Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Pricey but powerful smartphone with built-in S Pen

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 
From €1,299

When Samsung announced the new Galaxy S22 range, there was one notable addition: the S22 Ultra, the premium model, now includes a built-in S Pen.

If there were any doubts lingering that the Note range was dead, that should have put an end to it. While the S21 range brought support for the S Pen, Samsung’s decision to mimic the best feature of the Note shows there is simply no room for the standalone model any more.

And why would you need a new Note when the S22 Ultra is effectively the same phone? Big screen: check. Integrated S Pen: check. Premium price tag? Check. It even looks more like the Note than the S22 or S22+, with sharper edges than its S22 siblings.

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The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the premium choice for a reason. It comes with the best camera set-up, the biggest screen and battery and, of course, the S Pen in its own little nook. Last year’s S21 Ultra forced you to buy a case to keep the pen safely with the phone; not having to add the extras is welcome.

Does it bring features that are worthy of its price tag? This is an early review of the S22 Ultra; the phone was only announced last week and landed for review shortly afterwards. First impressions though are good, with improvements to the S Pen’s latency making it a more natural writing tool.

The dynamic Amoled display comes in at 6.8 inches, which sounds massive but is relatively similar to the iPhone Pro Max and the same as last year’s Ultra. It’s the same resolution – capable of quad HD+ – but there have been a few changes. The adaptive refresh rate, which gives you the smoothest scrolling and also helps save on battery by dialling down when it’s not needed, goes from 1Hz to 120Hz. That’s a broader range than its predecessor.

Its brightness tops out at 1,750 nits at peak, which means that should you find yourself in strong sunlight, you’ll still be able to see the screen.

That 5000mAh battery will be doing a lot of heavy lifting with that screen, but it still lasts out the day consistently. How that will change as more power-hungry apps weigh down the phone is still up in the air, but past experience of the Note suggests that you should comfortably go a day between charges even after a few months.

Chip speed

Speaking of power, the Samsung Exynos 2200 chip on the European version of the phone – the US gets a Snapdragon processor – is speedy enough. It’s hard to compare it to its predecessor in terms of real-world power, but there was no noticeable lag or stutter, even with more demanding apps.

The RAM on the S22 Ultra is also lower than its predecessor, starting at 8GB instead of 12GB. It isn’t a noticeable omission, yet, with 8GB more than enough for most of the apps and processes running on the device.

Aside from that, the camera is probably the area of focus – pardon the pun – for a lot of people. Samsung is consistently good on this front, and the S22 Ultra is no exception.

On the face of it, the camera specs are quite similar to last year’s S21 Ultra. You get a 108-megapixel main sensor, with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens and two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras, and with a 40-megapixel camera on the front for selfies and video calls.

But where the S22 Ultra has the edge is in low-light photography. The cameras capture more data and, with a larger sensor, improved software and lower noise processing, your night photos are sharper than before. They stand up well to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, although personal preference will come into it a bit.

The 10x zoom, while giving slightly softer photos, is still sharp, and the auto subject tracking on the video function works well. It kept up with some fast-moving subjects at a child’s football match – something that other cameras have struggled with in the past.

The good:

There’s a lot to love about the S22 Ultra. That Amoled screen looks top-notch, and the S Pen is a useful addition, although it heralds the end of the Note as we know it. The display looks top notch too.

The not so good:

It’s big. It’s very big. But if you are a fan of the Note range, you are used to the outsized smartphone. A 6.8-inch screen is never going to be the most compact of phones though, despite the thin bezels, so if this doesn’t fit your aesthetic – or more likely your pocket – there is the S22+ to consider.

Speaking of the size of your pockets, the price tag on the Ultra is quite steep too. And what is it that you are paying for? Does the S22 Ultra offer anything significant over last year’s S21 Ultra? In terms of camera technology, there are some improvements, but the hardware is largely the same. Where you will notice the difference is in low-light photos, where Samsung has stepped things up.

The rest:

The phone comes with Gorilla Glass Victus, is IP68 rated for water and dust, and has an aluminium frame. While we haven’t drop tested it, in theory it should be less prone to damage.

You can also download Expert Raw to tune the RAW files you can take on the camera.

The verdict:

A Note in S22 clothing, the Ultra earns its hefty price tag.