Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Is the Galaxy S22 Ultra for folks who value productivity and miss the Galaxy Note, or for those who adored the Galaxy S21 Ultra and its fantastic camera? Is it for both or completely other groups of people? The S22 Ultra combines many of our favorite features from the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the Galaxy S21 Ultra, so being perplexed is reasonable, but don’t be. Consider this heavyweight technological juggernaut to be almost all the phone you’ll need for the next five years, regardless of what you want to do with it, and you’ll be OK. There’s a lot to cover here, so let’s get started.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Design
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is a serious device, especially in the Phantom Black color shown in our images. It’s not as quirky or playful as the Galaxy S21 Ultra or its other S22 family members, the Galaxy S22 or Samsung Galaxy S22+ phones, which share no design similarities other than the fact that they’re smartphones. With its flat end caps, precise lines, and squared-off corners, it’s all business. Its overall look is unmistakably influenced by the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra rather than the S21 Ultra.
It’s the same height as the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Google Pixel 6 Pro, but it’s several millimeters wider, and at 228 grams, it’s one of the heaviest smartphones available. The sharply curved sides, the square corners that press into your palm, and the approximately 9mm thick body all contribute to it not being the most comfortable phone to hold, especially with one hand. We certainly never imagined that the Galaxy S21 Ultra, a behemoth of a phone, would be more hand-friendly than any sequel a year ago, but it is.
If you want it to last, you’ll need to make it even bigger. Because of the flat screen and (largely) flat rear panel, it’s quite slippery, and because of its size and weight, I believe it’ll take a few possibly damaging tumbles, so wrap it in a case if you intend to keep it for a few years. The matte black coating repels fingerprints, but if it’s anything like the S21 Ultra, it’ll be prone to scuffs and markings, reducing its attractiveness over time.
The integrated camera module from the Galaxy S22 and S22+ has been left out of the design, and the camera lenses are all fixed independently in the back panel. It’s simple and lovely, but it’s prone to becoming cluttered as dust and lint collect around each one.
Is it clear that I’m not a fan of the S22 Ultra? I’m not sure. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is well constructed, with every panel and line millimeter precise in fit and quality, but if you choose one of the other colors – burgundy is lovely — it loses part of its seriousness. But I think it’s crucial for anyone contemplating this phone to understand that it’s not the most user-friendly design, and it’s also not the easiest phone to use on a daily basis.
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra S Pen
The Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G includes an S Pen stylus in a unique storage slot on the phone’s bottom, which is identical to the system used on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The S Pen is also fashioned similarly, in that it is small and thin, and isn’t really comfortable to grip if you have large hands. It connects to the phone via Bluetooth, and when docked inside the phone, its internal battery charges.
You have to go out of your way to take out the S Pen, so it doesn’t happen by accident, and when you do, the corresponding option displays on the screen right away. It allows you to perform a variety of activities, such as taking notes, scribbling on the screen, automatically translating text, and creating entertaining, artistic graphics for use in apps like Instagram Stories. It can also be used as a camera remote shutter.
The latency of the S Pen has been decreased to 2.8 milliseconds, and it truly seems immediate. You can tell the difference when comparing it to the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which has a latency of 9ms. The S22 Ultra’s S Pen has a delicate immediacy to it, which allows you to take neater notes and connect with the stylus and the screen more organically. I’m no artist, but I assume anyone with talent here will enjoy using it.
But for everyone else, it’s debatable when, if ever, you’ll utilize it. It’s certainly useful, but unless you draw or take notes every day, it’s unlikely to be useful too often. I appreciate the translating option and the remote shutter action, although I don’t use them very often. I’m glad the features are there, but I doubt I’d notice if they weren’t. However, this doesn’t change the fact that the S Pen performs admirably and is a sophisticated and convenient piece of technology if you frequently use a stylus.
It’s also part of what makes the S22 Ultra so perplexing. The S Pen is a purely productivity-focused feature that has made the Note series so popular among individuals who are less interested in cameras and gaming. The S Series has never been about that, instead of focusing on fantastic cameras, a sleek design, and exceptional media capability. Is that still on the table? Let’s keep going.
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Galaxy S22 Ultra Camera
This camera phone is still excellent. In reality, it’s still one of the greatest camera phones available, but it’s not a huge jump up from the Galaxy S21 Ultra, or even the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in some ways. Samsung has upgraded the 3x, 10x, and 30x zoom capabilities, delivering more information and more natural and true colors, but the main and wide-angle cameras perform similarly to their predecessors.
I haven’t encountered a situation where the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera won’t suffice. The camera’s primary and wide cameras take great photographs with rich colors and superb balance, and the newly upgraded portrait mode is highly effective. The app is simple and easy to personalize, allowing you to quickly access the functions you use the most.
Where exactly does it stun? Color accuracy and exposure at the 3x and 10x zoom settings still need work, the selfie camera can create soft photographs and isn’t very good in low light, and there is evidence of edge enhancement when looking carefully at the zoom photos. But none of these things detract much from the images, and many people won’t look at them closely enough to notice because the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is an ideal partner for swiftly taking shareable photos.
Single Take mode is an excellent illustration of this. You record a brief video of up to 15 seconds in length, which on the S22 Ultra can be extended by another five seconds if necessary, and the phone’s artificial intelligence generates different photos and movies from it. You might get a highlight video, a few filtered photos, a fast-forward or slow-motion movie, and a boomerang video of a highlight, for example. These clips are created in a matter of seconds and may all be altered and shared.
I like Single Take because you concentrate on shooting the scene, not what mode to use to best capture it. Samsung has also worked with social networks Snapchat and Instagram to include its camera tools in their apps, so you can directly use the different cameras and modes without shooting in the S22 Ultra’s camera app and then losing quality when importing them.
For the most technically savvy, Samsung offers a Pro mode for stills and video, as well as a new Expert RAW program that can be downloaded through the Galaxy Store. Expert RAW gives you control over telephoto cameras, supports HDR shooting, and saves data as lossless files that can be edited in tools like Adobe Lightroom. Similar to how the S Pen elevates the Galaxy S22 Ultra beyond being just a big-screen phone, a selection of pro-level camera modes expands the potential for individuals eager to learn the complexities of photography.
With the addition of the Detail Enhancer, the 108MP mode now has a little more utility. It makes excellent use of Samsung’s A.I. to improve clarity, sharpness, and color in these massive photographs. The 108MP photographs are massive at 12,000 x 9000 pixels and take up roughly 25MB each, but the Detail Enhancer makes cropping down to a good-quality smaller image a breeze. Take a look at the examples provided above. Please keep in mind that the major photographs have been reduced in size to make them web-friendly.
I doubt you’ll ever encounter a situation in which the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G won’t shoot a fantastic photo, independent of your own particular skill level. There is also a lot of room for expansion thanks to the Expert RAW mode and the overall adaptability of the numerous modes and cameras. A portfolio of images taken with the Galaxy S22 Ultra is shown above, and for a more in-depth assessment of its capabilities, see our comparison with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and the Apple iPhone 13 Pro.
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Galaxy S22 Ultra Screen
The 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra features a refresh rate of 120Hz and a maximum resolution of 3088 x 1440 pixels. It supports HDR10+, features Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection, and a max brightness of 1,750 nits. For comparison, most phones have a brightness level of roughly 1,000 nits. This is made possible via a function called Vision Booster, which is intended to improve outdoor viewing, particularly in bright sunlight.
When viewed straight ahead, there isn’t much of a difference; perhaps it’s a bit brighter with somewhat clearer whites, but there is a noticeable improvement when viewed at an angle under bright conditions. It’s difficult to capture, but the photo on the right in the gallery below displays it next to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it’s evident that the screen on the S22 Ultra is more legible.
Aside from that, I can’t tell the difference between the S22 Ultra’s screen and the S21 Ultra’s, which isn’t a bad thing. The huge screen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is spectacular, with gorgeous colors, deep blacks, and all the capabilities you need for a fantastic entertainment experience, like HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos. Sound is supplied via stereo speakers, and an equalizer feature allows you to fine-tune the soundtrack to your preferences. I found that switching to Pop was the most successful, however, while there’s plenty of volume and clarity, as well as very little distortion even at full volume, there’s very little bass.
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Software and performance
I’m using the Galaxy S22 Ultra in the United Kingdom, which features Samsung’s Exynos 2200 processor, whilst devices purchased in the United States have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. The lowest model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space, but we recommend at least the following model up, which has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. Because the phone does not have a MicroSD card slot, the only method to upgrade storage is to use a cloud-based service.
It should come as no surprise that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can handle almost any duty. It’s played Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact, multi-tasked with YouTube playing in a floating window, and handled all of the typical social networking, email, and app activities without a hitch or suggestion that it’s growing hot and overworked.
Similarly, the software seems unmoved. The phone runs Android 12 with Samsung’s OneUI 4.1, which is speedy and appealing, with logical settings and dependable notifications. I haven’t had any issues or problems, all of my apps have been installed and worked properly, and I like the level of customization offered. I did find the setup to be a little awkward, as the phone did not effectively transfer my Google account, and Autofill has subsequently failed to work, even after changing it from Samsung’s option.
This is possibly the least user-friendly aspect of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, and of Samsung phones in general. Samsung strongly promotes its own ecosystem goods, such as requiring you to sign in to a Samsung account, prioritizing Samsung Pay, upgrading apps through the Galaxy Store, and disregarding rival apps in favor of promoting its own core features such as the calendar and messages app. It’s not unique to Samsung, but it’s inconvenient when functionalities don’t perform as expected until you change a few settings. It’s something that individuals from different ecosystems should be aware of.
The call quality has been fine, however, the vibration alert for incoming notifications is fairly weak, and I’ve missed calls and texts when the volume was turned down. The level of vibration can be increased, but it is set at maximum by default. I’ve also noticed that the signal strength, as indicated by the reception bars, isn’t as strong as I’d like. It has failed to connect to a 4G network in locations with weak coverage, where other phones have received a signal. It’s something I’ll keep an eye on because it could alter with the release of a software update from Samsung or my carrier.
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Battery Life and Charging
The battery inside the S22 Ultra is rated at 5,000mAh, and while Samsung has equipped the phone with the capability for 45-watt fast charging, the required charging block is not included in the package. If you buy one from Samsung, it will cost you $50, but what if you use another charger? I utilized the $40 Elecjet X21GaN Pro charger, which supports the proper Power Delivery PPS standard required for Samsung’s Super Fast Charging technology to function.
The phone’s screen confirms that Super Fast Charging is enabled, and the S22 Ultra took 59 minutes to reach 100 percent capacity from 3 percent. This is fast, but nothing spectacular, given that OnePlus will cut the charge time in half on the OnePlus Nord CE 2, which costs significantly less than the Galaxy S22 Ultra. If you use a charger without Power Delivery PPS or one with lower power, the charge time will be longer, but not by much. According to tests, it will take roughly 70 minutes, so there’s no need to hurry out and get a new charger in the hopes of getting lightning-fast charging. The Galaxy S22 Ultra also has 15W wireless charging capabilities.
How long can the battery be charged? So far, after a bumpy initial few days as the phone adjusted to my usage, it has leveled out to have adequate juice for a full day of hard use and two days of moderate use. By moderate, I mean not spending hours playing video games, streaming video or music, or toggling between a 4G and 5G connection. I tested the phone with the screen at full resolution with the dynamic refresh rate enabled, thus lowering the resolution to FHD+ may enhance results.
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Price and availability
The 8GB/128GB version of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra costs $1,199. If you need additional capacity, the 12GB/256GB model costs $1,299, the 12GB/512GB model costs $1,399, and the top 12GB/1TB model costs $1,599. We recommend making a thorough selection because there is no extendable storage space, so if you run out, you’ll have to delete material or programs or transfer them to cloud storage.
The Phantom Black variant is seen in our images, but it is also available in burgundy, green, and Phantom White. When you order from Samsung, you’ll have the option of three additional unique colors: graphite, sky blue, or red.
In the United Kingdom, the S22 Ultra costs £1,149 for the 8GB/12GB model, £1,249 for the 12GB/256GB model, £1,329 for the 12GB/512GB model, and £1,499 for the 12GB/1TB model. It comes in the same color options as above.
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