In a sleek design, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes equipped with a built-in S Pen, a brighter display, and numerous camera upgrades.
Pros
+Faster S Pen built in
+Super bright display
+Cameras offer better low light performance
+Sleek design
+Faster 45W charging
Cons
-Pricey
-Less RAM than previous model
-Shorter battery life than S21 Ultra
SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 ULTRA SPECS
Starting price: $1,199
Android version: 12, One UI 4.1
Display: 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED (3088 x 1440)
Refresh rate: 1-120Hz
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US), Exynos 2200 (UK)
RAM: 8GB, 12GB
Storage / Expandable: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB / No
Rear cameras: 108MP (f/2.2) main, 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide, 10MP (f/2.4) 10x telephoto, 10MP (f/2.4) 3x telephoto
Front camera: 40MP (f/2.2)
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Battery life (Hrs:Mins): 8:50 (adaptive), 10:18 (60Hz)
Size: 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 inches
Weight: 8 ounces
Colors: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Burgundy, Green
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra demonstrates Samsung's understanding of power users' needs by incorporating the best feature of the Galaxy Note and providing numerous other upgrades. This new device not only has a built-in S Pen but also includes several other features in an attempt to outperform our best phone list.
One notable improvement is the S Pen's increased responsiveness, with Samsung making it 70% faster and reducing latency. Additionally, the display is more vivid and brighter than any we have tested, and it features faster 45W charging.
Samsung aims to surpass the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Google Pixel 6 Pro as the best camera phone with the Galaxy S22 Ultra's significant upgrades. These upgrades include a larger primary sensor for superior low-light photography, AI-enhanced portrait mode, and a new Super Clear lens.
However, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is relatively expensive at $1,199, and it now has less RAM than its predecessor. Moreover, its cost is $100 to $300 more than its top competitors. As a result, choosing between the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. OnePlus 10 Pro or Google Pixel 7 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can be a difficult decision.
According to my evaluation, while it may not be the best overall phone, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best Android phone available for purchase.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts the best phone display to date, with an AMOLED panel that is not only brighter than its competitors but also delivers superior color saturation, making it perfect for outdoor viewing.
The S Pen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is better than ever, with a 70% reduction in latency, providing a smooth pen-and-paper-like writing and drawing experience. The built-in holster is also a convenient addition.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra's bigger main sensor delivers brighter pictures than the S21 Ultra, and its Night Mode is more effective than the iPhone 13 Pro Max in some scenarios, resulting in better low-light photos.
Samsung promises five years of update support and four years of major OS updates, providing extended support for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, making it a durable flagship device.
While the Galaxy S22 Ultra's battery life is good, lasting a little over 10 hours in web surfing battery test, it is still behind the iPhone 13 Pro Max's over 12 hours of endurance.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts a sleek and durable design, with an armor aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ back, making it lighter than the iPhone 13 Pro Max without a notch. However, the curved display may not be to everyone's liking.
The phone's 45W charging is fast, but not significantly faster than 25W charging, as it reached only 67% in 30 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review: Design
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra's design is both elegant and simple. Its sharp, squared-off angles and flush camera housing contribute to a minimalist aesthetic that is sleek and impressive.
The 6.8-inch display has a gentle curve that enhances the phone's appearance without causing accidental screen touches. However, typing on the extreme edges of the screen can sometimes be challenging. Despite having a larger display than the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max, the S22 Ultra is lighter, weighing in at 8.07 ounces compared to Apple's handset, which weighs 8.5 ounces.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is constructed with an armor aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ back, making it sturdy and durable. However, drop tests will determine how well the phone holds up.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and Burgundy. If you prefer not to use a case, the eye-catching white model might be a good choice.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review: Display
I took the Galaxy S22 Ultra to Bryant Park with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Google Pixel 6 Pro, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra's display was noticeably brighter than the two competing phones when I fired up the trailer for Reacher.
When watching a trailer for Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, this Galaxy S22 Ultra's panel delivered rich colors and wide viewing angles, along with smooth motion during action scenes.
Samsung has introduced impressive enhancements in the display quality of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The device retains its 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, which provides seamless scrolling during usage, and boasts a 240Hz touch sampling rate that gamers will appreciate.
What sets the S22 Ultra's display apart are two notable upgrades. Firstly, the screen boasts a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, which could be the brightest ever witnessed, while the standard brightness level of 1,250 nits is still incredibly high. Secondly, the new Vision Booster feature allows for adaptive screen brightness adjustments based on the time of day, ensuring the device is always viewable even in intense sunlight.
Our lab tests showed that the Galaxy S22 Ultra's display exceeded the competition in several areas. It boasted a maximum brightness of 1,359 nits, surpassing the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 1,038 nits and the Google Pixel 6 Pro's 842 nits.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review: S Pen
The S Pen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra offers an unparalleled experience, thanks to Samsung's efforts to reduce latency from 9 milliseconds to an impressive 2.8 ms - a 70% improvement. Unlike the Galaxy S21 Ultra, users no longer need to use a separate case to store the S Pen, as the S22 Ultra has a built-in holder for the pen.
Moreover, the Galaxy S22 Ultra leverages artificial intelligence to predict hand movements, creating a natural pen-and-paper sensation when taking notes. The writing process is not only smooth but also produces a satisfying sound that resembles writing on paper
In my comparison of the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra, I noticed a significant difference in responsiveness while writing on the screen. When writing the phrase "This is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra," I felt like the words were appearing in real-time on the S22 Ultra, while the S21 Ultra seemed to lag behind and struggled to keep up with the S Pen's movement.
Aside from the reduced latency, Samsung has made other notable improvements to the S Pen, such as more precise handwriting-to-text conversion and the ability to quickly save notes in Microsoft Office documents and emails.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review: Battery and charging
According to Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes equipped with a sizeable 5,000 mAH battery that should provide more than a day's worth of battery life under typical usage. To test this claim, we conducted several rounds of the Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing on 5G at 150 nits of screen brightness.
The best battery life we have recorded thus far for the S22 Ultra is 10 hours and 18 minutes when using T-Mobile's network and the 60Hz mode. This result is notably better than the Google Pixel 6 Pro's 7 hours and 55 minutes but falls behind the 11 hours and 25 minutes of battery life observed from the S21 Ultra. Additionally, the iPhone 13 Pro Max lasted even longer, with a battery life of 12 hours and 16 minutes.
When we enabled the adaptive mode for the display, which allows for scaling up to 120Hz, the S22 Ultra's battery life dropped to 8 hours and 50 minutes, which is lower than our expectations. We will provide further updates as we continue to test the device's battery life.
