh rate 48-120Hz	6.1-inch FHD AMOLED, adaptive refresh rate 10-120Hz
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US)
Cameras	12-megapixel (MP) main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 64MP 3x optical zoom camera	50MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 10MP 3x optical zoom camera
Selfie camera	10-megapixel camera	10-megapixel camera
Battery and charging	4,000mAh, up to 25W wired, up to 15W wireless	3,700mAh, up to 25W wired, up to 15W wireless
Memory and storage	8GB RAM, 128GB / 256GB storage	8GB RAM, 128GB / 256GB storage
Biometric authentication	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
Connectivity	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Durability	IP68	IP68
Price at launch	$800	$800

Should you upgrade from the Galaxy S21 to the Galaxy S22?

I haven’t tested the Galaxy S22 yet, but based on the specs announced, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to upgrade to the new model if you already own an S21. You’re mostly getting a processor and camera upgrade that won’t produce much of a benefit. 

With that said, Samsung and carriers usually have tempting trade-in deals that can significantly reduce the Galaxy S22’s price, especially when you’re trading in a device as recent as the S21. If the Galaxy S22’s price after a trade-in falls within your budget, and you’re someone who loves getting the latest phone model every year, you can feel comfortable buying the Galaxy S22. 

Plus, if you want to size down from a Galaxy S21 Plus or Galaxy S21 Ultra, it’s much easier to justify upgrading to the Galaxy S22. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. Galaxy S22 Plus specifications

Specification	Galaxy S21 Plus	Galaxy S22 Plus
Display	6.7-inch FHD AMOLED, adaptive refresh rate 48-120Hz	6.6-inch FHD AMOLED, adaptive refresh rate 10-120Hz
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US)
Cameras	12MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 64MP 3x optical zoom camera	50MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 10MP 3x optical zoom camera
Selfie camera	10-megapixel camera	10-megapixel camera
Battery and charging	4,800mAh, up to 25W wired, up to 15W wireless	4,500mAh, up to 45W wired, up to 15W wireless
Memory and storage	8GB RAM, 128GB / 256GB storage	8GB RAM, 128GB / 256GB storage
Biometric authentication	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
Connectivity	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Durability	IP68	IP68
Price at launch	$1,000	$1,000

Should you upgrade from the Galaxy S21 Plus to the Galaxy S22 Plus?

We haven’t reviewed the Galaxy S22 Plus yet, but based on specs, we’re struggling to find reasons for Galaxy S21 Plus owners to upgrade. You get a processor and camera upgrade, but performance improvements are likely to be pretty incremental.

But, as I mentioned above, you could get a nice price cut on the S22 Plus when trading in an old phone. Galaxy S21 Plus users don’t need to get the Galaxy S22 Plus, but if the price tempts you after a trade-in, go ahead!

The new S22 Plus could also be a solid upgrade if you’re specifically looking to size up from last year’s Galaxy S21 or size down from an S21 Ultra. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra specifications

Specification	Galaxy S21 Ultra	Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display	6.8-inch QHD AMOLED, adaptive refresh rate 10-120Hz	6.8-inch QHD AMOLED, adaptive refresh rate 1-120Hz
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US)
Cameras	108MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 10MP 3x optical zoom camera, 10MP 10x optical zoom camera	108MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 10MP 3x optical zoom camera, 10MP 10x optical zoom camera
Selfie camera	40-megapixel camera	40-megapixel camera
Battery and charging	5,000mAh, up to 25W wired, up to 15W wireless	5,000 mAh, up to 45W wired, up to 15W wireless
Memory and storage	12GB RAM with 128GB/256G; or 16GB RAM with 512GB	8GB/128GB, 12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB, 12GB/1TB
Biometric authentication	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
Connectivity	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Durability	IP68	IP68
Extra features	N/A	S Pen
Price at launch	$1,200	$1,200

Should you upgrade from the Galaxy S21 Ultra to the Galaxy S22 Ultra?

I haven’t tested the Galaxy S22 Ultra yet, but there’s little about the new phone that screams “upgrade” from a Galaxy S21 Ultra. The S Pen is a great addition, but it shouldn’t be a reason to upgrade unless it’s a must-have feature for you. 

But don’t forget that Samsung and carriers have typically great trade-in offers that can dramatically reduce the price of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, especially if you have a recent phone like the S21 Ultra. 

And if you’re coming from a smaller model but now want the biggest phone you can get your hands on, an upgrade to the Galaxy S22 Ultra makes sense.

Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S22 if you have a Galaxy S20 or older phone?

There’s a stronger argument to upgrade to the S22 if you’re coming from the Galaxy S20. The S20 has an even older processor than the S21, so the S22’s latest Snapdragon could deliver a more noticeable improvement in speed.

That said, the S20 is still just two years old, and it’s likely that many owners remain happy with its performance. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the Galaxy S20 series will get up to Android 13, and it has two years of security updates remaining. 

The Galaxy S10 also remains relevant considering it will still get Android 12 if Samsung holds true to its promise, as well as a year of security updates. But if you own an S10 and you’re sensing it’s getting too slow for your daily usage, you could easily justify upgrading to the Galaxy S22. 

The same goes for any phone released in 2019 and earlier, especially if they’re no longer set to receive new versions of Android or security updates. 

To make the upgrade to the Galaxy S22 less financially daunting, Samsung and carriers usually have good trade-in programs, too. The older your phone, the lower the trade-in value, but it’s still worthwhile.