Revolutionizing the Flagship Experience: In-Depth Look at the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the company’s premium model for this year, launched in tandem with the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+. A standout feature of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is its compatibility with the S Pen stylus, which has previously been a hallmark of the Galaxy Note line. Additionally, Samsung has opted for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC for the Indian market, a departure from earlier flagship Galaxy devices that utilized Samsung’s Exynos SoCs. While my initial thoughts on the phone were favorable, it’s now time to explore the everyday experience of using the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

 

Pricing of Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in India

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is priced at ₹1,09,999 in India for the entry-level variant featuring 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The higher tier with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is available for ₹1,18,999. In various other markets, the Galaxy S22 Ultra can also be found with storage options of 128GB and 1TB, although these are not offered in India. Samsung presents the Galaxy S22 Ultra in colors like Phantom Black, Phantom White, and Burgundy, the latter being the color I reviewed.

Design of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The design of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra sets it apart significantly from both the Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S22+, as well as from its predecessor. It draws design inspiration from the Galaxy Note line, showcasing a large display with contoured edges and flat top and bottom, reminiscent of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (Review). A key feature of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the integrated S Pen that has its dedicated space within the phone, continuing the legacy of the Galaxy Note range.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts a massive 6.8-inch screen with a centered hole-punch cutout at the top, featuring ultra-thin bezels. Its sides contour seamlessly with the aluminum frame, lending the device a luxurious appearance while effectively minimizing its actual width. Weighing in at 228 grams, the Galaxy S22 Ultra does feel substantial in hand, but Samsung has balanced the weight well, facilitating comfortable one-handed operation.

The S Pen has a dedicated slot in the Galaxy S22 Ultra

 

The back of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is outfitted with a quad-camera configuration, distinct from the raised setups seen on the Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra (Review). Instead, the individual camera lenses merge into the body, lending the rear a cleaner aesthetic. A separate ring accommodates the laser autofocus sensor, and the balance of the rear panel remains smooth and unadorned apart from a Samsung logo. At the bottom, the S Pen sits snugly in its silo, accompanied by a USB Type-C port, a speaker, and a SIM tray, while the upper part of the frame features just a microphone.

Specifications and software of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Historically, Samsung has utilized its proprietary Exynos SoCs for the Galaxy S series in India, but this time around, the Galaxy S22 Ultra incorporates the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, the most potent SoC available in the Android smartphone landscape. While expandable storage isn’t an option, the native storage capacity should meet the needs of the majority of users.

The expansive 6.8-inch AMOLED display boasts a quad-HD+ resolution and a peak refresh rate of 120Hz. Certified for HDR10+, this panel reaches a peak brightness of 1750 nits. The lower portion contains an integrated ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Samsung has equipped both the front and rear of the device with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ for superior scratch resistance. Connectivity options are extensive, including Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, Ultra-wideband (UWB), NFC, along with 5G and 4G VoLTE capabilities. The SIM tray can hold two physical nano-SIMs or a combination of one physical SIM and an eSIM.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both the front and back

 

Both the Galaxy S22 Ultra and its S Pen possess an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The phone also features powerful stereo speakers that deliver immersive sound and support Dolby Atmos.

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S22 Ultra with a 5,000mAh battery, identical to that of the Galaxy S21 Ultra from last year. This is impressive given the phone’s dimensions, considering some internal space has been allocated for the S Pen. The device supports charging at speeds up to 45W, but does not include a charger in the package; only a USB Type-C to Type-C cable is provided.

Samsung delivers the Galaxy S22 Ultra with One UI 4.1, which is built on Android 12. My device was operating with the February 2022 security patch but received an update to the March patch during the review period. Samsung guarantees four years of operating system updates and five years of security patches for the Galaxy S22 series, ensuring its longevity.

The user interface is refined and user-friendly, with minimal time spent navigating settings or menus. Samsung pre-installs various apps like Spotify, Facebook, and Netflix, in addition to its own applications and those from Microsoft and Google. However, Samsung’s apps like My Galaxy and Galaxy Store issued numerous unsolicited notifications.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra operates on One UI 4.1 atop Android 12

 

The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s user experience remains consistent with other Galaxy S series smartphones until the S Pen is extracted. Upon pulling out the stylus, a quick action menu appears, showcasing various S Pen functionalities. Users can personalize shortcuts to frequently used applications here. Extracting the S Pen while the screen is off allows for rapid note-taking, a handy feature for jotting down thoughts on the go.

The smartphone includes various Android 12 enhancements, such as privacy indicators alerting you when the camera or microphone is accessing your data, as well as clipboard access notifications that must be activated. The permission manager also provides a comprehensive list of applications that have accessed your location and other sensors on the device.

Samsung features a ‘Game Booster’ option that allows users to limit distractions while gaming. Additionally, I observed an ‘Auto Manage’ performance toggle that claims to reduce performance when temperatures rise excessively. Users can disable this toggle to maintain performance levels. Samsung has recently been in the spotlight regarding the throttling of nearly 10,000 applications via its Game Optimising Service, with an update expected to offer users more control over this feature.

Performance and battery longevity of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra displays a vibrant AMOLED screen offering remarkable viewing angles and vivid colors, enhancing video-watching experiences, complemented by its stereo speakers. It delivers efficient performance, with even demanding applications and games loading swiftly. Thanks to the 12GB of RAM, multitasking proves effortless, and Samsung permits up to 8GB of storage to be repurposed as additional RAM; my unit defaulted to using 4GB of this allocation. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner was consistently reliable, unlocking the device in a single attempt, while face recognition was also efficient and dependable.

Besides note-taking, the S Pen functions as a remote control for the phone’s camera. Users can switch between different lenses and shooting options, as well as capture images directly. Additionally, it proves beneficial for web browsing, allowing users to hover the S Pen over links to preview the corresponding pages.

I conducted several synthetic benchmark tests on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. In AnTuTu, it achieved a score of 8,51,648, which is below the scores of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro (Review) and the iQoo 9 Pro (Review) as well. In Geekbench 5’s tests, the phone scored 1,231 in single-core and 3,313 in multi-core tests. The Galaxy S22 Ultra excelled in graphics performance, successfully completing 3DMark’s Sling Shot testing, showcasing its capabilities, although it isn’t the top performer in benchmark rankings.

Only a Type-C to Type-C cable is included in the box

 

In practice, gaming performance was satisfactory; I played Asphalt 9: Legends at the ‘High Quality’ setting and full-HD+ resolution without issues. I did notice some warmth in the S22 Ultra during extended play. I also played Call Of Duty: Mobile at ‘Very High’ graphic settings and the ‘Max’ frame rate in full-HD+ resolution; the Galaxy S22 Ultra handled it well, but after approximately 20 minutes of gameplay, I observed a 6% battery drain, and the phone became slightly warm. For extended gaming sessions, users may feel warmth at the upper half of the phone.

My battery life experience was commendable, with the Galaxy S22 Ultra typically lasting a day and a half on a single charge. However, I did notice a more rapid battery decline during gaming or camera use. In my HD video loop test, the phone operated for 16 hours and 21 minutes before powering down, which is a respectable duration.

Samsung states that the Galaxy S22 Ultra has 45W fast charging capability, but a compatible charger must be purchased separately. Without the official charger at hand for validation, I used a 68W USB-PD charger instead. While I couldn’t quantify the exact charging speed, the Galaxy S22 Ultra reached 60% from zero in 30 minutes and hit 95% in one hour, a notably rapid performance. Wireless charging can occur at 15W, and it is capable of wireless powersharing.

Camera system of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Samsung hasn’t made significant alterations to the camera configuration on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, compared to its predecessor. However, it promotes enhanced low-light performance, referred to as «Nightography.» The versatile quad-camera assembly includes a 108-megapixel primary camera that captures nona-binned photos, resulting in 12-megapixel saved images. There is also a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view, alongside two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras featuring optical zoom capabilities of 3X and 10X. For selfies, there’s a 40-megapixel front-facing camera.

The quad-camera configuration on the Galaxy S22 Ultra offers great versatility

 

The 100X ‘Space Zoom’ feature, initially introduced with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, remains intact. The camera application has made capturing images at higher zoom levels simpler, similar to the experience previously seen in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Upon exceeding 20X zoom, a secondary viewfinder appears, providing a snapshot of the 20X frame and crosshairs for target assistance. When the focus locks and steadiness is achieved, this secondary viewfinder changes to a yellow hue, signaling readiness for the image capture.

Samples captured using the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra at various zoom levels (tap to see resized image)

 

In addition to the 3X and 10X optical zoom from the two respective telephoto lenses, the camera application offers fixed stops at 2X, 4X, 30X, and 100X. I observed that image quality remained strong at optical zoom levels, though it declined for hybrid zoom levels beyond that, where subjects captured at 100X were identifiable but lacked fine detail.

Daylight photography samples from Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Top to bottom: Ultra-wide-angle, primary, and telephoto (tap to see full size)

Images captured in daylight using the primary lens exhibited excellent dynamic range, with prompt autofocus and accurate color representation. Shifting to the ultra-wide-angle camera did not shift colors noticeably; however, there was a slight decrease in detail, which became apparent upon magnification.

Camera samples from Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Top to bottom — close-up, portrait, and macro (tap to view full size)

Close-up shots displayed impressive clarity, aided by reliable laser autofocus with little to no hunting, even under dim lighting conditions. Samsung’s focus enhancer feature seamlessly switches to the ultra-wide-angle camera for extreme close-ups or macro shots. In portrait mode, the device automatically employs the 3X telephoto camera, but users can revert to the primary camera if a wider shot is desired. Images produced in Portrait mode showcased remarkable edge detection along with vibrant colors.

Low-light camera samples from Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Top to bottom: automatic mode and Night mode (tap to view full size) Review

Photos taken in low light with the Galaxy S22 Ultra were satisfactory enough to be shared on social media directly without applying Night mode. Nonetheless, upon closer inspection, some noise was apparent in the darker regions of poorly lit images, which could be reduced by utilizing Night mode. The telephoto cameras are also operational in low-light scenarios, however, they may produce slightly inaccurate colors. In Night mode, users are restricted to a maximum of 10X zoom, using only the primary or 10X telephoto lenses.

Selfie shots from the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Top to bottom: daylight portrait, low-light portrait selfies (tap to view full size)

Selfies from the 40-megapixel front camera were pixel-binned down to 10 megapixels and produced quality images, whether shot in bright settings or dim ones. The primary camera’s video recording capability peaks at 8K 24fps, although significant cropping occurs in this resolution to stabilize footage. The selfie camera can capture video up to 4K 60fps, delivering detailed visuals with proper stabilization and accurate colors in both bright and darker environments.

Final Thoughts

The Galaxy S21 Ultra (Review) marked the initial smartphone beyond the Galaxy Note line to support the S Pen, and retrospectively, it was a clear indication of a larger trend. The merging of Samsung’s Galaxy Note and Galaxy S series has now reached completion with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, establishing it as the quintessential Samsung smartphone. It unites the advanced photographic capabilities of the Galaxy S line with the productivity features inherent to the Note series.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra features robust hardware along with refined software, offering an exemplary flagship experience. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC is capable of handling a wide array of tasks effectively. Samsung continues to hold dominance in camera performance against its closest rivals. Heavy users may notice the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC becoming warm during demanding usage. The high cost may deter many potential buyers.

With a broader appeal than its predecessor, the Galaxy S22 Ultra finds itself without direct competition in the market due to its unique feature set. For those who can overlook its premium price, the Galaxy S22 Ultra stands out as one of the top Android smartphones available today.