Samsung Galaxy S22, S22 Plus & S22 Ultra Comparison and Hands-on Review

Introduction:

The Samsung Galaxy S22 series is now available! Samsung’s non-foldable top-shelf line-up for 2022 contains three phones, which has been a typical procedure in recent years, but one of them is a Note in disguise for the first time.

 

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is building up to be the one phone to rule them all, combining the best camera technology with the productivity of the S Pen in one phone. The most advanced Galaxy that doesn’t fold in half (and it’s superior to those in many ways, but let’s not get into that right now) comes with a super-bright 6.8-inch OLED display, an improved primary camera with more telephotos than most (two instead of one), Qualcomm or Samsung’s latest chipsets, and the stylus’ versatility for both work and play.

We believe Note lovers would appreciate the shape more than S fans, as it is much more Note20 Ultra than S21 Ultra. However, we’ve received concerns from both sides, just within our four walls. It has far too many cameras for a Note user to use. According to the opposing party, the S Pen is also squandering crucial space that could have been used for a battery instead.

At a glance, here are the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G:

• Body: 163.3×77.9×8.9mm, 229g; Gorilla Glass Victus+ front glass, Gorilla Glass Victus+ rear glass, aluminium frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes); Stylus, 2.8ms delay (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro).
• Always-on display, 6.80″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak), 1440x3088px resolution, 19.3:9 aspect ratio, 500ppi;
• Exynos 2200 (4 nm) for international, Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) for the United States, China, and India.
• 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1
• Android 12 with One UI 4.1 as the operating system and software.
• Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.33″, 0.8m, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Wide (secondary): 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.33″, 0.8m, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120, 1/2.55″, 1.4m, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120, 1/2.55″, 1.4m, dual pixel PDAF; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12m, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12m, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12m, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom
• 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.7m, PDAF front camera
• Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS;
• Fast charging 45W, USB Power Delivery 3.0, Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W; battery: 5000mAh; fast charging 45W, USB Power Delivery 3.0, Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W.
• NFC; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support), Bixby natural language commands and dictation, Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified), Ultra-Wideband (UWB) support. Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); NFC; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support), Bixby natural language commands and dictation, Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified), Ultra-Wideband (UWB) support

The Galaxy S22s that aren’t Ultra are less divisive because they aren’t as extreme and aimed at a broader audience. Samsung made a few smart decisions this year, particularly with the S22 itself: it has a glass back this year, so it has that luxury feel, and it’s also a little smaller to appeal to the ever-increasing number of consumers searching for a more budget-friendly option.

The two sizes differ not in quality, but in number, much more this year. A €/$200 premium gets you the higher numbers: 6.1 inches vs 6.6 inches, 168 ounces vs 196 grams, 3,700mAh vs 4500mAh. The non-Ultras get the same chipsets, lower-resolution but still stunning displays, the same body materials as the genuine flagship, and a refined design that builds on last year’s.

 

At a glance, below are the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S22/S22+ 5G:

• Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminium frame; IP68 dust/water resistant body (S22): 146.0×70.6×7.6mm, 168g; glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminium frame; (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
• S22+: 157.4×75.8×7.6mm, 196g (S22: 146.0×70.6×7.6mm, 168g); S22: 146.0×70.6×7.6mm, 168g IP68 dust/water resistant glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
• 6.10″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 422ppi; Always-on display (S22).
• 6.60″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 390ppi; Always-on display; Display (S22+): 6.60″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 390ppi; Always-on display
• Exynos 2200 (4 nm) for international, Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) for the United States, China, and India.
• Memory: UFS 3.1; 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM.
• Android 12 with One UI 4.1 as the operating system and software.
• Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0m, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120, 1/2.55″, 1.4m, Super Steady video; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm, 1/3.94″, 1.0m, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 70
• Front camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24″, 1.22m, Dual Pixel PDAF, Front camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24″, 1.22m, Front camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide
• Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS;
• Fast charging 25W, USB Power Delivery 3.0, Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W; battery (S22): 3700mAh;
• Fast charging 45W, USB Power Delivery 3.0, Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W; battery (S22+): 4500mAh;
• NFC; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support), Bixby natural language commands and dictation, Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified), Ultra-Wideband (UWB) support. Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); NFC; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support), Bixby natural language commands and dictation, Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified), Ultra-Wideband (UWB) support

We had the opportunity to spend some time with all three phones and have some preliminary thoughts to give. On the next page, we’ll start with the S22 and S22+ and work our way up to the Ultra.

Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+

The Galaxy S22 and S22+ are spanking new, but they look and feel like old friends. Following in the footsteps of last year’s Contour cut design, the 2022 models use the same fundamental approach for the camera island. In this one remaining location, phones can have any personality. Still, with a little less emphasisLastst year’s hero colour with contrasting colours for the frame and rear panel Phantom, Violet is no longer available. Only the Phantom White has signs of contrast between structure and panel this year, with the silver-ish metal gloss somewhat popping out against the matte white back – it’s nearly identical to last year’s white edition. Phantom Black, Green, and Pink Gold are the other hues available at launch, and all have frames that match the colour of the handset’s back panel.

Regarding the back, it’s worth noting that the standard S22 model now has glass covering its internals, as opposed to the plastic of last year. We had a lot of complaints about the ‘flagship’ S21’s plastic contacting your hands, more out of principle than a genuine dislike for the material. Other sources, too, expressed dissatisfaction with Samsung’s decision. Whether the public outrage was solely responsible for the change or other factors at play, all three phones now have Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front and back.

The way the camera surround touches the frame is another minor alteration for this generation. It’s less fluid and ‘contour’-y, but instead sharper and sculpted. Although the camera island appears to be a part of the frame, there is less continuity between the two pieces than prior models.

The island itself is mainly unaltered, with a few exceptions – not too many, not too few.

However, what’s within it isn’t the same. The 12MP 1/1.76″, 1.8m units present on the S21 is replaced by a new 50MP primary camera using the in-house ISOCELL GN5 sensor (1/1.53″, 1.0m, Tetrapixel colour filter).

The telephoto lens is now a true telephoto, with 3x optical zoom to a 10MP sensor (1/3.94″, 1,0m), compared to the hybrid/lossless 1.1x 64MP unit on the previous model – this will be an exciting contrastOddly enough. It’s not the same as the Ultra’s short telephoto leghTherere won’t be much to compare the ultrawide end e because the technology will be the same (which implies no autofocus, which… should we complain about?).

This whole comparison problem is something we’ll have to deal with in the future because we didn’t have the time or permission to conduct one at the moment.

Returning to more practical matters, the S22’s display diagonally decreased by 0.1 inches, making what was already a relatively tiny phone even more so. The smallest of the three S22s is 0.6mm narrower than the previous year’s model, but it’s also roughly 6mm shorter. It’s also just slightly smaller than an iPhone 13 or 13 Pro, with a footprint of 146×70.6mm. It weighs 168 grams, which is significantly less than the 204 grams of the 13 Pro, while the difference of 7 grams is minor.

Thanks to the all-glass design, we’re getting at here that the Galaxy S22 is now as premium as the most premium Galaxy. Still, it’s also more pocketable than last year’s model – an unpleasant set of circumstances for someone who just defended the iPhone 13 Pro as the ultimate premium small.

The Galaxy S22+, on the other hand, measures 157.4×75.8×7.6mm and is a full-size phone. However, Samsung has reduced the diagonal by 0.1 inches, making it slightly shorter, though the 4mm difference is less evident than the 6mm difference on the smaller handset.

The Plus has also gotten a little lighter, though, at 196g, it’s still not exactly light. At 240g, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is still significantly more prominent.

Both phones boast beautiful OLED panels on the front or Dynamic AMOLED 2X if you insist on using Samsung’s terminology. They can support refresh rates up to 120Hz, and Samsung has improved on the Ultra’s adaptive behaviour, allowing them to dip as low as 10Hz, compared to the S21s’ 48Hz minimum. This year’s Ultra, on the other hand, can fall to 1Hz, so non-Ultras are still a step behind in terms of adjustable refresh rate capabilities.

The Plus has the same peak brightness as the Ultra, so there’s some parity there, and it’s a whopping 1750nits peak (for HDR use) or 1200nits in ‘high brightness’ mode (general use in bright ambient conditions). We didn’t obtain the high brightness mode number for the vanilla S22, but whatever it is, we’re confident that outside of numerical comparisons, the phone will be sufficiently well enough.

Samsung is also touting a new function dubbed Vision Booster, which uses tonal remapping and adjusting brightness, contrast, and colour to increase outdoor visibility. Because we may envisage colours being all out of whack to the measurement equipment’s eyes, this will necessitate a more subjective judgement.

The S22 and S22+ are IP68-certified for dust and water resistance. Still, unlike Apple, which has been out speccing the minimum since the iPhone XS and the latest versions are qualified for up to 6m submersions, Samsung only covers the necessary 1.5m for 30mins standards.

Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra:

Isn’t this the rumoured Galaxy Note21 Ultra that never materialized? Naturally, with a last-minute update to 2022-ready chipsets. Of course, we’re speculating because the device in front of you is the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

However, it looks like a Galaxy N for a Galaxy S. It has the same blocky rectangular shape as the most recent (last?) Note the 20 Ultra is roughly the same size. It’s 1.5mm shorter, 0.7mm broader, and 0.8mm thicker than the last model to hold the Note brand, measuring 163.3×77.9×8.9mm. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is taller than the latest generation phone, 2mm shorter but 2.3mm wider. So it’s the size of a Note, and it’s also shaped like one.

With its more angular appearance and distinct proportions, this one is more likely to appeal to those who have used a Note before. It’s a slab with a powerful presence that’s far from compactNotot many pants pockets will fit it comfortably if you put it in a case. But, since that is precisely the form factor that Note aficionados value, at least that group should be satisfied.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is available in four colours in retail stores and three more online-only hues. Burgundy, Green, Phantom White, and Phantom Black are the standard colours, whereas Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red are only available on Samsung.com.

There isn’t a single shared camera ‘island,’ which is different from almost every Samsung we’ve seen recently. Instead, each camera, as well as the laser AF window, gets its circular protrusion. This odd style fits nicely with the Note-inspired looks, which are already distinct and more technical, so we’re on board.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display is 6.8 inches diagonally, and despite being nominally more minor than the S21 Ultra’s, it has a slightly larger area due to the more squarish aspect.

 

We’ve reached a stage where Samsung has moved away from curved screens on more mainstream handsets, and this year, like in 2021, it’s just the Ultra that gets this divisive design. It has advantages and disadvantages, with the former mainly being aesthetic and premium-ness, and the latter being handling and possibly palm rejection mistakes.

It’s the only one of the three with QHD+ resolution (the others are FullHD and the only one with the most advanced adaptive refresh rate behaviour, which allows it to go from 120Hz to 1Hz. The peak brightness of 1750nits (for smaller areas in HDR scenarios) and the high brightness mode of 1200nits (larger illuminated areas, bright ambient light) are also industry-leading figures.

Design:

However, because this is a Note(-like handset), other features may be more crucial. Input latency for the S Pen has been drastically decreased, with Samsung claiming a 2.8ms figure compared to 9ms on the S21U and Note20U. This should result in a more natural writing experience, and it’s possible thanks to enhanced AI-based coordinate prediction and upgraded Wacom hardware. However, the tiny print states that the 2.8 seconds are measured in the Samsung Notes app, so you may have to settle for milliseconds in other apps.

By the way, the number of handwriting recognition languages supported has been raised to 88. (12 more than before).

The S Pen is virtually the same as the one found on the Note20 Ultra, with a supercapacitor, gyroscope, and accelerometer for active input (Anywhere actions, camera and gallery operation from a distance, music controls, and whatnot).

Unlike the S21 Ultra, which supported an S Pen but required it to be carried separately, the S22 Ultra’s can be tucked away inside the phone, making it always available when needed and far less likely to be misplaced after usage.

Collaboration View, a new feature this year, allows you to utilize the S22 Ultra with a Tab S8 – link the two, and the phone becomes your tool palette, while the tablet serves as your canvas. It’s hardly the cheapest of combinations, either, with a basic model S22 Ultra and a non-OLED vanilla Tab S8 costing around €2200.

The camera, which is more essential to the S series of Galaxies, is the other pillar of the S22 Ultra’s feature set. So the Ultra comes with a capable quad-camera based on a 108MP Nonapixel primary unit and adds two telephotos (3x and 10x) and an ultrawide team with focusing – a feature that’s only available on the company’s S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra models.

 

The primary camera has a few additional processing tricks up its sleeve, including the ability to mix 12MP non-binned photos with full-res images for better light capture and detail. A 1/1.33″ sensor with 0.8m pixels sits behind a stabilized lens with an f/1.8 aperture, so it’s effectively the same hardware.

The ultrawide is also unaffected. If you want an ultrawide that can focus on close objects, the Samsung S22 Ultra is the one to choose; the others are fixed-focus.

A 1/2.55″ sensor with 1.4m pixels and an f/2.2 aperture lens with a 120-degree field of view would be included. While the cameras above have the exact specifications as last year, the telephotos have taken a hit. The sensor and pixel sizes have been lowered in the 3x and 10x modules (1/3.52″ vs 1/3.24″ and 1.12m vs 1.22m). The lenses’ apertures remain at f/2.4 and f/4.9, respectively, with optical image stabilization. We’ll have to see how much difference the smaller sensors make in image quality; perhaps better processing will compensate.

There have been rumours about a new AI stereo depth map powered by deep learning to allow for more precise subject detection in Portrait mode. Portraits were a big part of the presentation, and we’ll now have Night Portrait mode for darker environments (even on the front camera and Pet Portrait mode, which isn’t strictly a mode but improves pet recognition in Portrait mode.

Expert RAW is a new optional camera app that has just been released alongside the S22 Ultra. It has many of the same features as Pro mode in the regular camera app, including exposure, white balance, and focus. Still, it stores multi-frame DNG RAW files with an extra-wide dynamic range, giving you additional editing options in post.

The majority of these software capabilities will also be available on non-Ultras. We can’t wait for actual review units to arrive at our door to see how significant all of the improvements are in the real world.

Chipsets:

In yet another episode of the Great Processor Divide, the Galaxy S22 versions will be available with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the Exynos 2200 chipset, depending on where you buy them. Which market receives which SoC this year appears to be even more ambiguous.

Both chipsets are manufactured using a 4nm process to provide the best performance and power efficiency. The CPU configuration is likewise comparable, with the Qualcomm and Samsung opting for a 1+3+4 design with slight clock rate changes.

In the past, debates have erupted over Snapdragon’s largely academic advantages over the Exynos indirect comparisons. Still, this year, it’s possible that the Samsung-developed silicon will garner more positive attention. The Eclipse GPU in the Exynos 2200 results from Samsung’s collaboration with AMD. It is the first mobile GPU to provide ray tracing for the most authentic rendering of light in your games as variable-rate shading (VRS) to keep refresh rates consistent.

Both chips, of course, support 5G communication.

Battery:

While the S21+ was no slouch in terms of endurance, the S21 disappointed us, and we’re afraid the S22 won’t be a step forward. Hile the S22 Ultra retains its predecessor’s 5,000mAh battery, the other two phones have more miniature power packs, and the repercussions are one of the things we’re most interested in learning about. There are a lot of factors at play here, like smaller panels, more advanced adaptive refresh rates, better chipsets, and so on. Still, we’re never excited about battery capacity being lowered. One more semi-related feature of the S22’s specs that irritates us is its 25W charging capability when the two larger phones can handle up to 45W. Based on historical Samsung charging experience, we can safely assume that the Plus and Ultra will not charge significantly faster than the vanilla model or previous-gen models. Again, we’re expecting to be pleasantly surprised.

 

Wireless charging is supported by all three phones, and they can also charge other devices.

Android 12 and OneUI 4.1:

OneUI 4.1 runs on top of Android 12 on the three new phones. It’s a more recent version than OneUI 4.0, which has been running for at least a month on the S21 generation and foldable, but the (relatively) substantial improvements were from 3 to 4, and the upgrade after the decimal point isn’t making a huge difference.

OneUI 4’s core words, according to Samsung, are customization and privacy. Themes, colour palettes to match your wallpaper (an Android 12 feature), and a large selection of GIFs and stickers on the keyboard were all discussed. In terms of privacy, you’ll get a privacy dashboard in settings that will show you which apps are using sensitive permissions. When an app uses the camera or listens in on the microphone, an icon indicator will appear in the top right corner of the screen. On one 4.0, these are already available.

Samsung’s pledge of four generations of significant OneUI and Android OS updates and five years of security patches is a new development this year.

Preliminary Conclusions:

The Galaxy S22s are, by definition, going to be fantastic smartphones as part of Samsung’s top-tier three for 2022 (foldable excepted). For a few more weeks until review units arrive, the amount to which they thrive (or fall short) in this area will remain a mystery, but a few things are already apparent.

For starters, the Galaxy S22 is more likely to be positioned as a real compact flagship, thanks to its smaller size than last year’s model and a build similar to the other two non the other hand, the reduced battery capacity may be the most critical disadvantage.

The Galaxy S22+ offers a straightforward trade-off by providing longer battery life and a larger screen area at the expense of taking up more room in your pocket (albeit it will ‘assist’ by freeing up an extra €/$200 worth of stuff).

The Galaxy S22 Ultra, which costs an extra €/$200, tries to be everything to everyone. It’s crammed with hardware, whether you consider it an S21 Ultra successor or a rebirth of the Note range in all but name. We’d like to believe that Note fans will appreciate it for its Note-ness, while S-series fans will understand how little was sacrificed for the stylus. In the coming weeks, we’ll see how it all plays out.