The new flagship smartphones of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series presented during the Galaxy Unpacked conference once again formed the "big three" with the S22, S22+, and the most technical S22 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the ultimate flagship with a sky-high price and maximum specifications.
It stands out brightly even in its lineup with a completely different design and support for the electronic pen.
Having also received an internal slot for the S Pen, this device has become a true successor to the famous Galaxy Note phablets, which have ceased to exist.
Main specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (model SM-S908B)
SoC Exynos 2200, 8 processor cores (1×Cortex-X2 @ 2.8 GHz + 3×Cortex-A710 @ 2.50 GHz + 4×Cortex-A510 @ 1.8 GHz)
GPU Xclipse 920
Operating system Android 12, One UI 4.1
Touch display Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 6.8", 1440×3088, 120 Hz
RAM 8/12 GB, internal memory 128/256/512 GB UFS 3.1
No microSD support
Nano-SIM support (2 pcs)
Networks 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA, 4G, 5G
GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BDS
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2.4/5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE
NFC
USB Type-C 3.2, USB OTG
No 3.5mm audio output
Cameras 108 MP + 10 MP (3× zoom) + 10 MP (10× zoom) + 12 MP (ultrawide), video 8K
Front camera 40 MP
Proximity and light sensors, magnetic field, accelerometer, gyroscope
Under-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic)
Battery 5000 mAh, fast charging 45 W
Dimensions 163×78×8.9 mm
Weight 229 g
Appearance and usability
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone is strikingly different in design from its colleagues in the new S22 family and last year's S21, which are similar to each other due to the presence of a massive protrusion on the back that housed all the lenses.
There is no such protrusion here. On the contrary, each of the lenses and even the flash protrude separately from each other. It looks peculiar. Let's just say, the design is for connoisseurs.
Moreover, the new smartphone has again significantly rounded sides, making them an extension of the curved edges of the screen and symmetrically bending towards the back panel.
As a result, the side frame is completely absent, and the rounded sides glide maximally in the palm. Some elements are made of glass, while others are made of smooth slippery metal.
The large and heavy body is quite difficult to hold in hand.
In size, this is the largest mobile device, and its weight is almost 230 g. Both panels are made of the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, with aluminum edges.
The cameras, of course, protrude significantly, making the smartphone unstable on a hard surface, rocking when working with the screen.
The side buttons are large, wide, made of real metal. They are easily felt blindly, have a long pleasant springy travel, and a clear response.
The front camera is installed behind a round cutout in the screen matrix. There is no LED notification indicator.
For the fingerprint scanner, the standard place is under the screen glass. The sensor is not optical but the most advanced ultrasonic one. Finger recognition works quickly and accurately.
In the slot on the bottom edge, you can install two Nano-SIM cards, but there is no place for a memory card, which is usually available for flagships. Hot swapping of cards and the use of eSIM is supported.
In addition to the card slot, the bottom edge has a speaker, microphone, and USB Type-C port. On the side is the slot for the electronic pen, and the 3.5mm audio output for headphones is again absent.
Although the support for the proprietary S Pen electronic pen was introduced with the previous generation S21 Ultra, only in this generation was a slot for it provided in the body.
The stylus is the usual four-sided shape, with a button on the back and a key on the side. It cannot be accidentally inserted backward, as there is a foolproof mechanism.
The body of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has protection against moisture and dust according to the IP68 standard (withstands immersion in water at 1.5 m for up to 30 minutes).
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone is equipped with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a diagonal of 6.8 inches and a resolution of 1440×3088, covered with Corning Gorilla Victus+ glass with curved edges. The pixel density is about 500 ppi. The frame around the screen is maximally narrow. The screen supports HDR10+ and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
The front surface of the screen is made of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches.
Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereafter simply Nexus 7).
For clarity, here is a photo where a white surface is reflected on the turned-off screens (left - Nexus 7, right - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which can be distinguished by size):
The screen on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is noticeably darker (brightness in the photos 94 vs. 98 on the Nexus 7) and has no pronounced tint. The two reflected objects on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra screen are very faint, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the fewer boundaries (type glass/air) with significantly different refractive indices, screens without an air gap have (which) appearance (shape, figure) in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, as the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra screen has a special oleophobic (oil-repellent) coating (very effective, much better than on the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass. When displaying a white field on the entire screen and manually controlling the quality, its maximum value was about 700 cd/m² under normal conditions (and if the high brightness mode is turned on, without it - 410 cd/m²), but in very bright light, it increases to 1050 cd/m². It should also be noted that in this case, the smaller the area of white on the screen, the brighter it is, meaning the actual maximum brightness of white areas will almost always be higher than the indicated value. As a result, reading the screen during the day in sunlight should be at an excellent level, and the dark theme not only saves battery charge but also contributes to better readability of information on the screen in high lighting conditions. The minimum brightness value is 1.7 cd/m², meaning the reduced brightness level allows the device to be used even in complete darkness without problems. The automatic brightness adjustment works with a light sensor (located under the screen near the top edge and approximately in the center horizontally). The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider: the user can try to set the desired brightness level in the current conditions. If everything is left at default, then in complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces brightness to 8 cd/m² (a bit dark), in conditions illuminated by artificial light in the office (approximately 550 lx) sets it to 135 cd/m² (normal), and conditionally under direct sunlight increases it to 1050 cd/m² (to the maximum, as needed). The result did not completely satisfy us, so in the dark, we slightly increased the brightness, resulting in the following values for the three conditions mentioned above: 16, 135, and 1050 cd/m² (an ideal combination). It turns out that the auto-brightness adjustment function works adequately and to some extent allows the user to adjust its operation to individual requirements. At any brightness level, there is significant modulation at a frequency of 240 Hz. Below are the brightness dependencies (vertical axis) over time (horizontal axis) for several brightness setting values. Initially for the mode with a refresh rate of 60 Hz.
