Samsung has launched three devices this year in its flagship series: Samsung Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra. Of them, the S22 Ultra offers top tier specifications as far as the Galaxy line is concerned.
Besides being called one of the best camera phones around, it is also the first Galaxy S that comes with a built-in S Pen, which means it offers what fans used to love about the Galaxy Note as a business phone.
Considering this is one of the higher-end phones by Samsung, we’re sure the question that’s on everyone’s mind is: is it worth it? Read on for AVENUE ONE‘s review, which hopefully helps you make a decision.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Appearance
Let’s go superficial first and talk about its appearance.
Boasting gorgeous curves and four colours to pick from: burgundy (our favourite colour!), green, phantom white, and phantom black, Galaxy S22 Ultra is sleek, polished, and elegant. Without a doubt, it is a good-looking phone.
With a 6.7-inch display, it’s easy to hold but single-hand typing, while possible, can be slightly challenging for me.
The built-in S Pen is hidden at the bottom of the phone and you can eject it by pushing onto it. The clicking sound that it comes with – I must mention – is kind of addictive and I find myself clicking it sometimes when I’m fidgeting.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Camera
Let’s face it – besides using it for communication, one of the most important features in our phone has to be its camera.
I use my phone’s camera often for work (taking photos at press events) and snapping shots of my two children.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra certainly has one of the most advanced camera I’ve used in a phone. Equipped with five rear-facing cameras, these are optimised for wide angles and zooming. They also come with massive pixel sensors and shape-shifting pixels to make sure you can take bright and clear photos.
What I love about using the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera is its great bokeh effect without compromising on the details of the subject.
It makes portrait and food shots look amazing and I could take good photos without actually being a photography pro.
It’s worth a mention that it also has a good selfie camera that produces photos that are detailed and vibrant.
But nightography is what Galaxy S22 Ultra is most known for.
I put it to the test and indeed, it was able to produce great photos that have minimal noise and flare.
Selfies at night under low light also look better than most other phones I’ve used, thanks to its ability to brighten up the scene after a photo is taken.
And if you’re into videography, you’ll be happy to know that the phone helps give you steady videos with great detail and a gorgeous bokeh effect.
Here’s a TikTok video that I took using only the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra:
@dailyvanity How many Dyson products can you recognise? #dyson ♬ NOTHING – Westover
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: For productivity
The S Pen is great if you like taking down notes by hand, like me. I enjoy scribbling down my thoughts or when I make shopping lists, so having a stylus in a phone helps me be more productive.
I also use the stylus a lot when I need to explain things to colleagues, friends, or my child using sketches. I find it super convenient to be able to express myself easily using diagrams or written words without the need to find paper and pen.
I’ve previously had some bad experiences with styluses. I find that they usually have an annoying lag that make me unwilling to use them very often.
However, the S Pen in the S22 Ultra feels natural, thanks to an improved latency in this version, so it feels almost like I’m really putting ink to paper. Samsung Notes help convert the scribbles into legible text if you like too.
But take note that even though the technology has been improved to recognise written text better, if you write in cursive, like me, you’ll still find that the conversion isn’t super accurate.
Finally, one of the plus points of the phone is its commendable battery life. If I start at 100% in the morning (7am), I typically finish at around 20-30% before I sleep (1am). And I’m a heavy phone user; I use the camera a lot throughout the day, I use the GPS for driving in the morning, and consume a lot of video content at night.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Should you get it?
I’d certainly recommend it to anyone who value a great camera phone. The photos the S22 Ultra produces are really stunning without needing a lot of effort or professional skills.
On top of it, its appearance and features are will be appreciated by someone who spend a lot of time on their phone, whether it’s for work or leisure.
One thing to note is that I noticed the S22 Ultra warms up sometimes during gaming or videos. It typically cools down after I make sure I close all other applications running in the background, though.
The inclusion of the S Pen is a nice touch. But if you don’t have the habit or don’t find the need of using a stylus, though, you can skip the S22 Ultra and go for either the S22 or S22 Plus instead. The two phones have minimal differences to the S22 Ultra in terms of its features and specifications, so I’m sure you’ll still be able to get a lot of utility from them even though they don’t come with the S Pen.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is now available at all Samsung stores and authorised retailers. Find out more about it here.
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