Talking about the high-end flagships, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is a great overall phone that can function both as a high-end consumer smartphone and a high-end business device, thanks to the integration of the S Pen.
| Launch date | Released | February 25, 2022 |
| Price | ₹ 86,500 | |
| Processor | Chipset | Exynos 2200 (4 nm) – Europe Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) – Europe Octa-core (1×3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | |
| GPU | Xclipse 920, Adreno 730 | |
| Memory | RAM | 8/12GB, LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 128/256/512GB/1TB, UFS 3.1 | |
| Body | Dimension | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| Weight | 228 g | |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame | |
| Water Resistant | IP68 dust/water resistant | |
| Colors | Green, Red, Burgundy, Phantom Black, Phantom White | |
| Display | Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~90.2% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3088 pixels | |
| PPI | ~500 PPI density | |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ | |
| Camera | 108 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video | |
| Videos | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | |
| Selfie | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.82″, 0.7µm, PDAF 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | |
| Capacity | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable | |
| Charging | Fast charging 45W | |
| Wireless | Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W Reverse wireless charging 4.5W | |
| OS | Version | Android 12, One UI 4.1.1 |
| Updates | 4 years system 5 Years Security | |
| Sound | Speaker | Dual stereo speakers |
| Audio Jack | NO | |
| Connectivity | Sim | Nano-SIM and/or eSIM |
| 5G Bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 – International 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 – A2894, A2896 | |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| AnTuTu Scores | Overall | 912577 |
| CPU | 217592 | |
| GPU | 388927 | |
| UX | 143580 | |
| Geekbench Scores | Single-core Multi-core | 1287 4288 |
| USP/Highlights | Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is a great overall phone that can function both as a high-end consumer smartphone and a high-end business device, thanks to the integration of the S Pen. |
Review
Design
Samsung redefined the perception of big-screen phones with the original Galaxy Note which, at the time, offered a “big” 5.3-inch display. Coupled with its handy stylus, the smartphone was a productivity fiend and the device immediately resonated with power users. Well, a decade in, Samsung’s Galaxy Note phones have only gotten bigger and more powerful.
From a distance, we can see many of the improvements in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G from the Galaxy Note20 Ultra. The phone offers a boxy design with sharp, edgy cutouts bordering the display. if you’re a sucker for minimalistic phones, then you’ll find the Galaxy S22 Ultra, right up your alley too – the handset radiates elegance and is negated of any flashy patterns or labels. In contrast, the phone offers a glass-metal sandwich enveloped in a single hue which, in the case of my review unit, is Burgundy.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s regal appearance casts a tall shadow on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, as well as its S22 associates’ utilitarian looks. The S22 Ultra ships with a matte finish on the back that feels velvety to the touch. It also helps the finish strip off smudges and stains. On the flip side, the rings around the phone’s camera sensors attract a lot of dust and it can be a bore to clean them daily.
To wit, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is a huge device that weighs 228 grams and congruently, requires two-handed usage. To the brand’s credit, Samsung has furnished the phone with a curvy screen that imparts a comfortable in-hand grip. Furthermore, the handset is IP68 rated and features a layer of Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front, as well as the back.
More importantly, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is the first Galaxy S-series phone to ship with a built-in S Pen. The stylus has been positioned towards the bottom left of the phone and the unit communicates with the device over BLE or Bluetooth Low-Energy.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra ships with the best screen I’ve seen on a phone to date. Specs-wise, the 6.8-inch display ships with WQHD+ (1440 x 3088 pixels) resolution and is backed by Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology. What’s more, the panel offers an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz, meaning the screen can smartly variate its refresh rate to better suit the content you’re consuming on the phone. For example, if you are scrolling through Instagram feeds or reels, the display will drop its refresh rate to 30Hz or 60Hz.
Besides, if you are reading a script or an article on Chrome, the refresh rate will bump up to 120Hz. In fact, at 1,750 nits, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G ships with the brightest screen on any phone. The panel offers remarkable sunlight legibility and you can comfortably use the phone even when it’s extremely bright outdoors.
That’s not all, as the screen can relay movies and TV shows from OTT services like Netflix in HDR too. Add to that the phone’s tiny punch-hole notch and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G makes for one heck of a phone to consume media on the fly. Some users experienced on-screen jitters whilst browsing through apps like BookMyShow and Twitter regarding the flowless 120Hz animations. On the bright side, the panel offers a tetchy touch sampling rate of 240Hz. Coupled with the phone’s screen, you’ll revel in playing your favorite games on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G.
Cameras
Part of the charm of owning a Galaxy S-series flagship is its otherworldly cameras that can click stunning photos come night or day. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G comes with a huge 108MP main camera sensor that works alongside two telephoto lenses that can optically zoom at 3x and 10x respectively. The smartphone also packs in a 12MP ultrawide camera with a 120-degree FOV and for selfies, the S22 Ultra ships with a 40MP selfie camera up front.
Samsung has employed newer sensors this time which when coupled with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s ISP, gives an output with notably better photos. The differences are immediately apparent in optically zoomed captures wherein, the S22 Ultra outputted a sharper image at both, 3x as well as 10x focal range. Furthermore, as we get a bigger, a lot bigger sensor this time, so the light capturing ability of the sensor got better which significantly is seen in the low light captures.
You will find minimal color temperature shifts between the 108MP shooter and the assisting telephoto sensors. The smartphone’s telephoto sensors let our imagination run wild. It also helps that the output from the sensors is extremely sharp and the photos are in line with the aesthetic offered by the main sensor. The ultrawide angle sensor clicks reasonably detailed photos too. The images snapped by the 12MP shooter were on par with the iPhone 13 Pro as well.
On the bright side, the smartphone’s front camera will put a smile on any selfie enthusiast’s face The 40MP sensor clicks fantastic selfies that are replete with details. What’s more, the sensor can reciprocate colors authentically too and you won’t find the photos too doctored or beautified either.
Software and S Pen
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G boots One UI v4.0 on top of Android 12. Custom skin has come a long way and is among the more likable Android interfaces out there. What’s more, while I like the new styling options, including the ability to overhaul the interface’s color palette with your wallpapers, I would’ve liked to see support for third-party icon packs as well. I’d also appreciate lesser notifications from the Galaxy Store, prompting me to “check out” some new apps. On the bright side, One UI offers a minimalistic UI that’s easy on the eyes.
there was a lot of hype around the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G which can be accredited – at least in parts – to the unit’s built-in S Pen. Interestingly, Samsung has reduced the latency of the stylus this time around so doodling and sketching on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G feels even more life-like. The S Pen is still plenty useful and you can use it to extract the text from any image by using the Smart Select utility. As the stylus can be used to click photos or navigate through Samsung-specific apps like Gallery using Air Actions too. Also, you can use the S Pen to sign PDFs and more.
Performance
This time around, the company is launching the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G with Qualcomm’s brand-new, 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. The 4nm chipset works alongside speedy 12GB LPDDR5 memory and UFS 3.1 storage. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G goes smoothly through whatever it has to – be it multitasking between a slew of apps, or running demanding games – the smartphone could do it all.
The smartphone’s 3D Mark Stress test and CPU throttling test scores are significantly better, with the device offering 77.9 % stability in the former, and throttling to just 70 % of its peak throughput in the latter. On the other hand, the S22 Ultra secured stability and throttling scores of 60.8 and 68 % respectively.
Gaming
The smartphone’s gaming experience leaves something to be desired. We noticed frame drops when running graphically intensive titles like BGMI on the set wherein, the game would become choppy when I was panning left or right, or contesting in heated gun battles. Understandably, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G can run most games in your library at the highest graphics and FPS settings, the device is not the best gaming phone in the market – that title is still reserved for the iQOO 9 Pro, which, by the way, also makes use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.
Battery
As for the battery backup, the S22 Ultra’s 5000mAh cell can last buyers a full day on moderate usage. I was getting a screen-on time of around five and a half hours of screen time with the phone and that’s with the display operating at QHD+ resolution and the refresh rate set to the adaptive preset. You can squeeze more juice out of the phone by dropping the display resolution to FHD+ or lowering the refresh rate to 60Hz as well. The device supports 45W wired and 15W wireless charging, the handset charged in about an hour and a half with a 65W.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G retails for Rs 1,09,999 for the 256GB storage variant, with the 512GB modeling costing Rs 1,18,999. Yes, it is one of the most expensive contracts to bind with, straight competition to Apple’s flagship iPhone 14 Pro Max and Google Pixel 7 Pro
However, the device more than makes up for its high pricing with a gorgeous screen, capable performance, a versatile range of cameras, and a note-worthy design. Furthermore, the handset ships with the S Pen that floor new ways to be productive, and the product even offers four years of Android upgrades too. No doubt it’s a great choice in the smartphones to be called “gripping a flagship”.
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