Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Samsung’s new Note makes an impression

The launch of the latest Galaxy Note dates back over 18 months. Samsung seems to be done with this range. Since then, Samsung has added the much-requested feature of S Pen support on the S21 Ultra and Z Fold 3. However, neither of these devices comes natively with an S Pen, nor does it support the Air Actions, nor does it have a built-in silo to store and transport the stylus.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – Best prices:

It is now ancient history, with the release of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, announced with great fanfare this week during a dedicated keynote. The device indeed comes with an S Pen and supports Bluetooth Air Actions, while having adopted the traditional design of the Note.

Here are the technical characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra:

• Processor : Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
• Main screen: 6.8-inch, 3088 x 1440 pixel resolution (500 ppi), Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
• Operating system : Android 12 with OneUI 4.1
• RAM: 12GB/16GB LPDDR5
• Storage : 128/256/512 GB/1 TB internal storage options
• Cameras : rear 10 MP f/4.9 telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom and a second 10 MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, 108 MP f/1.8 wide-angle camera and 12 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera (120 field of view degrees) / 40 MP f/2.2 front camera under the screen
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS/Galileo/GLONASS/Beidou, NFC, UWB
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Barometer, Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor
• Dust and water resistance: IP68 rating
• Drums : 5000 mAh non-removable with fast wireless charging, wireless PowerShare function
• Dimensions: 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm and 228 grams
• Colors: phantom black, phantom white, green, burgundy, graphite, sky blue, red

If we compare the S22 Ultra and the S21 Ultra, the only differences in terms of specifications are a newer Qualcomm processor, more colors and better S Pen integration. The screen, RAM, storage (except for the 1TB option), connectivity, camera, battery capacity and the rest are similar on both devices. The cameras have been improved on a software level, but the focus here is clearly on the slightly different form factor and S Pen support.

Minimal differences with the S21 Ultra

The S21 Ultra, released last year, featured Samsung’s Contour Cut camera body that extends the metal frame down the right side and around the rear. The S22 and S22 Plus appear to have a similar design to last year’s S21 models, while the S22 Ultra has a simple, minimalist rear camera layout with five raised circles protruding from the back of the phone on a field of matte Gorilla Glass Victus Plus.

Another hardware difference between the two devices is in the 40MP front camera, which is not a traditional center-hole camera as it seems. The camera is actually positioned below the glass screen, so the glass above the camera is smooth with no cutout for the camera.

The major change initiated by the S22 Ultra lies in the inclusion of the S Pen and a silo to store and charge it. Since it’s a Bluetooth stylus, it’s silo-charged and supports wireless Air Actions. Samsung has also reduced the latency of the S Pen to just 2.8 milliseconds (down from 9 milliseconds), so your stylus flows seamlessly across the screen. The S Pen of the phone’s four standard colors is matte black, while Samsung’s exclusive colors come with colored S Pens.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is a beautiful device, with minimal top and bottom bezels and no side bezels, with the sides of the screen curved downwards in a rounded side design. The top and bottom are flat, so design cues from the older Note series are clearly present here. The power/Bixby and volume buttons are on the right side, and nothing on the left side. The SIM card slot, USB port and bottom speaker are on the bottom.

There is an opening for the microphone a few millimeters from the SIM card release opening, so be careful not to get the SIM card tool caught in the lower microphone opening. Note that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is launched with Android 12 and Samsung One UI 4.1, which should help establish this smartphone as the device to follow in the coming months.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – Best prices:

Source: ZDNet.com