I have a Samsung 24" at a client site and a 26" at home with my Macbook and it works great for the price. I use a Pantone Huey Pro to calibrate the colors and after that it closely matches the color on my built in display. The monitor is on the default / automatic settings and the color calibration is all done with software.

The highest resolution on your 22" is probably 1680 x 1050. If you're not using that resolution things might be off.

I also think you might be expecting too much for a cheap monitor. If you need wonderful color you'll be spending around $1,000 instead of $150-$300 on the Samsung display. Didn't you see the monitor in the store before buying it?

Maybe your display is defective.