Check Out What We Think About the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Find out more about what we think regarding the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

If you’re raring to get a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, here are reasons why we’d highly recommend you one.

Specifications

Design

The design of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra reminds us of previous Samsung Note models. It's undeniably boxy and large, which gives it a simple and utilitarian look. The matte finish and Gorilla Glass Victus+ panels make it a sturdy phone that can withstand both drops and scratches.

The almost satin finish gives it a premium look. However, we personally would have liked the design to be a bit less angular so that it would fit better in the hand when on the go. We expect that especially people with small hands will have trouble holding the phone, unless they invest in a case that offers a better grip. For such a large phone, it's not exactly comfortable to hold, especially because it's so slippery. The S22 Ultra is water and dust resistant and has an IP68 rating.

One aspect of the design that we really like is the integration of the S Pen into the design of the S22 Ultra. This ultra-light input pen is hidden in the body of the phone and is great for everyday use, whether it's for taking notes or doodling. All you have to do is press the slight bump on the bottom of the phone to get the S Pen out, and you're ready to go.

The S22 Ultra is available in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Burgundy, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue and Red.

Display / Screen

The 6.8-inch AMOLED 2X display makes everything, from Netflix shows to games, a stunning experience to watch. With a peak brightness of 1750 nits, it's hard to beat. Samsung's new Vision Boosting Ultra technology also helps display colours and shadows at their best. We've found that the S22 Ultra's large screen also works great as a navigation screen while driving - perfect if you're a Waze junkie.

The S22 Ultra can turn down the refresh rate to 1 Hz when the phone is stationary, saving battery life. When not touching the phone's screen, the phone stays at 24 Hz, but as soon as it's active, it instantly ramps up to 120 Hz, making the experience seamless.

Below the screen is an ultrasonic thumbprint reader that makes unlocking the phone simple and intuitive. There is also a face option ID, but Samsung prefers the thumbprint reader for security reasons.

Performance

The S22 Ultra uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset as its processor and is available with 8 GB and 12 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage for the 8 GB model and 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB for the 12 GB model.

The phone's call performance is up to par – we were able to hear calls clearly without any hiccups. The speakers are loud and the microphones work without a hitch.

The OneUI operating system is functional and all-around great, allowing users to split the S22 Ultra's large screen into three panes for multitasking. You can even save your favourite multi-window combinations for easy use.

The S22 Ultra's battery has a capacity of 5,000 mAh and lasts around 15 hours. However, the phone only lasted about 6 hours during intense streaming, which we thought was a bit of a bummer. Fortunately, there’s a wireless fast charging feature. The phone also has a heat protection feature that prevents it from overheating.

Note, however, that there’s no charger included with the S22 Ultra, only a USB-C cable to connect to one. The phone also doesn't have a headphone jack or earbuds, so you’d have to get your own wireless headphones by the side.

The high-quality stereo speakers provide a clear sound that you'll surely appreciate. There are two speakers, one top front whereas the other one is bottom side firing, producing surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology. We found the audio to have good tonal balance and satisfactory sound.

S Pen

Let's now talk about the S Pen and whether it's worth spending more money on the S22 Ultra just to own one. With the S Pen, you can easily scribble notes on your lock screen on the go, or bring up a slide-in menu with other customizable options.

So what can this powerful pen do? You can try out the Doodle feature AR to add drawings to your surroundings, make smart selections on your screen, draw on a screenshot, and even join PenUp, a community space where you can connect with other S Pen users who want to share their creative creations. You can even use your S Pen as a kind of remote to control presentation slides, operate your camera, or play music and media.

Personally, we think the S Pen is a great everyday addition. However, its handiness could easily be forgotten if not explored properly.

Camera specs / review

The S22 Ultra has a four-camera module on the back with a 108- MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, two telephoto lenses and an Ultrawide camera. You can also use up to 10x optical zoom and up to 100x space zoom.

The main camera is powerful and delivers a lot of micro-contrast in textures and hues. The colours in the photos we took turned out beautifully. Even the front camera works great; the combination of lenses, stabilisation technology, and image sensors is really excellent and makes even taking night shots a pleasure. With this camera array, there’s really no excuse for anymore grainy night pics!

Expert RAW is a powerful (and free!) app. It gives you full control over all four lenses and manual control over the raw data of your photos. This way you get all the output in JPEG and DNG that you can edit later. We edited our photos using Adobe Lightroom, which gave us the flexibility to tweak our photos as we saw fit, whether it was adjusting white balance or shadow information. We were impressed by the combination of the S22 Ultra's powerful camera and the ability to edit these photos at such a high level.

When it come to video, you’ll be pleased to know that you can also shoot high-quality 4K video at 60 frames per second and up to 8K at 24 frames per second with the phone. This makes it a great choice if you plan on producing video content yourself.

Price and availability

So how much will the Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra cost you? It's currently priced at £1,149 on Samsung's official website, but it's available on Back Market starting at £528.95 (time of writing). That's about half the price you'd pay for the exact same device!

Back Market offers the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra for less than any other retailer because we sell refurbished products. Even though these products are used, they work just as well as new ones without sacrificing performance.

When you choose used products, you're also helping to produce less waste and prevent further environmental damage.

At Back Market, you have a hassle-free return policy of up to 30 days, so you don't have to worry if your device is defective. There is no risk to the buyer because all purchases come with a 1-year warranty, just like buying a new phone.

Overall verdict

You might be wondering if it's even worth buying the S22 Ultra when the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was only launched in February. Well, we think it's still worth the investment, especially if the price is right and if it's not as expensive as it was when it was first released. All in all, the S22 Ultra is still a powerful phone that can do a lot. If you love photography or if you’re an artist who likes to work with digital art, this phone is particularly perfect for you. The S Pen and camera are both excellent and give you a lot to play with. To sum it up, the S22 Ultra is overall a great option for anybody looking for a powerful phone to own.