Take Note of a New King: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review
The Galaxy Note has died, but the S22 Ultra will live on.
With smartphone competition at an all-time high in the last year, from Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max to Google finally hitting its stride with the Pixel 6 Pro, and even old favorites like Sony stepping up their game with the Xperia 1 III, Samsung's new flagship, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, has a lot to prove.
Last year, we adored the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It was a fantastic smartphone with a powerful zoom worthy of a true successor - so why does the new Ultra look so similar to the Galaxy Note?
While the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus appear to be evolutions of last year's S series, combining flat screens and backs with smart but safe styling, the S22 Ultra, like the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, has a heavy curve on the left and right side with a flat top and bottom.
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| The S22 Ultra on top of the S22 Plus |
We liked the design of the Note 20 Ultra when it first debuted in 2019, so we see no harm in Samsung recycling it. However, Samsung cannot afford to release a repurposed smartphone. To justify the S22 Ultra's £1,149 price tag, the entire package must be brimming with cutting-edge technology.
Design and screen: oh Note they didn’t
Okay, so we've all gotten over the fact that the S22 Ultra looks almost similar to the Note 20 Ultra at first glance. Thankfully, it comes with significantly updated specs that address many of its shortcomings, one of which is durability.
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| Design and screen |
The S22 Ultra features tougher materials than previous Galaxy phones, including curved Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the front and back of the phone, as well as an Armour Aluminium metal frame that is exclusive to Samsung. At 229g, the phone feels solid - roughly the weight of an iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max.
We did everything we could not drop the phone while reviewing it; however, a couple of drop tests have surfaced online, and the camera glass shatters first. Meanwhile, the back panel and screen fared much better in terms of damage resistance. Regardless, you'll probably want a case.
S Pen: A new old S Pen
The S22 Ultra is the first S Series phone to include a built-in S Pen, as well as reduced latency (down from 9ms to 2.8ms), making it extremely responsive. Samsung claims to have achieved these incredibly fast speeds by using artificial intelligence to predict where the pen would go before you took it there - eerie and excellent.
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| S Pen: A new old S Pen |
Samsung has also improved handwriting recognition to support up to 88 languages and has brought back all of the S Pen Air Actions, allowing you to use the pen as a shutter release when the camera is turned on, or as a pause and play button when watching a film or listening to music.
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| S Pen |
Wacom, best known for digital design and drawing tablets, also contributed to the S22 Ultra's S Pen, so the phone recognizes 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, making it an outstanding digital art tool with pressure recognized across ClipStudio, Sketchbook, and most other drawing apps available on the Google Play Store.
Screen: Incredible
The S22 Ultra's Dynamic AMOLED screen measures a hefty 6.8 inches, outstripping the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max. It has a QHD+ resolution and a super-smooth refresh rate of 120Hz, so menus and web pages scroll like melting butter on a pan.
While its core specifications are similar to those of the Note 20 Ultra and S21 Ultra, Samsung adds some intelligence to the S22 Ultra's screen under the hood. To begin with, it is ridiculously bright, reaching up to 1750 nits and shining more brilliantly than anything else on the market. This should improve visibility in bright sunlight, and we had no trouble seeing what was on the screen during our time with the phone.
When gaming, the phones also have a 240Hz touch sampling rate, so swipes and taps feel even faster than they appear - and they look great. Viewing angles are also excellent, colors pop beautifully, and movies look fantastic. Coming from an iPhone 13 Pro Max, it's also nice to only have a punch hole to contend with rather than a notch that cuts into full-screen video.
Performance: Cucumber cool
In the UK, we'll get a new Exynos 2200 processor, whereas, in China and the US, we'll get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Both 4nm chips have cutting-edge power, and we didn't notice any slowdown while using the UI or running most apps - and the phone stayed nice and cool.
When it came to gaming, titles like Injustice 2 and Trials of Mana performed admirably. However, running Genshin Impact at maximum graphics settings resulted in dropped framerates, which we didn't see with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 phone. As a result, given how new the 2200 chipset is, some demanding games will almost certainly need to be optimized for the Exynos platform.
The phone runs Android 12 and Samsung's One UI 4, so it promises excellent app and game support as well as a slew of customization options such as Edge Bar for quick shortcuts and Link to Windows. This useful feature, available only on a limited number of Microsoft and Samsung Android devices, allows your PC to control your phone, allowing you to open multiple phone apps on your computer screen or simply take calls and respond to text messages.
With 8GB or 12GB RAM and storage capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB, most people should have plenty of space right out of the box. However, if you believe you will outgrow 128GB, spend the extra money for a larger capacity alternative, as the S22 Ultra lacks a memory card slot.
Eco highlights: Honey, I shrunk the packaging
When compared to the S21 Ultra, the packaging of Samsung's new S22 Ultra is 19% smaller, saving on materials and shipping impact. Other than Apple, this is less than half the volume of almost every competing smartphone maker's packaging.
In addition, there is no power brick in the box. Any USB-C cable connected to a power source should work, and if you have a 45W charger for your Tab S7 Plus or Tab S8 Plus, you can charge your S22 Ultra in half the time.
Camera: Hubble Hubble
The zoom on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is nothing short of stellar, and the package as a whole is impressive. We took this photo handheld at 85x zoom, which we doubt other periscope smartphones could replicate.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra retains the 108MP main camera, as well as a 12MP ultra-wide camera and two 10MP telephoto cameras, one that has a 3x zoom and the other with a 10x zoom. While the hardware is familiar, Samsung claims that the S22 Ultra's shooting experience is unique due to a new imaging NPU (neural processing unit).
We were suspicious at first because we'd seen these specs before, but the S22 Ultra is clearly the best of the best in terms of Samsung imaging. In terms of zoom clarity and overall color reproduction, it outperforms the S21Ultra. Its images are sharpened and boosted, so purists may object to their zingy pop, but it's a winner for anyone who doesn't want to bother with editing their photos.
In addition, Samsung has improved night photos and video, outperforming competitors such as the Google Pixel 6 and Huawei P50 Pro when it comes to brightening up a dark scene. Again, Samsung takes a lot of liberties, turning night into day, but if you're really picky, you can shoot in Pro mode to capture a more realistic shot.
When it comes to imaging on the S22 Ultra, there are far too many highlights to mention. From Auto Framing, which changes the S22 Ultra into a camera person by automatically tracking up to five people & cropping them in an optimal part of the frame, to improved portrait lighting features, the S22 Ultra has it all. Take our word for it: this is one of, if not the, best camera phones available.
Even the front camera is impressive, with a 40MP punch-hole selfie shooter on the S22 Ultra. Its portrait mode is extremely accurate for a mono-camera setup, and its photos are clear while remaining flattering. It's also great that it can shoot steady 4K video.
Battery life: One day
The S22 Ultra retains the S21 Ultra's ample 5000mAh cell, which comfortably lasted a full day with between 10% and 30% remaining.
The battery depleted quickly in the first few days after first setting up the phone, but this quickly normalized. The battery life isn't as long as that of the S21 Ultra, which isn't surprising given the S22 series' brighter screens and more powerful internals.
Despite not outperforming its predecessor, the real benchmark for smartphone batteries is one day, which the S22 Ultra comfortably meets. Furthermore, it charges up to 45W, which is quick and convenient, and it also supports wireless charging.
Conclusion
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is packed with features. We've only scratched the surface in this review, focusing on highlights and core specs, but as you'll see when you start using the phone, it's packed with features.
It also meets all of our smartphone requirements: Stunning display? Check. Elegant styling? Check. A nice pen? Check. The camera of distinction... and the list continues.
There's no getting around the fact that the S22 Ultra isn't cheap. Starting at £1,149 and rising to £1499, it's even more expensive than the iPhone 13 Pro Max. That said, if you're an Android fan, a tech enthusiast, and can justify the price, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the most feature-rich Android phone of 2022.
TechliciousOfficial says...
Score: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The most feature-rich smartphone you can buy.
- Good Stuff
+ Amazing display
+ High-quality design
+ Integration of the Smart S Pen
+ Superior camera zoom
- Bad Stuff
− Expensive
− There is no expandable storage.
− Some people find it too big.
Tech specs
Screen: 6.8in, 1440 x 3088 Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 1750 nits peak brightness
Processor: Exynos 2200
Memory: 8-12GB RAM
Cameras: 108MP, f/1.8 primary camera, 10MP periscope 10x zoom camera, 10MP 3x zoom camera, 12MP ultrawide camera
Storage: 128GB-1TB, no SD card slot
OS: Android 12 with OneUI 4.1
Battery: 5000mAh non-removable
Dimensions: 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm
Weight: 228g
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