Apple iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon): which should you buy?

The short version

The iPhone 13 and the Snapdragon Galaxy S22 are the two default $200-class used flagships of the early 2020s, and in 2026 they trade about $65 apart: roughly $235 for a 128 GB iPhone 13 against roughly $170 for the S22. The Samsung buys a better screen, a zoom camera and faster charging; the iPhone buys a smoother-aging chip and the longer software runway. Neither is wrong — but they reward different owners.

Performance

Different philosophies of the same year. Apple's A15 posts about 2,300 single-core in Geekbench 6 against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1's 1,660, and our gaming scores favor it too — 37/100 versus 27/100 — largely because the 8 Gen 1 throttles under sustained load. Everyday apps feel identical; the gap shows up in long gaming sessions, where the S22 warms up first. The silicon stories are covered in our A15 Bionic guide and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 guide.

Display

The S22's clearest hardware win: 120 Hz OLED versus the iPhone's 60 Hz panel. Peak brightness is a wash (780 vs 800 nits), but scrolling and animations feel a generation apart. Our screen scores reflect it: 60/100 versus 39/100.

Camera

The S22 carries the more versatile rig — 50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide and a 12 MP 3x telephoto the iPhone 13 lacks entirely, plus 8K24 capture on paper. The iPhone answers with better main-sensor processing and dramatically better video in actual use: 4K60 with class-leading stabilization. Our camera score favors the S22's flexibility (42/100 vs 22/100), but video shooters should buy the iPhone regardless.

Battery

Modest on both, in the S22's favor on paper: 3,700 mAh with 25 W charging against 3,227 mAh with 20 W. In practice the Exynos-era reputation for drain does not apply to this Snapdragon variant, but the 8 Gen 1's efficiency still trails the A15's — expect the iPhone to age more gracefully per charge cycle despite the smaller cell.

Verdict

Buy the Galaxy S22 at ~$170 if you value the 120 Hz screen, the zoom camera and Android — it is a lot of hardware for the money, with the caveat that its update window is in its final years. Buy the iPhone 13 at ~$235 if you keep phones long, shoot video, or want the safest long-term bet: the A15 is the most durable chip of its decade, and that is what the extra $65 really buys.