For the past year, Samsung had discontinued its Galaxy Note launching which gives the Galaxy Note users disappointment as Samsung Galaxy Note wasn’t just any smartphone (a statement for most users) and a large number of them wouldn’t trade their Note for any other device. But now, these users might need to have a second thought.
Samsung had recently launched its new flagship phone series of the year 2 weeks ago; the S22 series. In this series, it comes in three variants– a regular Galaxy S22, an above standard Galaxy S22 Plus, and a top-end Galaxy S22 Ultra. What makes this series special was its Galaxy S22 Ultra as this time they had incorporated an SPen onto the phone.
We had a chance to get hold of one of its Galaxy S22 Ultra and here is our first impression of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The Design
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with top-of-the-line features and specs. It retains the best bits of the retired Galaxy Note series – the sleek flattened design, the extra-large display, and the iconic S Pen.
The frame is a solid Armor Aluminum that rigidly resists bends. Polished on the outside to a near-chrome finish, the metal is sandwiched between two Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ plates is understood to be the sturdiest protective cover on an Android phone to date. The front glass is high-gloss, and the back is a warm satin finish; both do a decent job of repelling fingerprints. The phone’s IP68-rated body also handily resided the water we ran over it. The curved edges make the Galaxy S22 Ultra is comfortable to hold.
There are two flat surfaces, on the top and bottom of the device. The top plane is a mostly unbroken slab of metal, with one tiny drill-through hole for a microphone. The bottom surface houses the SIM slot, USB-C charging port (the phone ships with a USB-C cable but no charging brick- BYOB is a thing now), speaker grille, and the S Pen.
The Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a gigantic 6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1440 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, a touch sampling rate of 240Hz, and a centered drilled punch-hole cutout design of selfie camera. The display is also made to support the S Pen and the device comes with several features like Vision Booster, Game modes, and more.
On the top, the Galaxy S22 Ultra features 6.8-inch Quad HD+ (3088 x 1440p) Infinity-O-Edge Dynamic 2X AMOLED display and support variable 1-120Hz refresh rate, and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate in Game Mode.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra display is a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The display has a peak brightness of up to 1750 nits.
The SPen
In a first for the S series, the Samsung Galaxy S22 ultra comes with its very own stylus, called the S-Pen. It lives in a discreet hole on the bottom corner of the phone, and sliding it out activates an on-screen shortcut for note-taking and doodling, even when the phone is locked. Your scribbled notes can be instantly converted to regular text to make them useful, and new quick-note functions let you easily drag in attachments like links, app screenshots, and photos.
If you’ve never used a stylus with a phone you might struggle to see the point of the S-Pen, but on a phone of this size it serves not just as a way to sketch notes but a way to navigate the menu screens, apps, and sites. In meetings, it’s a more natural way to jot down your thoughts than the keyboard.
It can also be used as a remote camera trigger for group selfies, for controlling some apps with gestures drawn in mid-air, or a clicker for slide presentations.
The Camera
S22 Ultra camera specs include a 108MP (with OIS, f/1.8) + 12MP 120-degree Ultra Wide sensor (f/2.2) + 10MP telephoto lens (with 3x zoom, f/2.4 OIS) + 10MP Periscope lens (10x zoom, f/4.9, 100x Space Zoom) with LED flash, laser autofocus and supports 4K video recording at 60 fps (frames per second) and even 8K at 30fps. On the front, it boasts 40MP (f/2.2) camera lens for selfies and video.
Samsung claims to have improved low-light camera performance and says it has used larger sensors for the S22 Ultra, dubbing it capable of “Nightography”. We will be putting this to the test in our full review soon.
The Performance
Galaxy S22 Ultra features the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. So far, using the Galaxy S22 Ultra has felt as smooth as you would expect from a high-end smartphone. Apps launch quickly and swiping between home screens and settings menus feel fluid. Part of this is also likely thanks to the screen’s ability to boost its refresh rate up to 120Hz, a feature also found on Samsung’s cheaper S22 models and last year’s S21 lineup.
The Battery
Galaxy S22 Ultra battery is a 5,000mAh unit with 45W wired fast charging support. The phone also gets 15W wireless charging, and Wireless PowerShare which allows it to charge other devices.
What’s Inside the Box
The Galaxy S22 Ultra ships with just a Type-C to Type-C data cable in the box along with some documentation and a SIM card ejector tool.
Overview
If you’re after a device that is easier to handle in terms of size, then the Samsung Galaxy S22 or S22+ would be the alternate device to consider.
But if you’re looking for a device in a familiar shape, in a flagship with the latest chipset and technology baked in, and an unrivaled productivity level, coupled with Samsung’s commitment to providing four years of software upgrades, then this should be on top of your list.
If you’re after a device that is easier to handle in terms of size, then the Samsung Galaxy S22 or S22+ would be the alternate device to consider.
But if you’re looking for a device in a familiar shape, in a flagship with the latest chipset and technology baked in, and an unrivaled productivity level, coupled with Samsung’s commitment to providing four years of software upgrades, then this should be on top of your list.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was priced starting at RM5,099 with 3 colors for selection; Burgundy, Phantom Black, Phantom White, and Green. Currently, Samsung is running a pre-order promotion for all buyers who ordered their Galaxy S22 Ultra on Samsung’s official website at https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-s22-ultra/buy/. Buyers will be getting a free Galaxy Watch4 (40 mm), Galaxy X Lamy Safari Twin Pen, and 6-months of 100GB OneDrive cloud storage worth more than RM 1168.
Interested to know more about our in-depth review on the Samsung S22 Ultra? Stay tuned to our website. Our full review will be published on our website very soon.