Which one should you buy?

With the Pixel 7 Pro, Google has refined a tried-and-tested design with updated internals and a few new software tricks. But how does it stack up against competing devices like the Galaxy S22 Plus, which is universally regarded as one of the top Android flagships? It’s a close race, so we pit the Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Plus to find out which one deserves your money.

Here is how Google and Samsung’s sub-$1,000 flagships for 2022 hold up in terms of display, compute power, cameras, and more.

The Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Plus look a lot like their respective predecessors, but that’s not a bad thing. Their designs are still among the best you’ll find in the smartphone market and don’t look dated by any means.

Comparing the two phones, the S22 Plus ekes out a small lead in terms of durability with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus protection on the front and back. Google, meanwhile, has opted for the slightly older (but still competent) Gorilla Glass Victus on the Pixel 7 Pro. Both phones feature IP68 ratings and stereo speakers but lack a headphone jack.

Even though the general silhouettes of both phones remain largely unchanged from last year, the S22 Plus and Pixel 7 Pro boast brand new colorways. This time around, however, Google has done away with the iconic dual-tone colorway. Instead, we get a metallic strip in a silver or gold finish that runs the length of the horizontal camera bar. Moreover, the Pixel’s limited color variety may steer you towards the Galaxy S22 Plus and its eight color options, but more on that later.

On the display front, both smartphones pack Full HD+ AMOLED panels with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. However, not everything is equal. The Pixel 7 Pro is the only one that gets an LTPO display, which means that it can dial down the refresh rate to conserve battery. You may also notice the S22 Plus get brighter as Samsung has bumped the brightness to 1,750 nits this generation.

We don’t have exact brightness numbers for the Pixel 7 series yet, but Google claims a 25% improvement over last year’s measured 800 to 1,000 nits figure. That’s good enough for HDR playback, but not ideal if you’re trying to read outdoors on a sunny day.

Going from the base Galaxy S22 to the S22 Plus, it’s hard to miss the 0.5-inch display size difference between the two smartphones. This naturally translates to a larger overall volume, but it’s still smaller than the Pixel 7 Pro and its 6.7-inch display. Moreover, the S22 Plus’ slimmer bezels help it feel a bit smaller in the hand than the screen size would suggest.

There’s also a subtle difference between their aspect ratios — the 19.5:9 aspect ratio on the S22 Plus is ever so slightly wider than the Pixel’s taller 20:9 display. There’s also a sizable weight difference between the two smartphones. The Pixel 7 Pro weighs 212g, nearly 10% more than the Galaxy S22 Plus’ 195g.

Google and Samsung have taken somewhat opposing angles to under-the-hood hardware changes this generation, at least in terms of raw compute power.

As we’ve come to expect from Samsung every year for the past decade, the Galaxy S22 Plus includes the latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 chipset, depending on the region. The Tensor G2 in the Pixel 7 Pro, meanwhile, looks like it will only offer incremental improvements over the original Tensor SoC. While Google has claimed better power efficiency numbers, we’ll have to wait for benchmarks and our review to draw any concrete conclusions.

Having said that, Google’s primary priority is the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), which got significantly improved this generation. The TPU handles AI-based workloads like real-time dictation and translation and is also responsible for the Pixel’s signature computational photography features like Face Unblur. If those features are important to you, the Tensor G2 may offer tangible benefits over Samsung’s choice of chips.

The Galaxy S22 Plus features a smaller battery than its predecessor, but the difference may not be as obvious as you’d think. Efficiency improvements in the SoC department could translate to similar full-to-empty times. However, the Pixel 7 Pro didn’t lose any battery capacity this year. Given that, you’d expect the Pixel 7 Pro to handily outperform the Galaxy S22 Plus but you’ll have to keep an eye out for reviews and independent testing to get the full picture.

When you need to fill up those batteries, however, the Galaxy S22 Plus pulls ahead. With Samsung’s 45W Super Fast Charging, a full charge takes exactly one hour. Meanwhile, Google doesn’t seem like it’s in a hurry to push the envelope as it continues to recommend a 30W adapter. And if the Pixel 7 Pro mimics the real-world 23W charging power of the Pixel 6, it could take nearly two hours to fully charge up. Both smartphones are capable of wireless and reverse wireless charging.

Charge up quickly: Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus fast chargers

On the imaging front, you get capable 50MP primary shooters on both, the Galaxy S22 Plus and Pixel 7 Pro. The primary cameras have plenty of resolution to capture fine details, even if that 50MP figure doesn’t sound impressive against the larger 108 or 200MP smartphone cameras we’ve seen of late. Moreover, the Pixel 7 Pro holds onto the same Samsung GN1 sensor that produced excellent results last year.

You’ll also find a 12MP ultrawide lens on the back of both smartphones, but that’s where the similarities end. On the Galaxy S22 Plus, you get a third lens in the form of a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro tries to one-up its predecessor and the competition with a 48MP telephoto lens capable of 5x zoom. You can also use the ultrawide lens on the Pixel for macro photography, thanks to a new autofocus system.

Specs aside, though, you’d be hard-pressed to find fault with the performance of either device’s camera setup. Which smartphone’s images you prefer could very well boil down to the image processing and software features. The Pixel 7 Pro has a lead here, thanks to Google’s signature post-processing and features like Face Unblur, Real Tone, and upgraded Night Sight. The same applies to video recording, although you’ll have to get the Galaxy S22 Plus if you care about 8K video recording.

Google and Samsung didn’t rock the boat with pricing this generation, so the value proposition remains largely unchanged from last year. The Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899 while the Galaxy S22 Plus launched at $999.

If you need more storage, you’ll need to pony up an extra $100 for the 256GB variant of the Pixel 7 Pro. However, the same upgrade costs just $50 if you go down the Samsung route. While you do get 12GB of RAM on the Pixel 7 Pro vs the Galaxy S22 Plus’ 8GB, most users won’t notice the difference.

In terms of color options, Google opted for a more subdued color palette this year compared to the playful colorways of the Pixel 6 series. As such, your only options are Snow, Obsidian, and Hazel. The first two — white and black — represent your staple smartphone colors. If you want something more eye-catching, Hazel brings a splash of color with a greenish-gray color and a gold metallic accent.

By contrast, Samsung has taken the kitchen sink approach with the Galaxy S22 Plus’ colorways. At most retailers, you can pick from Pink Gold, Phantom White, Phantom Black, and Green. Samsung also offers four more color choices exclusively via its own online store. The exclusive colors, namely Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, and Violet, feature a two-toned look that emphasizes the Contour Cut camera bump.

With the specifications and numbers out of the way, it’s time to crown a winner. Picking a favorite in the Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus battle is no easy task. Both are incredibly well-rounded smartphones and represent the best of what the smartphone industry has to offer. Ultimately then, picking one over the other will require you to understand what you need from your next smartphone.

The Pixel 7 Pro delivers the consistent and reliable camera experience we’ve come to expect from Google smartphones. If you want top-notch image processing and color handling, the Pixel 7 Pro is your best bet. And thanks to the Tensor G2 chip’s machine learning strengths, it also includes a bevy of unique software features like call screening, Now Playing, live translate, and real-time dictation. Google takes home a few hardware wins too, thanks to the upgraded telephoto lens and above-average battery capacity.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 Plus packs a brighter display, faster charging, a smaller and lighter build, and more color variety than the competition. While Samsung’s One UI software skin isn’t as playful or novel as Google’s Material You design language, it still offers a cohesive and smooth experience. Going with a Samsung flagship also nets you an additional year of software updates compared to the Pixel 7 series. That may be an important value consideration if you care about using the same smartphone for years to come.

It’s still worth noting that the Pixel 7 Pro is cheaper — at least on paper. Samsung’s second-best flagship is only a dollar short of $1,000. Meanwhile, the Pixel’s $899 price tag manages to undercut most flagship smartphones in its class. That said, the Galaxy S22 series launched earlier in the year. This means that you’re more likely to find Samsung’s smartphone at a deep discount, potentially narrowing or even eliminating the price gap.

Our finds: The best Samsung Galaxy deals | The best Google Pixel deals

Keeping that in mind, have you picked your next phone? Let us know which device won the Galaxy S22 Plus vs Pixel 7 Pro showdown below.