At first sight, Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra appears to be a major advance over the Galaxy S21 Ultra. After all, it has a totally new look as well as a previously unseen hardware component in the S line: a built-in S Pen. But, if you remove the S Pen and this year's model's harder/sharper edges, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is simply an incremental version of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, with very comparable user experiences. In reality, the camera hardware is mostly unchanged from last year. Heck, one might argue that the Galaxy S series advanced more in the preceding two years, with the Galaxy S20 Ultra outperforming the S10 Plus and the Galaxy S21 Ultra outperforming the S20 Ultra.
However, users of the Galaxy S21 Ultra should not infer that there is no incentive to upgrade. Samsung has made minor improvements that add up to something greater than the sum of its components. Plus, if you care about the S Pen, that's an instant distinction.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Specifications
| Specifications | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Build |
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| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC |
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| RAM & Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Security | Ultrasonic in-Display fingerprint scanner | Ultrasonic in-Display fingerprint scanner |
| Rear Camera(s) |
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| Front Camera(s) | 40MP | 40MP |
| Port(s) | USB-C | USB-C |
| Audio | Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Connectivity |
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| Software | One UI 4.1 over Android 12 | One UI 3.1 over Android 11 |
| Other Features |
| Single physical SIM in Korea and US; dual physical SIM in most other regions |
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Hardware and Design
One phone is unquestionably more pleasant to hold than the other.
I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking this, but I've always thought the boxy design language of the previous several Galaxy Note phones looked fantastic (the hard corners evoke the feelings of authority in my opinion). However, they did not feel very good in the hand. The same can be said about the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is just a rebranded Galaxy Note. I enjoy how the Galaxy S22 Ultra seems in product photographs when it's standing upright on a table, towering over everything like the monoliths in 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, after only a few minutes of holding the actual item, I begin to feel the continual jabs at my back.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra has none of these issues. It's rounder and curvier, snuggling softer and more gently on my hand. Both phones have the same screen size, however the Galaxy S22 Ultra has a bit more screen since its corners are angled, as opposed to the Galaxy S21 Ultra's rounded corners. The bezels around the display of the Galaxy S22 Ultra are also slimmer. Even though it doesn't feel as well in the palm, the front of the Galaxy S22 Ultra looks a little better in my opinion.
Beautiful, vibrant OLED panels on both — but one is more battery efficient
The display of the Galaxy S21 Ultra was the greatest in the industry when it was released last year, and it still appears nearly as good as any 2022 flagship panel thus far. If we nitpick, the display of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is somewhat better. The latter's screen is brighter, with a maximum brightness of 1,750 nits compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra's 1,500 nits (albeit this difference isn't as noticeable realistically due to a variety of factors, including our inability to detect brightness linearly).
While both phones feature variable refresh rates that can reach 120Hz, the Galaxy S21 Ultra screen can go as low as 1Hz, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra screen only reaches to 10Hz. This final point is critical since it enhances power consumption efficiency.
Despite the fact that both phones have the same 5,000 mAh battery capacity, I find that the Galaxy S22 Ultra has considerably greater battery life. This is most likely owing to the newer device's OLED display, which can reach a lower refresh rate, and the newer, more power-efficient SoC. On weekends, I am a major user, spending 10-12 hours capturing dozens of images and films and continually streaming music during bus journeys and social media. And the Galaxy S22 Ultra can go out for a full 12 hours and still return home with about 30-35 percent battery life. In the identical circumstance, the Galaxy S21 Ultra would be perilously near to the 10% mark.
I must remind you that I am now evaluating the Snapdragon variations. According to my colleague Adam, the battery life on the Exynos version of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is subpar, among other discrepancies.
SoC and Performance
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a newer CPU, either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or an Exynos 2200, as opposed to the Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. I've only tested the Snapdragon versions of this device (lucky me, because the Exynos Galaxy S22 Ultra is far inferior in my colleague Adam Conway's testing), and to be honest, the newer SoC is barely noticeable in normal day-to-day use, with perhaps the only noticeable difference being camera performance (more on this later). The Snapdragon 888 is still more than capable of meeting the needs of 99 percent of users. Of course, benchmark results favour the newer chip – no surprise there.
S Pen
The S Pen is the most noticeable difference between the two devices: the Galaxy S22 Ultra includes one for free with the phone. The Galaxy S21 Ultra can accommodate one, however it costs extra and requires the usage of a specific cover. Because of the additional difficulty and price of purchasing a second S Pen and cover, most Galaxy S21 Ultra owners just use the phone without the S Pen.
The S Pen experience on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is Samsung's best-ever phone stylus experience: latency has been reduced to 2.8ms (the Galaxy S21 Ultra, if you pay for that extra S Pen, produces 9ms of latency), and all of the features Galaxy Note users have come to expect, such as off-screen memos and using the S Pen as a Bluetooth remote, are now available. Whether or not these traits are valuable depends on the individual. In the past, whenever I reviewed a Galaxy Note phone, I'd play with the S Pen for a few days before forgetting it was there. That is not changed by the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Even if I only use the S Pen once in a blue moon, the fact that it's provided for free and has no effect on battery capacity is fantastic. It's essentially a free gift, and it instantly boosts the Galaxy S22 Ultra's value proposition.
Almost the exact same camera hardware — but newer ISP and superior software smarts make a difference
Samsung promised significant improvements to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which were big promises given that it retains nearly the same camera technology as the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but with allegedly better glass lenses. Otherwise, the Galaxy S22 Ultra's main camera system remains the same, with the same quad-camera system spanning the wide, ultra-wide, 3x, and 10x focal ranges, as well as the same image sensor sizes and aperture.
This means that the camera upgrades are solely the result of the upgraded ISP in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Samsung's own software tweaks. And, after comparing hundreds of images taken with both phones side by side, I can conclude that the Galaxy S22 Ultra cameras do provide considerable enhancements, but you have to know where to look. If you're merely taking a shot in good lighting (you're not shooting against a bright backlight, it's not extremely dark or contrasty), then the images taken by the two phones are equal.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra's main camera also performs better in low light thanks to a new software trick developed by Samsung called "Adaptive Pixel," which effectively allows the Galaxy S22 Ultra to mix data from a 108MP photo with a pixel-binned 12MP shot (whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra can only shoot in either 108MP or 12MP shots). This enables the Galaxy S21 Ultra to attain a higher micron-pixel size through software manipulation. See for yourself in the examples below; it's slight, but the Galaxy S22 Ultra shot has less noise and more accurate colours.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Software
The Galaxy S22 Ultra's main camera also performs better in low light thanks to a new software trick developed by Samsung called "Adaptive Pixel," which effectively allows the Galaxy S22 Ultra to mix data from a 108MP photo with a pixel-binned 12MP shot (whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra can only shoot in either 108MP or 12MP shots). This enables the Galaxy S21 Ultra to attain a higher micron-pixel size through software manipulation. See for yourself in the examples below; it's slight, but the Galaxy S22 Ultra shot has less noise and more accurate colours.
All of the new Android 12 features have been carried over to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, including a customizable colour palette that attempts to match the phone's UI to wallpaper colours and a light indicator that appears in the upper right corner of screens whenever the phone's cameras or microphones are accessed.
Having a newer version of Android is obviously preferable, thus the software on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is now superior, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra is receiving the same upgrade across countries, so these two phones should have the same UI. With the release of the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung has enhanced its update promise: you now get four generations of Android upgrades and five years of security updates on both smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Which one to buy?
If we check off the standard smartphone review boxes, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is definitely the superior gadget - a more powerful SoC, a 1TB storage capacity, a longer battery life, a little brighter screen, better low light and zoom camera capabilities. There are, however, additional aspects to consider, such as affordability and hand comfort. As I previously stated, I am not a fan of how the Galaxy S22 Ultra (or the previous Galaxy Note phones) feel in my palm owing to the pointed corners. Not everyone will feel this way, and getting a Galaxy S22 Ultra case may help to alleviate the problem. However, I consistently prefer handling the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Of course, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is less expensive. The Galaxy S22 Ultra now sells for $1,200 with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. While there are promotions that might reduce the ultimate price, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will undoubtedly be the more expensive of the two devices. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is presently available on Amazon for the same price, but it comes with 12GB of RAM. Prices should fall more in the following weeks when the Galaxy S22 Ultra becomes available in additional regions. I believe there will be a $300 pricing difference between the two in another month.
If you don't require the S Pen, it's better to save money and go for the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Yes, I did state the Galaxy S22 Ultra had a superior battery life and camera system, but these advancements did not move from a C to an A, but rather from an A+ to an A++. The battery life of the Galaxy S21 Ultra is still able to last a full day of heavy usage, the screen is still going to be simply lovely to your eyes, and the images are still going to be pretty fantastic. As a result, if you currently own the Galaxy S21 Ultra, there is no need to upgrade to the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
There is a regional caveat here: if you live in a region like India, where the Snapdragon version of the flagship is now available, resulting in a noticeable difference in gaming performance between the two generations — then it may make more sense to upgrade from the Galaxy S21 Ultra to the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
As a stand-alone comparison, rather than a year-on-year upgrade: if you know you want the latest and greatest, and money isn't a problem, or if you truly want the S Pen, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is an obvious choice.
