Samsung A22 Review: A Budget Mid-Ranger with OIS Camera

Samsung launched the all-new Samsung A22 in Nepal a week ago. It is the successor of the Samsung Galaxy A21 which was not launched in Nepal.

Samsung A22 price in Nepal is Rs 27,999 for the 6/128GB variant. And, it looks very much like the Samsung Galaxy M32.

So, is A22 worth the money? I’ll tell you all about it in this review article of the Samsung A22.

Samsung A22 First Impressions

Familiar Design

• 159.3 x 73.6 x 8.4 mm
• 186 g
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

Samsung Galaxy A22 is just like the Samsung M32 in terms of design and build. A noticeable change is a finish on the rear panel. It looks like glass and feels premium to the touch.

A22 is also slightly thinner and lighter than the M32. Though it has the same design as the M32, A22 manages to look and feel a bit premium.

The rear panel has a glossy finish which feels the same as the A32. It looks like glass and a bit more premium than the rear panel of M32. The side frame also has a matte finish which makes it look different than the M32.

ALSO READ: Samsung A52 Review: A Fantastic Mid-Range Smartphone

The side-mounted fingerprint works well but it is not the fastest sensor in this segment. Also, the single firing speaker at the bottom is not loud enough and has average sound quality.

Else, it uses the same notch design as the M32 on the front. It would have been nice to see a hole-punch design instead.

Overall, Samsung A22 has the same design as the M32 but it has got a premium look and feel.

720p 90Hz AMOLED Display

• 6.4-inches Super AMOLED
• 720 x 1600 pixels
• 90Hz

Samsung A22 also has a 6.4 inches Super AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. But, it is sad to see a 720p panel instead of an FHD panel that we see on the M32.

A22’s display looks decent but we definitely would want an FHD panel at this price. Its display is actually not as bright as the Samsung M32. But, the colors look quite decent.

The high refresh rate smoothness is not as good as high end phones but its not bad.

Compared to the M32, this 720p panel feels a bit flat and the brightness also falls short. The color reproduction is fine and you won’t be complaining while watching content on this panel.

The HRR (High Refresh Rate) implementation is the same as the Samsung M32. The display stays at 90Hz all the time with few exceptions. It drops down to 60Hz in the camera app and in some games. Except, it does not drop down to 60Hz even when the phone is idle.

For a phone that costs upward of Rs. 25,000, a 720p display is definitely a bummer but it is not as bad as expected.

Samsung’s Favourite Chipset

• Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm)
• Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
• Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
• 128GB 6GB RAM

Powering the Samsung Galaxy A22 is the MediaTek Helio G80 chipset. We can see the same chipset on the Samsung M32 and Samsung A32.

It hasn’t had a single hiccup while using multiple apps or switching between them. The phone feels smooth and slick but it doesn’t have the best gaming performance.

It can definitely play games but you will be limited to medium to low graphic and low frame rate options. I tested COD mobile on medium graphics and it did perform quite well. However, you should opt for some other phones if you want a better gaming performance.

OIS Camera Sensor

• Rear Camera: 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF, OIS
  • 8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
  • 2 MP, f/2.2, (macro)
  • 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
  • Video: 1080p@30fps
• Front Camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide)
  • Video: 1080p@30fps

Samsung A22 has a quad-camera setup on the rear. It gets a 48MP main sensor, 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor.

Similarly, it has a 20MP sensor on the front for selfies. Its camera setup is the same as the M32 but it gets a 48MP main sensor instead of a 64MP sensor. Also, the 48MP sensor comes with OIS (optical stabilization).

48MP MAIN SENSOR

The 48MP sensor provides good pictures with a nice dynamic range and good detail. The noise is also on the lower side and the colors are slightly saturated. However, the focus of the A22’s main sensor is not consistent.

Compared to M32, A22 provides a bit more natural color reproduction.

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ULTRAWIDE & MACRO

Similarly, the 8MP ultrawide angle camera also performs quite well. It is practically the same sensor used on the M32. So, the images have decent details and a similar color profile as the main camera. But you can notice noise even in daylight conditions.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy M12 Review: 90Hz High Refresh Rate on a Budget!

Moving on, the 2MP macro sensor is not that good though. The 2MP sensor cannot provide good detail which results in flat photos.

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PORTRAIT

Portrait shots are quite good with nice background blur and good edge detection. The HDR also helps to keep the highlights under control.

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SELFIE

On to the front camera, A22 can capture really good selfies with good details and good exposure. It uses the same 20MP sensor as the Samsung M32.

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VIDEO

Likewise, A32 can only capture up to 1080 30fps videos just like the Samsung M32. But, it does get OIS which is not available on the M32.

In my experience, the OIS on the A32 was not working properly. The video was quite shaky and the footage from M32 had far better stabilization than the A22. I think this was the problem of the review unit as I tested the non-retail units which are meant for testing.

Huge Battery with Fast Charging

• Non-removable Li-Po 5000mAh battery
• Fast charging 15W
• Reverse charging

In terms of battery, Samsung A22 has a smaller 5000mAh battery compared to the M32. And, it also has a 15W Fast Charger included in the box.

The 5000mAh battery can easily provide a day of usage. And, you could even use it for more than a day with moderate usage. However, it does not get the 25W fast charging support that is included in the M32.

Software

• Android 11
• One UI 3.1

Samsung A22 runs on One UI 3.1 on top of Android 11.

The software experience is the same as what we get on the M32.

It also gets swipe right to Google news which is standard on all of the latest Samsung phones. However, Samsung has excluded some of the camera features like Fun Mode and Single Take Mode.

Conclusion

So, Samsung Galaxy A22 is literally a Samsung M32 with a 720p screen and a 48MP sensor.

ALSO READ: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal: Features and Specs

A22 looks and feels a bit more premium than the M32. Except that, M32 has an upper hand with a better screen and a bigger display. In terms of camera, the A22 seems to do a slightly better job. But, the review unit I received did not have the polished camera experience and OIS was not working properly.

Overall, M32 looks like a better deal than the A22 in my opinion.

What do you think of the Samsung A22? Let us know in the comments!

Also, watch our review of the Samsung Galaxy M32 in Nepali.