Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in the test: Interesting not only for Note fans
Samsung didn't give the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra a direct successor last year. We had to wait a little longer for this, but have now been rewarded with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Although this is an S-class smartphone, space has been made in the case for the S Pen. In the test report you will find out whether this fits together.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in the test: conclusion
xiaomist rating: 8.4 / 10
Samsung basically built a Galaxy Note 22 Ultra with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It's the perfect mix of Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra - only with current hardware. For the first time in an S-Class smartphone, the S Pen can be inserted directly into the housing. Otherwise, Samsung has installed one of the best AMOLED displays . The screen not only has a high resolution, but is also incredibly bright. There is also the proven 108 MP camera with a 100x zoom lens, which has clearly increased in terms of quality.
However, our test device with the firmware from January 2022 has to struggle with two problems. Performance is weak at times . The Galaxy S22 Ultra also consumes a lot of energy when it is idle, so that you can hardly get through the day with one charge. That shouldn't be the case with a 5,000 mAh battery. I only used the 4G network and a lot of WLAN. Samsung is likely to solve both problems with a software update in the future.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra still convinced me. If Samsung gets to grips with the performance and battery life issues, you'll have no hesitation in grabbing the best Samsung smartphone yet. But until then you should wait and see. Then the high price of 1,249 euros could have fallen a bit. The S Pen is there, but doesn't need to be used if you don't need it. It is not negatively weighted, but can even be very practical for many people.
Advantages:
Display Camera design Appearance of quality Space for S Pen in the housing 5-year update guaranteeDisadvantage:
Performance Battery life No power supply included No option for memory expansion PriceDesign and haptics surprise positively
If you look at the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the smartphone looks quite angular at first - as you are used to from a Note model. However, Samsung has managed to ensure that the transition between the housing frame and display as well as the back is seamless. While the transition to the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus with the flat displays is quite hard, the Galaxy S22 Ultra feels supple in the hand . At the same time, it seems unexpectedly light, although at 229 grams it is not light at all.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus, S22 Ultra and Google Pixel 6 Pro don't take much from the size. And yet the Galaxy S22 Ultra feels best in the hand and at the same time looks very airy. It's fascinating what impact a design can have. The workmanship of the smartphone is perfect and the choice of materials is also convincing. But the black version magically attracts fingerprints. Dust and dirt also quickly collect between the individual cameras.
The smartphone is completely flat on the top and bottom. With a bit of skill you can stand it on a flat surface, but be careful not to tip it over. A total of two speakers are installed. One on the bottom and the second speaker is realized via the earpiece. The sound is clear, but as with all smartphones, there is a lack of bass. The volume can be set quite high, so that you can fill a room with good sound.
S Pen finds a new home
For the first time in an S-Class smartphone, the S Pen can be inserted directly into the housing . With the Galaxy S21 Ultra, you could buy a pen as an option, but then you had to find a way to put it yourself. That changes with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. This smartphone is basically a Note, even if the name might not suggest it.
Compared to the Note 20 Ultra, the S Pen for the Galaxy S22 Ultra has been slightly improved. The pen now almost sticks to the display and you hardly notice any delay when writing or drawing. It also serves as a Bluetooth remote control and can be used in a wide variety of apps for control. Start camera app? No problem, just press and hold the button on the pen. Triggering works the same way. It's nothing new, but serves a practical purpose.
Extremely bright display convinces
Every year I am amazed at how Samsung manages to further improve the AMOLED displays with each generation of smartphones. The panels are now so good that you can only give them full marks. The colors appear strong, but not exaggerated. You get a modern LTPO panel that can operate at 1 to 120 Hz. This ensures that the energy consumption is not unnecessarily high . Especially in situations where you don't need the 120 Hz, the display automatically adjusts itself down.
At the same time, the 6.8-inch display has a very high resolution with Quad HD+ and can reach a maximum brightness of up to 1,750 nits . This ensures that the screen can be read in any lighting situation. Even if you want to take a photo in the brightest backlight of the sun, you can do it without any problems. Thanks to "Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+", it is said to be Samsung's most robust smartphone to date, which is well protected against scratches and falls. You should still buy a case to keep the expensive piece of hardware safe (look at Amazon).
Samsung sets new standards in software
With the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung introduces "One UI 4.1" based on Android 12. Basically, it is the interface that we know from every Samsung phone. In the latest version, however, there are more options for customizing the smartphone . Google introduced this in Android 12 with "Material You" and Samsung is doing it very similarly. The optics can therefore be adapted much better to your own needs.
Otherwise there are no big surprises. It's easy to find your way around, Android's gesture control isn't forced on you, but works well if you activate it yourself. All settings are tidy, many options are quick to find, and if you're in the wrong place, Samsung usually knows and suggests what you might be looking for instead at the bottom. You can see in many places that the interface has matured in recent years and now works very well. It's a shame that there's still a lot of bloatware pre-installed with apps that you don't really need .
Of course, Samsung has integrated the software for the S Pen especially on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. As soon as you pull out the pin, the many possibilities are presented to you. The first time you get a little introduction. So you know directly what you can do with the pen. The pen is extremely practical, especially for writing notes, and is now always with you. What is really new, however, is that you can slide the S Pen into the housing of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The software features were already available on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra .
Samsung is setting new standards with Android updates. Smartphones are now supplied with updates for five years . This includes four new OS versions. For the Galaxy S22 Ultra, this means support up to Android 16, as it is equipped with Android 12. This allows you to use your smartphone much longer and no other manufacturer can keep up here. Not even Google delivers so many new Android versions for its Pixel smartphones.
performance is not always perfect
The performance is also right – at least most of the time. Every now and then there are situations in which the smartphone stutters and certain apps no longer run smoothly. The best example is the YouTube app, where scrolling works like a rubber band. This happens in many apps. A few minutes later it settles down again. This is so unusual because I am also using the Galaxy S22 Plus at the same time and the problem does not exist there. I assume that Samsung will solve the difficulties with a software update. But in its current state, the smartphone is a bit sluggish from time to time. That shouldn't be the case at such a high price.
Ecosystem just keeps getting better
You also slowly notice that the ecosystem of Samsung is getting more and more composed. The company is increasingly emphasizing that smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, headphones and laptops work together . It is already possible to transfer data easily, connect Android smartphones to Windows and thus access the cell phones. Because of this, the Galaxy S22 smartphones and Galaxy Tab S8 tablets were launched at the same time. These are already well matched.
Camera greatly improved with 100x zoom
The camera of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is basically on par with the Galaxy S21 Ultra . Hardly anything has changed here when taking photos during the day or at night. The focus works reliably most of the time. If the lighting conditions are not optimal, the smartphone can sometimes be wrong when you move it. A 108 MP main sensor is also installed. There is also a 12 MP ultra wide angle and two telephoto lenses, each with 10 MP for different zoom levels. Especially the periscope zoom really impressed me this time. While the Galaxy S21 Ultra basically only gave coarse mud as a result at a hundredfold magnification, the Galaxy S22 Ultra produces a much sharper image. The image stabilization works very reliably. The following are some examples:
Battery life and charging speed lag behind
I was a bit surprised by the short running time. Samsung installs a 5,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy S22 Ultra. That should actually be enough to get you through the day without any problems. I used to run out at times, especially when I was surfing a lot and checking out YouTube videos or Twitch. I "only" achieved a display-on time of 5.5 to 6 hours . For comparison: With the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which also has a 5,000 mAh battery, I got 7 to 8 hours of display-on time. That's why I was very negatively surprised by the short running time here.
As with the inefficiency, I'm assuming this is a software issue. Because even in idle mode, the Galaxy S22 Ultra drained the battery unusually quickly , although I didn't actually do anything with it. The Galaxy S22 Plus does not have this problem either. Technically, the two devices are actually the same except for the S Pen and the higher-resolution display. That's why I'm a bit surprised by the behavior of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The loading speed is also disappointing. Samsung promises charging with up to 45 watts. In fact, it hardly makes any difference whether you charge with a 25 or 45 watt power supply. It saves just a few minutes and takes just over an hour. Here the difference should actually be much larger. So you should simply save yourself the more expensive power supply unit. If you don't have an old power supply, you have to buy one.
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