Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra marks the Anticipated Revival of the Galaxy Note Series
If you've got someone in your life clinging to an old Galaxy Note, hoping Samsung will resurrect its massive flagship phone, listen up: Samsung's unveiled its Galaxy S22 Ultra, and it's essentially a Note in everything but name. (So my mom can finally say goodbye to her Galaxy Note 8—amen!)
Samsung's rolled out a trio of new phones, with the Galaxy S22 and S22+ joining the Ultra, but it's the latter that's stealing the spotlight due to its Note-like qualities. Note fans adored the old flagship's humongous screen, angular corners, and S Pen functionality, and the Ultra delivers on all fronts, plus some.
I got my hands on the Galaxy S22 Ultra and its pals, the Galaxy S22 and S22+, but I didn't have a chance to put them through their paces just yet (so stay tuned for the review). However, I did get to check out the Ultra's Note-esque features. If you've been craving the Note's return, the Ultra ticks off almost every box.
Welcome the New Galaxy No...Err, Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is as hefty as a Galaxy Note. Photo by Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the largest of the S22 lineup, measuring about 6.4 inches long and more than 3 inches wide. That's just about identical to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's dimensions. It comes in a handful of colors, including Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and a bold Burgundy. The Burgundy is a real show-stopper.
The Ultra boasts a 6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display. That means it's as stunningly crisp and clear as your eyes can imagine. Plus, its screen has a 120Hz refresh rate that cranks up to a 240Hz touch sampling rate when in Game Mode.
Samsung didn't veer too far from the Galaxy Note's classic design with the Ultra. The rectangular corners give it a unique look, and the built-in S Pen still snaps in and out of its bottom left home with the same satisfying click as the Note. Samsung even improved the stylus's latency on the Ultra by a whopping 70% compared to the S Pen on last year's S21 Ultra.
The S Pen retains all of its smooth features on the Ultra. Photo by Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The S Pen features the same gestures on the Ultra as it did on the Note, like Smart Select, which lets you crop a portion of the screen and scribble on it. Air Actions, which allows you to use the S Pen as a remote, is also still around. The Ultra's S Pen even has enhanced Smart Capture abilities, and you can scribble directly into text fields, like a URL bar in a browser, to navigate.
The Ultra is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery that can charge up to 45W when wired and up to 15W wirelessly. You can even use the Ultra as a battery pack to charge another device, like a pair of earbuds. Wireless power-sharing capabilities for Qi-enabled devices are also on board.
The Ultra sports a quadruple-lens rear camera array, featuring a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 108-MP wide-angle lens with dual-pixel AF, an 85-degree field-of-view, and an f/1.8 aperture, and two 10-MP telephoto lenses, with one offering a 3x optical zoom and the other a 10x optical zoom. The 40-MP front-facing lens may seem like overkill for selfies, but I'll put it to the test.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a quadruple-lens rear camera array, including a 10x optical zoom lens. Photo by Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Ultra packs in Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, offering 8GB or 12GB of RAM and varying storage options from 128GB to 1TB. If you opt for 256GB of storage, however, the Ultra also comes with 12GB of RAM. Overall, the Ultra appears to be a beast of a device, and I can't wait to see how it performs on our benchmarking tests.
Galaxy S22 and S22+: Versatile Phones for Everyone Else
The Galaxy S22 and S22+ are for those who prefer a smaller phone and don't need a built-in stylus.
If you're a fan of a more compact device, the Galaxy S22 is just the right size with its 6.1-inch FHD+ display, while the larger Galaxy S22+ boasts a 6.6-inch FHD+ display. Both offer a 120Hz refresh rate and can ramp up to 240Hz in Game Mode. They both have a sleek, metallic trim around the edges like the S22 Ultra. I found the smaller S22 to be easier to grip, though.
Similar to the Ultra, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are powered by Qualcomm's latest 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, but they are limited to 8GB of RAM and maximum storage capacity of 256GB. Their batteries are slightly smaller as well; the Galaxy S22 has a 3,700mAh battery, while the S22+ boasts a more substantial 4,500mAh battery.
Regarding network connectivity, the S22 lacks Wi-Fi 6E and ultra-wideband capabilities, which means it may not be as future-proof as its counterparts.
Both the S22 and S22+ sport a triple-lens rear camera arrangement, featuring a 50-MP wide-angle lens, a 12-MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 120-degree field of view, and a 10-MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Although the Ultra's front-facing camera seems more robust, the S22's 10-MP camera is more suitable for daily use.
Android Updates
One major complaint about Samsung smartphones is the distinction between their version of Android and Google's. Thankfully, Samsung's One UI interface has its advantages and disadvantages, and it's nice to see similar features across devices.
The Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra all run Samsung's One UI 4 on top of Android 12. And Google has some exciting news: Material You theming is coming to the Galaxy S22 series. Until now, Material You wasn't available on Samsung devices running Android 12, leading to an inconsistent interface between the Settings panel and Home screen. With the new phones, Material You will be ready for customization out of the box.
Additionally, the Galaxy S22 series will be the first to introduce live sharing on Google Duo, allowing you to collaborate on YouTube videos and draw together in apps like Jamboard with another person. And Samsung's new smartphones will be the first to offer YouTube video previews in the Google Messages app. These features will eventually become available on other Android devices, except for Android Go edition devices.
The Galaxy S22 will also feature Voice Access right out of the box, eliminating the need for a separate download to control the phones using voice commands. This is crucial for accessibility purposes.
Pricing and Preorders
The Galaxy S22 retails for $800, and the S22+ costs $1,000. Both models will be released on February 25th through Samsung's website and various carriers and retailers. Preorders for both devices are currently available. Samsung is even offering incentives like a discount of $100 on the Galaxy Watch 4 and 25% off the Galaxy Tab S8.
For those who appreciate the larger screen, preorders for the Galaxy S22 Ultra are also available today, starting at $1,200 and shipping on February 25th.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra embodies the future of technology, incorporating a Note-like design with its massive screen, angular corners, and S Pen functionality, which has been improved for reduced latency.
Tech enthusiasts looking towards the future will find the Galaxy S22 Ultra a compelling choice, as it boasts advanced features such as a powerful processor, impressive camera system, and long-lasting battery.
