Samsung has finally unveiled its flagship smartphone for 2022, the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It is by far the best amalgamation of the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note series. It is the first Galaxy S smartphone with a built-in S Pen, making it the perfect replacement for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
But how good an upgrade is it over the Galaxy S21 Ultra? Let’s find out.
Galaxy S22 Ultra has a brighter display, dedicated S Pen slot
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a boxier design, reminding us of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra rather than any previous-generation Galaxy S series device. It has a metal frame, similar to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it uses newer Gorilla Glass Victus+ rather than Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and the rear. Still, both phones essentially have similar build quality. Both phones have an IP68 rating, too, for dust and water resistance.
Both phones have 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays with QHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+, but the one on the Galaxy S22 Ultra can go much brighter (1,750 nits vs 1,500 nits). Samsung has also improved the variable refresh rate, and its latest flagship phone can switch from 1Hz to 120Hz, depending on the need. It means that the phone will be slightly more power-efficient.
Both phones have stereo speakers with AKG tuning. The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with an S Pen, a dedicated slot, and 2.8ms latency. So, if you are a Galaxy Note fan, you don’t need to buy the S Pen separately. Both phones also feature a fast and accurate in-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader.
Galaxy S22 Ultra offer slightly improved camera quality
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 40MP selfie camera with autofocus, a 108MP primary rear camera with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 10MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom. These specs are similar to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but the new phone offers better image and video quality due to improved processing. Both smartphones can record 8K 30fps and 4K 60fps videos.
New processor offers faster performance and better gaming experience
Depending on the region, Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone uses the Exynos 2200 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Its performance is faster than the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which means that day-to-day stuff, browsing, and gaming will be faster and snappier.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has 8GB/12GB RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB storage. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has higher RAM for the base variant at 12GB, but it is only available in up to 512GB storage. Both lack a microSD card slot, so storage expansion is not possible with either of them.
Galaxy S22 Ultra will be updated up to Android 16
The Galaxy S22 Ultra runs Android 12-based One UI 4.1 out of the box, and it will get four major Android OS updates (up to Android 16). The Galaxy S21 Ultra will get four updates, too, but since it was launched with Android 11-based One UI 3.1, it will be updated up to Android 15.
Both phones have similar batteries, but Galaxy S22 Ultra has faster charging
Both phones are powered by 5,000mAh batteries, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra is limited to 25W fast charging. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, supports up to 45W fast charging. It can charge up to 50% within 20 minutes, and a full charge takes around an hour. Both phones support 15W fast wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
The two high-end devices also support 5G, LTE, GPS, Wi-Fi 6E, UWB, Bluetooth, NFC, Samsung Pay, and USB 3.2 Type C port. The Galaxy S21 Ultra featured Bluetooth 5.0, and Samsung has updated its new phone to Bluetooth 5.2.
Galaxy S22 Ultra is a decent upgrade for Galaxy Note lovers
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a brighter screen, an S Pen with a dedicated slot, faster performance, and faster charging compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung has improved the camera quality as well. It will also update the Galaxy S22 Ultra for a longer period. If these things matter to you, Samsung’s new flagship smartphone seems like a good upgrade.
Are you planning to upgrade to the Galaxy S22 Ultra? Let us know in the comments section below.
Samsung
Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung
Galaxy S21 Ultra
General Information
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Model Name
Galaxy S22 Ultra
Galaxy S21 Ultra
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Model type
Bar
Bar
-
Colors
Black ()White ()Pink Gold ()Green ()Red ()
Black (Phantom Black)Silver (Phantom Silver)Brown (Phantom Brown)Navy (Phantom Navy)Titanium (Phantom Titanium)
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Announced
2022, February
2021, January
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Released
2022, February
2021, January
Physical specifications
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Dimensions
Bar: 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm
Bar: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
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Weights
228g
229g
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IP rating
IP68
IP68
Operating system
-
Operating system
Android 12
Android 11
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One UI version
4.1
3.1
Networks
-
SIM
Dual SIM model
Dual SIM model
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SIM card sizes
Nano-SIM (4FF)
Nano-SIM (4FF)
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Networks
2G3G4G5G
2G3G4G5G
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eSIM support
Yes
Yes
Display
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Kind
Main Display
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Name
Infinity-O Display
Infinity-O Display
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Technology
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
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Size
6.8 inch / 172.72 mm
6.8 inch / 172.72 mm
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Resolution
WQHD+ / 3088x1440 pixels
WQHD+ / 3200x1440 pixels
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Pixel density
501 PPI
515 PPI
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Screen to body ratio
~89.9%
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Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz
