Better, faster, stronger? Galaxy S22 says bye to plastic, boasts Armor Aluminum

The Galaxy S22 series represents a big change in Samsung's smartphone portfolio. The new series is powered by 4nm chipsets and boasts an Ultra model that is essentially a renamed Galaxy Note. But more to the point at hand, for the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung went back to the drawing board and improved upon some of the most fundamental aspects concerning build quality. And let us tell you, some things really have changed since 2021.

Samsung went to greater lengths to make the latest flagship series more resistant to scratches, drops, bends, and external damage. To begin with, the company adopted the latest Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection. Then, it made the frame stronger, but more on that later.

Back to glass, the entire S22 line uses Victus+ at the front and back, and because of this, all three phones — yes, including the base Galaxy S22 model — exude a higher build quality that matches the launch prices more accurately. And by the way, the Galaxy Tab S8 series has Victus+ display protection as well.

At any rate, for better or worse, we can say bye-bye to polycarbonate for now. But it is nice to see that Samsung is treating the base Galaxy S model with a bit more dignity this year. It's a step up from the Galaxy S21 featuring a plastic back panel. And, there's more.

Galaxy S22 is the first S series with an Armor Aluminum frame

The Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra are the first “candy bar” smartphones from Samsung to boast an Armor Aluminum construction. If this element sounds familiar, it's because the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 were the first Samsung mobile devices to be equipped with an Armor Aluminum frame. Not counting rugged, industrial-grade devices, of course.

In any case, this characteristic is now making its way from the foldable device segment to candy bar flagships and, indeed, the entire Galaxy Tab S8 line.

Using the same Armor Aluminum technology in the construction of the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung guaranteed that these flagships are some of the toughest on the market. Mind you, the Galaxy S22 series is not rugged, and the glass panels are more prone to damage from drops than other materials — like polycarbonate.

However, design-wise, these phones look as premium as you can imagine, and structurally speaking, the Galaxy S22 should be the toughest S-line smartphone series to date, thanks to the new Armor Aluminum frame — which is also more resistant to scratches.

Oh, and, if you were wondering, all three phones retain the same IP68 dust and water resistance as before. They're resistant to dust and can survive underwater at depths of up to 1.5 meters for up to half an hour. All in all, fantastic build quality.

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