Galaxy S22 Ultra long-term review: 5 months later

This is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra long-term review: 5 months later. The S22 Ultra has had some to relax from the hype earlier this year and Samsung has found a new lane for its S line of phones. Here are Zach's thoughts on the S22 Ultra nearly half a year later!

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[torababdullah]

this is almost a crime the way almost all reviewers just glance over the s-pen. It's not Samsung's fault that the reviewers are not creative individuals. The S-pen is by far the single most powerful tool that any phone ever offered. i cannot stress the fact enough how many times I have made commissioned artworks in my note phone and they never could tell it wasn't made in Photoshop and PC. it is the best tool for anyone who doesn't have or cannot afford a Wacom tablet.

[deha]

I switched from the s21 ultra and I tought I would regret it, since everyone says, "it's almost the same" and it is, but it has something, don't know what, that feels better, more premium, better screen, more fluid, better battery life, the 100x zoom is better; I use it like binoculars some times. And even if don't use the spen often, there's some times you are grateful is there, even if you haven't used it in a month.

[planelvr]

I upgraded from a Galaxy S10 plus & have been very impressed with all the features of the S22 ultra. I've enjoyed watching tips & tricks for it on YouTube. I've experienced some of the annoyances that most of us have, but the updates have helped alleviate most of them. Looking forward to using this phone for at least a couple years.

[FlubFlubber]

The S22 Ultra is a beast. I've seen an extreme amount of movies on youtube and the like in the last week and every time I came to the same conclusion; The S22 Ultra is still the best smartphone out there right now. I'm not saying in all compartments, not that, but overall it's definitely the best. The others that are also good and have their positive points are the iPhone 13 pro max and the new Xiaomi 12s Ultra, although I must say that I expected more from the 12s Ultra. The Find x 5 Pro is also a good smartphone, but I notice in many videos that the device still suffers from stuttering during video filming and that is something you really don't want to have. Many people complain about the curved screen, I don't, I like it very much, it makes the smartphone more beautiful + there is still a cover around so it doesn't bother me. The screen of the S22 Ultra is also to die for, you pay the same or more for an iPhone, but the screen of the iPhone leaves something to be desired. I can already see the difference between the two. The S22 Ultra is also a beast in terms of brightness, I can read everything perfectly in full sun and with sunglasses on, I've never had this with a smartphone until now. Also some people say that the device is slow? That's a bit true, but you have to do 3 things; Turn on remove animation in the settings, then set the performance to the highest with battery and then activate the developer settings and you turn off the animation 3 times and then the S22 Ultra will fly. ;).

[BoyKhongklai]

Reccently got the S22 Ultra. Still using my S20 Plus from time to time, but damn, the S22 Ultra will serve me for years to come. I'm in love with it!

[MichaelLudden]

Watching this from my Galaxy S22 Ultra, also in Texas. Great video! This has been my long term experience to a T - I got it at launch as well.

[wpymes]

I agree. My best phone ever was the Note 10. A 6.1 inch powerhouse, light, confortable to use and carry. Since then Samsung gives us the option specs v. size. Hopefully we will get back 6.1 inches Ultras with s-pen and longer battery life. The perfect phone! great video!

[dkursada]

The creative and professional potential this device has in it is astounding. Jot down a note, make a sketch, create a gif, do it all while recording your voice... It's all there. One UI is the definite best Android skin in terms of creative and multitasking capabilities imo and I'd argue that some of this creative multitasking potential is wasted on this phone's screen. While being an absolute unit in smartphone screen terms, it's small for fitting a lot of split screen and pop-up view action in. But that's where Samsung DeX and S Pen come in, so there's a lot of input richness to this device. Grabbing this phone to use it as a second brain is such an attractive idea, but yeah, 1200 bucks is hard to swallow tbh. I'd advise people to grab a midranger phone and a Samsung tablet w/ S Pen for less (in the USA, deals of flagship Samsung devices are crazy good but us 3rd world dwellers get none of that). So, getting a do-it-all device such as S22U or Tab S8 Ultra or the best of those both worlds, the Z Fold 4... That's always going to be a luxury.

[bakonfreek]

Been a Note fan since the Note 3. Honestly, my only real complaint about this phone is the bluetooth volume being incredibly quiet (even with that "absolute volume" trick everyone mentions).

Now, I can just bring my Zoom H6 with me to further amplify my car's bluetooth adapter, but it's kind of disappointing that audio on external devices has been kind of garbage on these phones (without dragging a mess of adapters along for the ride) since the Note 10.

[troytheaverage]

I love mine. I've had it for a couple of months now. My only issue is the battery. The S21 Ultra had amazing battery life compared to this. I've tried to set it up the same and my usage hasn't changed but no luck. Thankfully I always have a charger whether at work or in the car so it isn't too big of a deal but I would like it if it were a bit better.

[Dragon-go]

The S22 Ultra is the best Android phone released this year.The new folding phones may look cool, but if you keep a phone for 2/3 years would they survive general wear and tear? At the end of the day the Ultra has much better cameras and the brilliant S Pen buiilt in.Plus no crease in the middle of a great screen.

[antoniovelez]

Honestly. I want to love my S22 Ultra but there's a few things I hate. 1) the battery. I don't understand how everyone states that the battery is "amazing". I get maybe 4-5 hours sot with barely any usage. I used the phone a total of 1 hour today and in the 10 hours I've had it odd the charger it's already down to 36%.

2) the curved screen isn't bad but it definitely annoys me when using the s pen because it keeps effecting the s pen.

3) My camera is eh. Results depend on the type of photo. They look mediocre compared to other android phones available. All in all, if you're considering upgrading look elsewhere. I am gonna probably upgrade from this to the s23 ultra when it comes out if it doesn't have battery issues. If I could I would go back and grab the S21 Ultra instead.

Maybe I'll get the S23Ultra when it comes out. If not it's off to google or maybe the fold for me. Just irks me that a $1300 flagship with a 5, 000 mah battery barely gets me through mediocre usage. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[JacobDuane]

Love the device from what I've played around with, but absolutely hate the power and volume rocker button location! Also this phone has the most mixed reviews of the battery life I've seen in a long time. Looking forward to what the next Galaxy holds. Android 4 Life 👍

[sillyme]

This phone is excellent. Just went on a trip through Canadian Rockies and made some awesome photo's. A extra camera was availeble but not realy needed. Phone was heavely used for all sorts of things. It performed very well. Strangly this is the first time i consider down grading, this phone is pretty heavy. Paying a steap price and not getting Quickcharging wallcharger, no expendipel storage, no minijack for headphone, no dac inside the phone, is a downer for me.
When using an external dac my headphone gets a monosignal and sound on 1 side. Tried several dacs.
I still have a few years to decide on the next phone ... my horizon is much wider now.

[rhamsus]

The best part of any modern note style phone is the screen space and s pen. The phone makes a perfect digital note pad for the everyday users and is fantastic for digital whiteboards. You don't have to be an artist to get mileage out of the pen.

[MrGun]

Preordered 256/12 S22U from Samsung, was pleased to get Snapdragon here in Aus. Going from Note10+, the only "real" upgrade is the chip and camera...but what an upgrade though. I can imagine the people going from any other current phone to this or the upcoming S23U (200xZoom)... 100 x or 200x is remarkable. The S-pen has always been a joy to use, even the primitive ones back on my Note 3.

[fahrenvibes]

I have started my journey with Samsung from S2, Note 2, S6, S7, S10 and now S22u. No Regrets.

[manuelramos]

I'm trading in my Flip 3 for the S22 Ultra. I absolutely love the flip but it's sucky battery life, okay cameras, and overall screen durability concerns made me make the switch.

[AbdurRahman-uycv]

I bought an S7 Edge back in 2016 and that's running pretty well!

[gary]

I thought the s-pen was a gimmick now I find I use it to take notes almost every day. It is so much quicker to use to write down a phone number. I look up a product at my local hardware store write down the aisle number and bin when I get there I open the notes and walk straight to the product. I have found the pen to be really useful. One of the best features of the phone. The other thing I find handy is using the camera macro function I had a sim card I couldn't fit into a device. By using the macro function I zoomed in and could see the problem fixed it in a couple of seconds one of the tiny arms that hold the card was bent.