Samsung makes great phones, you only have to look at T3's best Samsung phones guide to see that, and the best of the bunch are the Samsung Galaxy S22 phones.
Of all the big-name devices out there I think Samsung Galaxy phones are the closest to Apple in terms of sheer desirability and power.
But as with the iPhone 13, there are a few simple mistakes that mean you could be paying too much for your contract, that make your phone slightly less intuitive or that make charging take much longer, among others. Here's what they are and what you can do to change them.
1. Not banishing Bixby
There are some people out there who love Bixby, Samsung's digital assistant. But I suspect that for most people Bixby is a feature you only invoke by accident, most likely by long-pressing the power button. You can change that really easily: go into Settings > Advanced Features and look for the section for the Side Key, which is Samsung's name for the power button. This enables you to change what double-pressing and long-pressing the power button does, so for example you can launch a specific app with a double-press or go to the power off menu when you press and hold.
2. Not looking for deals when you buy
Samsung Galaxy phones tend to sell for the same prices pretty much everywhere because everybody's watching everyone else's offers, but that doesn't mean there aren't deals to be had: we track the best Samsung S22 deals and there are often useful offers such as good cashback deals, several months of cut-price voice and data, bundled earbuds or generous trade-ins. That's particularly true if you're buying on contract, where retailers have more flexibility. It doesn't take huge amounts of time to ensure you're getting the most bang for your Galaxy buck.
3. Using the wrong charger
The Galaxy S22 Series supports fast charging, fast wireless charging and on some models, super fast charging. But that doesn't mean your charger does. For example, super fast charging requires USB PD (Power Delivery) support, while many wireless chargers are not fast wireless chargers. Your Samsung charging is only as good as the charger you connect it to or the charging pad you park it on, so if you're using it with a charger you've had for ages you're probably getting much slower performance than your phone can handle.
4. Not using protection
Replacing the screen on a Galaxy S22 Ultra costs £249, Samsung says. A good quality case and/or screen protector doesn't. Yes, it means slightly compromising the Galaxy's good looks. But as someone who's smashed more screen protectors than I can count – leaving my phone intact every time – I'd really recommend you do it. It also helps ensure that when you upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S23 or Samsung Galaxy S24 you'll get the best possible trade-in price.
5. Not binning the bloatware and dumping the dupes
The list depends on which market you buy your Samsung in, but chances are your Galaxy came with a whole bunch of apps you're not going to use – either because they're irrelevant or because they're alternatives to other, better apps. Are you really going to hang around with the self-proclaimed thought leaders on LinkedIn, use Microsoft Outlook instead of Gmail or Google Calendar, or use Samsung's internet browser over Firefox or Chrome? Dump the stuff you don't need to free up more space for the stuff you do.
