Samsung has just released the latest version of their flagship Galaxy 'S' phones with the usual 3 models- the S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra.
But if you already have an S21 Ultra, should you upgrade to the new S22 Ultra? Here's our first look at the S22 Ultra, where we'll compare the key specs to the S21 Ultra and let you know if you should upgrade to a brand new S22 Ultra or not.
In this article, we'll consider:-
(Got an S21 or S21+ and want to know if you should upgrade? Then check out our article comparing the S22 and S22+ with the S21)
One of the first things you notice about a phone is the screen, and for those who like a decent sized phone, the S22 Ultra doesn't disappoint. The Samsung S22 Ultra has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a Quad HD+ resolution. In addition, it has a variable refresh rate of 1Hz - 120Hz with support for HDR10+ as well.
The Samsung S21 Ultra has a similar screen, with a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a Quad HD+ resolution and a variable refresh rate of 10Hz-12Hz with support for HDR10. Therefore on the face of specs alone, there appears to be little difference in the screen on the S22 Ultra compared to the S21 Ultra, although the HDR10+ will create slighter crisper images when displaying HD content.
However, the S22 Ultra has several additional screen features either not present on the S21 Ultra or which have undergone a significant improvement. These include 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game Mode and Vision Booster, which will significantly increase your game playing experience on the S22 Ultra. The S22 Ultra also offers an improved Eye Comfort Shield with AI-based blue light control, making the S22 Ultra kinder to your eyes and meaning that that pesky blue light shouldn't impact your sleep as much.
Samsung has made some changes to the design of the S22 Ultra when compared to the S21 Ultra. The S22 Ultra comes in 6 colours, all but one of which (black) aren't available for the S21 Ultra. Some of these new colours look amazing (we particularly like the Burgundy version) so you may have a tough time choosing which colour to have your new S22 Ultra in! Here are the colours for each model:-
Away from the colours, Samsung has made other fairly large design changes, including making space for a S-Pen silo on the base of the phone (more on the S-Pen later).
Turn the S22 Ultra over you'll notice there is no camera island or 'bulge' in the traditional sense on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Instead, each camera's sensor and lens combination are in their separate silo, with just their lens rings protruding ever-so-slightly from the back. This makes the S22 Ultra easier to hold and less 'bumpy' in your pocket than the S21 Ultra.
The physical dimensions of the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra are pretty similar, with the S22 Ultra being slightly smaller (due to reduced bevels) and 2g heavier- so you shouldn't notice much of a difference in size between the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra. The full dimensions of both phones are:-
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra runs on either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US ) or the Exynos 2200 with AMD (rest of the world). Like on the S21 Ultra, there are various models available, with the base S22 Ultra model offering 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and the top-of-the-range model offering a whopping 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage- more than most laptops!
Like the S21 Ultra, the S22 Ultra doesn't offer expandable storage, so if you think 128GB storage won't be enough, it'll be worthwhile considering one of the higher specification versions.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra runs on either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor (US) or the Exynos 2100 (rest of the world). The version of the S21 Ultra range has either 12GB or 16GB RAM and up to 512GB storage.
As you would expect, the improved processor means that the S22 runs slightly faster and snappier than the S21 Ultra, and it also performs better in benchmark tests. This increase in speed will be particularly useful if you run high-end games, edit videos, or use Samsung DeX.
Both models sport massive 5000mHa batteries in terms of battery, and with the S21 Ultra already having one of the longest battery lives of top-end phones, it's reassuring to know that the faster processors don't impact the S22 Ultra's battery life for day-to-day use. In fact, a combination of different features means the S22 Ultra will last nearly twice as long as the S21 Ultra when playing high-resolution 3D games. Check out our battery benchmark post for more details.
The S22 Ultra brings 45W fast charging to the Samsung Galaxy range for the first time, meaning the S22 Ultra charges slightly quicker than the S21 Ultra. In addition, both phones feature reverse wireless charging, so you can charge your Galzy Buds, Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Watch Active from your phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra runs on either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US ) or the Exynos 2200 with AMD (rest of the world). Just like on the S21 Ultra there are various models available, with the base S22 Ultra model offering 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and the top-of-the-range model offering a whopping 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage- more than most laptops! Just like with the S21 Ultra, the S22 Ultra doesn't offer expandable storage, so if you think 128GB storage won't be enough, then it'll be worthwhile considering one of the higher specification versions.
At first look, the camera specs between the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra look pretty similar - both phones offer quad rear cameras (108MP + 12MP + 10MP + 10MP) and a 40-megapixel front camera.
However, as they say, the devil is in the detail, and this is certainly the case with camera specifications as the pixel count can be misleading. When looking deeper at the camera specifications, Samsung has given the S22 Ultra an improved 108MP main camera that has a wider aperture and brighter lens, meaning it can collect more light. In addition, Samsung has also improved the image processing algorithms, giving the S22 better low-light sensitivity. These tweaks mean the S22 Ultra produces better quality images, with slightly enhanced definition and more realistic colours than the S21 Ultra, as seen in our real-world image test.
The S21 Ultra was the first Galaxy phone to add S-Pen compatibility, but to many people's disappointment, it didn't include anywhere to store the S-Pen.
Samsung seems to have listened to this feedback, and one of the biggest differences between the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra is that the S22 Ultra includes an S-Pen, which has its own silo on the design (in a similar vein to the Samsung Galaxy Note), meaning your S-Pen is always at hand. This ultimately means you will likely to use the S-Pen far more than you would have done on the S21 Ultra. Why not check out our article on what you can achieve with an S-Pen to find more out about why this could be a life-changing feature for you?
If you have survived your year or so with the S21 Ultra and have survived without an S- Pen so far, you might think that upgrading to the S22 Ultra won't bring you much apart from fun new colours.
However, look closer, and you'll see that the camera improvements mean you will experience clearer night shots and steadier video capture than the S21 Ultra. The physical design of the S22 Ultra is also a significant improvement on the S21 Ultra, meaning it'll fit better in your pocket and feel better in your hand. The processor improvements mean the S22 Ultra is faster and has an overall smoother operating experience than the S21 Ultra.
So, considering all the different features, an upgrade to the S22 Ultra from the S21 Ultra might just be worth it, especially as the best Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra deals that we have found will make the upgrade virtually painless.
So, the result of the Galaxy S22 Ultra vs S21 Ultra comparison is clear- the newer the model, the better the phone, and this is certainly the case with the S22 Ultra. Of course, there are many factors for each person to consider, but if you want the pinnacle of the Samsung range, then the clear winner is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
