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The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes to break the border between the S range and the Note range. After a first cautious attempt in 2021, the newcomer finally integrates an S-Pen into its case. But not only.
After many leaks and revelations of all kinds, Samsung’s new flagship is finally official. The Galaxy S22 Ultra embeds the “best of all Galaxy” in a different box, but not unknown. A model very focused on the photo as well as the video, especially at night.
The best of both worlds according to Samsung
Let’s start with the most visible: the design. It will certainly not have escaped you that this new S22 Ultra looks almost exactly like another “Ultra” smartphone that we had not seen since 2020. Indeed, the terminal takes up the aesthetic codes of the Note range. An elegant way to pass the torch and thus draw a line under a range that will have lasted for ten years.
This S22 Ultra therefore adopts a completely different back from its S22 and S22+ colleagues. The rear photo modules are directly integrated into the hull – as on the Galaxy A32 – which is very tasteful and marks a real change with the other two models. At the front, the 6.8-inch Super Amoled display is curved on the sides, a signature of the Note range. The latter benefits from a refresh rate of 120 Hz, adaptive between 1 and 120 Hz. As a good successor to the Note, this S22 Ultra integrates a stylus within its chassis. Last year, on the S21 Ultra, remember that Samsung announced compatibility with the S-Pen without integrating it directly into the smartphone, since it was necessary to invest in a protective shell with housing for the stylus. An error repaired in 2022, which should delight fans of the South Korean’s “professional” range.
More than the design (which is not really new, you will have understood it), Samsung also puts the package at the level of the finishes: we find Gorilla Victus to protect its screen, or even a chassis reinforced with aluminum . Different colors are also offered. Bordeaux, black, green or white will be on the menu at retailers. On its website, the company will present three others: sky blue, red or grey. Our preferences turn to the burgundy and green models, the rendering of which gives a certain elegance to the smartphone.
Focus on night photography
In terms of photo equipment, this Galaxy S22 Ultra does not come to revolutionize the formula, at least at first sight. Its wide-angle module is 108 megapixels and its ultra wide-angle 12 megapixels. Two 10-megapixel telephoto lenses accompany them. The first offers a 3x optical zoom and the second a 10x optical zoom. Finally, a Time of Flight sensor completes the whole thing. Samsung nevertheless indicates that the pixels of its wide-angle are 1.23 times wider than the previous generation. This promises to capture more light in low light and to offer beautiful results for photographs or videos taken after dark. On this subject, Samsung believes so much in its ability to become the best night photophone that it has registered a specific term: “Nightography”.
In addition to the hardware, the software part of the S22 Ultra gains a new ISP brought by the Exynos 2200. By means of artificial intelligence, Samsung announces better management of noise and blur. Always thanks to the AI, the Space Zoom mode (which offers a digital zoom x100) is greatly improved. In this mode, the stabilization has been corrected, and the software processing that accompanies it offers a much more satisfactory result than on the last two tests (on the S20 Ultra and S21 Ultra). It goes without saying that it will be necessary to test the Space Zoom x100 in real conditions to get a more complete opinion, but our first experiments turned out to be rather conclusive.
On the video, the South Korean company announces Super HDR, as well as support for 12-bit HDR. The OIS is 58% wider and also benefits from the new ISP to offer increased stability and better autofocus. Portraits are not to be outdone, with in particular the arrival of rear blur management – the equivalent of a “Cinematic” mode at Apple, as well as easier shooting when there is a lack of light or everything. simply if you want to capture a portrait using one of the telephoto lenses.
The beginnings of the Exynos 2200
As a good flagship, this S22 Ultra obviously incorporates the most recent SoC. Point of Snapdragon on the French market – you are starting to get used to it – but an in-house processor, the Exynos 2200. Here, the chip is coupled with 8 or 12 GB of RAM as well as 128, 256 or 512 GB of storage. A version with 1 TB will be available exclusively on the firm’s website.
The smartphone hides a 5000 mAh battery and will be compatible with fast charging at 45 W maximum. Note from the outset that Samsung no longer provides a charging block with its high-end models and that it will therefore be necessary to obtain it separately. However, if you have a 25 W block from a previous device of the firm, it will of course work with the S22 Ultra.
As for the price, it does not really differ from that charged at the launch of the Galaxy S21 Ultra – which is good news. Thus, a model equipped with 256 GB of storage will be sold for 1359 €. As always, however, Samsung is counting on its pre-order offers to capsize you. Also, for any pre-order of an S22 Ultra, a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro headphones will be offered. A gift at 229 € all the same.