A vibrant display and sleek design set this apart
During the first quarter of this year, we checked out Samsung’s Galaxy A12 and A32. The A22 lands in right between these two devices, both in terms of price and specs. We like the design direction Samsung has taken with its A series devices this year. Two things stood out – the placement of the rear cam lenses and the colour palette with colours that are truly easy on the eye. The A22 is cut from the same cloth and is aimed at buyers who are looking for a device that looks good and is yet not too blingy.
The A22 feels good in your hand. It’s the same minimalist chic design language that we’ve come to expect in the A series. We checked out the Black colour variant but it’s the Mint colour option that gets our vote. It has an affinity for fingerprints; blame that on the smooth, glossy finish. Samsung keeps the heft under 190 gm, this despite a large 5000 mAh battery under the hood. Battery performance is quite solid. I didn’t reach out for the charger for more than 24 hours despite heavy camera usage and 2-3 hours of video playback. 
A 90Hz refresh rate display is no longer a ‘nice to have’ feature in this price segment. It’s on the verge of becoming a bare essential. The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display (720 x 1600 pixels) features a 90Hz refresh and packs some punchy colours. It can hold its own on the gaming and videos front at this price range. We’re not big fans of the teardrop notch though.
One of the key wins for the A22 is its quad rear cam. It’s versatile and shoots decent images in lowlight. Samsung adds OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) to the 48MP primary lens that impacts lowlight images. The rear cam set up also includes an 8MP wide-angle lens (123-degree field of view), a 2MP depth sensor that allows you to shoot portrait image and a 2MP macro lens. The 13MP selfie cam completes the camera set up. This front facing cam benefits from Samsung’s Scene Optimizer that enhances brightness and sharpness. 
Samsung has picked the Octa-Core MediaTek Helio G80 Processor to power the A22. It’s the same processor that propels the A32. The hardware configuration is also like the A32. There’s 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It’s certainly not lighting quick. This device prioritises form and camera over its processor. The A22 notched up a score of 1357 in our Geekbench (multi-core) benchmark test, that’s in the same zone as the A32. The Samsung Galaxy A22 is similar in many respects to the slightly pricier A32. It’s a good-looking device, the OIS add-on gives the rear cam an edge in lowlight while the battery won’t let you down.
The Samsung Galaxy A22 costs Rs 18,499 and is available in black, white, mint and violet. Samsung is offering a Rs 1,500 cashback on HDFC credit and debit cards.
