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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review

Samsung's line of Galaxy phones is truly phenomenal in a variety of ways. But it can be tough to know whether the recent Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a good pick for your next phone upgrade. With a comprehensive review, let’s take a deep dive into the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Galaxy S22 Ultra Quick Overview

Think of the Galaxy S22 Ultra as an adaptive, evolved Galaxy Note, offering a built-in and faster S-Pen for notetaking or precise control, plus tons of improvements to the camera suite. Fast charging, good connectivity, and a very bright, color-rich display round out this mobile device.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is an expensive but high-quality phone through and through, except for somewhat low RAM and battery capacity. Even with these negatives, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a great choice for camera aficionados or studious notetakers.

What’s the Cost of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra?

At a whopping $1199, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a pretty pricey mobile device. Therefore, it’s only suitable for those who want the best in mobile phone technology.

Who is the Galaxy S22 Ultra Best For?

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is a top choice for working professionals who take a lot of notes with smartphone pens or who might benefit from bolstering their social media profiles with quality pictures taken from their phones.

Alternatively, the Galaxy S22 Ultra should serve you well as a good “main” phone for the next few years since it’ll receive free support from Samsung for at least four.

Breaking Down the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in 2022

Still not sure whether you should splurge for the Galaxy S22 Ultra? Let’s break it down in a bit more detail.

Galaxy S22 Ultra Dimensions

The Galaxy S22 Ultra runs on Android 12 and features the criteria Galaxy One UI, so it takes movement into account when you navigate through its interface. Its dimensions are 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35," and it weighs 8 ounces: a little more than other phones of the same class, though nothing so heavy you'll have difficulty pulling it from your pocket.

Galaxy S22 Ultra Colors

For now, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is available in four colors in total: green, phantom white, phantom black, and burgundy. This gives you a good range of choices before adding extra phone cases into the mix.

Galaxy S22 Ultra Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a pretty good-sized 5000 mAh battery. Unfortunately, this usually only clocks in at about 10 hours of life, at least when regularly surfing or streaming. This isn't as good as phones like the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which has an average battery life of about 12 hours.

Galaxy S22 Ultra Cost

Certainly, one of the eye-raising factors of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is its high cost. It’s $1199 to start, and you likely won’t find lower prices from secondary retailers very often.

Other Galaxy S22 Ultra Features

The most notable extra feature of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is its built-in S Pen. This is perfect for taking notes or operating the display without your thumb. It's a super smooth pen-writing experience without much latency. The holster is a nice added touch.

In addition, the Galaxy S22 Ultra benefits from five years of support from Samsung, including four years of major operating system updates. As a result, you could count on this phone to last you for some time to come.

Galaxy S22 Ultra: 5 Pros

The Galaxy S22 Ultra does a lot right; let’s break down these benefits one by one so you can see whether it’s right for you.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Has a Built-In S Pen

Once again, remember that the built-in S Pen is an excellent way to take notes or interact with this mobile device's big screen without worrying about tapping the wrong icon. Indeed, the big screen and AMOLED panel work perfectly with the embedded S pen. Feel free to take this outside, as the bright screen is ideal for outdoor viewing.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Has a Powerful Camera

We’d be remiss, not to mention the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s powerful camera setup. It includes a 40-megapixel front camera, a 108-megapixel main rear camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto.

Don't forget the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera in the back as well! Each camera delivers excellent quality and color transmission, even when taking photos outdoors or in areas with low light.

The cameras can be configured and manipulated for perfect shots using controls for 100x space zoom, 10x optical zoom, and even a selfie or self-portrait mode for snapping quick self pics on the go. Try the “lithography” setting to take photos in the dark!

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Has an Appealing Design

The design of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is also worth noting. It’s protected by a special aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the back. Despite this, it’s lighter than phones such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The curved screen bolstered the design, which gives the device a completely slick and modernized look.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Charges Fast

Since the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery life isn’t anything to write home about, it's good that it charges up quickly. This phone can charge more than two-thirds of the way from empty to full and about 30 minutes, which is fairly standard for Samsung phones.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Has Expandable Storage

If you like to take a lot of photos, you’re in luck; you get 128 GB of RAM to start. However, you can upgrade that storage space to 256 GB, 512 GB, or even 1 TB of storage space when you buy it. However, note that you can’t expand this after purchasing, as there is no microSD card slot built into the phone.

Galaxy S22 Ultra: 3 Cons

Though it does many things right, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has a few downsides.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Has Smaller Battery Life

As we said above, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra doesn’t have the best battery life. You’ll be lucky to get 11 hours of battery power just from standard Internet surfing.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Has an Intense Price Tag

Of course, you also can’t discount the high price tag for the Galaxy S22 Ultra. At $1200, this phone is one of the pricier picks you can make, especially considering the price for the rest of the S22 series.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Has Less RAM Than the S21

Unfortunately, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has 8 GB of RAM. While this doesn't outwardly affect its performance or how smoothly you can open and close apps, the Galaxy S21 has more RAM out of the box, as do competing phones like the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

However, this is somewhat offset by the QualcommSnapdragon 8 Gen 1chipset and a 4nm processor that allow it to load social media or other content quickly and smoothly.

The Bottom Line

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra?

In the end, only you can decide whether the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is right for you. It’s a pretty good choice if the price is no object and you want a phone with top-tier camera functionality built-in from the get-go. Thanks to its ongoing support over the next four or five years or the built-in S-Pen, you might also want this phone.

Or maybe you want a different phone entirely. If that’s the case, be sure to check out our Phone Deal Finder. Just by answering a few simple questions, we'll be able to bring you the best phone deals for your circumstances.

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