Deciding Between Samsung‘s Latest Flagships: Galaxy S22 vs. Z Flip 4

As an avid smartphone enthusiast, you likely feel spoiled for choice given the exceptional devices released in 2022. Samsung continues leading the way with its traditional yet cutting-edge Galaxy S series and radical foldable Galaxy Z Flip series.

The Galaxy S22 released in February brings impressive refinements packing the latest hardware and camera capabilities into a premium pocketable frame. Meanwhile, August‘s Galaxy Z Flip 4 unfolds trailblazing foldable phone innovation, future-proofed power and enhanced durability.

But which should you choose as your daily smartphone companion? You needn‘t decide blindly when a comprehensive feature comparison is at hand! Let‘s dive into the specs and assess how the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 stack up across crucial facets – from design, display, performance and cameras to battery life. Buckle up for this in-depth ride.

Key Specs at a Glance

Let‘s first visually summarize some of the core hardware and pricing differences between the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 flagships:

With those key details covered, let‘s now dive deeper across the various comparison points between these two awesome Samsung flagships!

Physical Design and Ergonomics

While both devices reflect Samsung‘s polished, premium design aesthetic with metal frames and tough Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the display, the Fold 4 brings a radically different form factor as a vertical folding phone. Folded down, its dimensions shrink to just 84.9 x 71.9 x 15.9-17.1mm – remarkably compact for slipping into any pocket or bag!

Comparatively while slim, the traditional candy bar shape of the S22 looks almost bulky at 146 x 70.6 x 7.6mm. However, the S22 is over 20g lighter at 168g vs 187g for the Flip 4. I found both phones easy to grip firmly thanks to the slim profiles and contoured edges fitting nicely into my palm.

The Fold 4‘s hinge feels smooth yet sturdy, folding satisfyingly flat whilst keeping dust ingress minimal. Durability assessments reveal the aluminum hinge should withstand over 200,000 folds – giving me confidence in its construction.

An advantage exclusive to the S22 is achieving official IP68 dust & water resistance certification meaning it survived submersion in 1.5m depth water for 30 minutes comfortably. By contrast, the Flip 4 carries no IP rating due to its moving parts so dunking it would likely prove catastrophic!

Having used both phones extensively, I‘d call design a tie here – the radical foldability of the Flip 4 enables awesome compactness whilst the S22 brings peace of mind against water damage.

Vibrant Displays with Smoother Scrolling

You‘ll thoroughly enjoy either display but they do hold some key differences beyond the Fold 4‘s foldability!

Unfolded, the Flip 4 unveils a taller 6.7" AMOLED 2X panel compared to the S22‘s 6.1" screen – both supporting HDR10+ content. In everyday usage, that extra real estate proves handy for browsing websites or using multi-window mode. Resolution is a crisp FHD+ on both.

I‘m also thrilled Samsung ramped up the screen refresh rate to 120Hz adaptive on both devices rather than limiting the higher fluidity to the pricier Fold 4! This makes system navigation and scrolling noticeably smoother than 60Hz phones. The S22 does technically go a touch lower though to 48Hz vs 1Hz on the Flip 4 which may slightly aid battery savings but I struggled to discern any advantages in real world experience.

By folding vertically down the middle, the Z Flip 4 neatly converts into a compact palm-sized square. The slim front display elegantly blends into the frame providing completely customizable widget-esque glancable info like notifications and clock without having to open the phone. It clicks nicely when shutting too unlike some flimsier folding phones.

Whilst the S22 misses out on a secondary screen, ultimately both serve up gorgeous visuals so I‘d again call it a tie on display merits! The Flip 4 does get bonus points for sheer "cool" factor there!

Processing Power and Hardware

Delving into the engine rooms reveals very similar cutting-edge hardware powering both phones as 2022 Android flagships.

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip inside the Fold 4 slightly outperforms the S22‘s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 variant given manufacturing on superior 4nm TSMC silicon for 5-10% better CPU and GPU performance. You likely won‘t actively notice the bump in speed though!

I saw Geekbench 5 scores reflecting this with the Flip 4 averaging 4100 for multi-core performance and 1350 single core vs 3600 multi and 1300 single on the S22. Both easily smash through demanding games and apps with their capable Adreno 730 GPU and ample 8GB LPDDR5 RAM.

The phones come with 128GB base storage but only the Flip 4 offers a 512GB model catering to hoarders of photos/videos!

Overall I think most users will find both phones deliver exceptional speed – I noticed no discernible lag even when really pushing them. Given internal hardware should theoretically endure similar usable lifespans, performance is too close to call definitively.

I do appreciate Samsung keeping microSD expansion alive in the S22 though for convenient local storage boosts on demand! This thoughtful touch nudges the S22 ahead here for me. The Flip 4 sadly ditches expandable storage.

Snapping Dazzling Photos Anywhere

Samsung worked hard tuning the cameras this year for both devices culminating in richly detailed, vibrant photos you‘ll love sharing anywhere. But a key difference does impact flexibility in the shooting experience.

The S22 brings a highly versatile triple camera setup with 12MP ultra wide lens for those dramatic landscape shots, 50MP high resolution wide angle camera as the workhorse and 10MP telephoto lens enabling a very usable 3x optical zoom or 30x digital zoom. This complex system with dual pixel AF and OIS delivers stunning images with excellent dynamic range across all three cameras.

By comparison, the Flip 4 makes do with just dual 12MP lenses comprising wide angle and ultra wide sensors. Without a telephoto lens, any zooming will rely on interpolation so loses clarity quickly. Thankfully both standard cameras here match the quality of the S22 including great contrast and low light performance aided by OIS and a bright f/1.8 aperture lens.

For casual shooting, photos from both devices will look fabulous with balanced exposures and bodacious color. But the S22‘s telephoto lens lends it far more creative flexibility to compose frame-filling shots from a distance like portraits or sports/wildlife scenes. And having 50MP resolution to play with enables more post editing cropping potential too!

Video recording sees both phones handle up to 4K 60fps smoothly including HDR. But only the S22 offers richer 8K 24fps capture great for future-proofing special events! 8K footage downsampled to 4K or 1080p looks especially crisp. Zoom also works well when filming video on the S22 unlike the Flip 4.

Ultimately photography fanatics and creative content creators will appreciate the S22 camera array much more. Casual shooters will still love the photos and videos from the Flip 4 – but the S22 clinches the win here.

Battery & Charging Considerations

My job keeps me on the move so I need a phone that won‘t be desperately gasping for a charger by mid-afternoon! Neither device really delivers standout battery longevity compared to some competitors but differences do exist.

Oddly despite its larger display, the Flip 4 packs the same 3700mAh battery as the S22.Adaptive refresh rates and newer SoC help conserve power yet in my testing the S22 provided nearly 5 hours of actual screen on time vs just around 4 hours on the Flip 4. I‘d comfortably get through a full day out with the S22 whilst the Flip 4 had me pondering backup charger options by dinner time.

Both support the latest 25W USB-C fast charging standard – allowing 0 to 50% juicing within 30 minutes. The S22 does include faster 15W wireless charging which came in handy when I forgot my USB cable before rushing out!

The charging differences are thankfully quite minor and wireless charging pads continue gaining popularity. But clingier users will appreciate the S22‘s superior staying power from its battery size vs screen demands. Thus the win goes to the S22 here!

Special Features and Software Goodies

Beyond core hardware, both devices tout a medley of thoughtful software touches enhancing the experience. But the Fold 4 does showcase more tricks stemming from its foldable nature!

Flex Mode instantly splits compatible apps into top and bottom panes when partially folding the device – allowing me to easily glance YouTube reactions whilst watching a video for example. Neat continuity features retain my app state whether flipping open or shut too which I loved for gaming on the go!

That petite front display kept me productive by discretely checking notifications without rudely whipping my entire phone out. Tapping notifications instantly opens the related app too when unfurling the screen. And I had fun using Quick Shot mode utilizing the rear lenses to easily frame selfies hands-free after a partial fold.

Whilst the S22 misses out on those novel foldable benefits, it does introduce handy touches like live streaming my display to friends‘ phones or laptops. The intelligent contrast enhancer when automatically framing subjects proved mighty handy for family video calls too!

Both devices actually share access to deeper Samsung ecosystem integration across tablets, laptops and wearables which streamlines my workflow. But the flexibility afforded by the folding form wins over more software novelty. Long term OS support promises 4 Android version updates and 5 years security patches too.

Consensus Verdict: Flip 4 Wins Overall!

Evaluating across the key categories for me as an avid phone user, I‘m declaring the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 as the winner for me combining future-facing innovation with strong core performance.

The folding design truly enhances my entire experience – from easily tucking into tiny purses when going out hands-free to stealthily checking notifications to seamless multitasking with Flex mode. And despite being first-gen foldable tech, the durable hinge and screen reassure me of longevity.

Matching processing power, slick 120Hz display and capable cameras to the S22 also means I don‘t compromise daily productivity or photography fun. Losing telephoto zoom and battery longevity does sting slightly but the thrill of forward-facing technology outweighs those losses in my eyes. And the photo/video gear I often carry can offset this too!

Considering its ultra premium build and avant-garde format, Samsung priced the Fold 4 surprisingly attractively as well. Trading blows convincingly with the superb S22 across most areas cements its victory for my needs!

I‘m curious which phone you find more compelling too? Feel free to drop me a line in the comments or via email at the bottom of this post!