Samsung might want you to get excited about its foldables, but not everyone is ready for the future of smartphones just yet. Most consumers still want something dependable, perfecting the modern concept of mobile devices rather than trying to shake it up. For those people, Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra might just be the best Android phone around right now. With so much to love here, it's hard to distill into just five topics — and yet, we did it anyway. These are some of our favorite things about the S22 Ultra.
That gorgeous display
It's almost routine at this point: Samsung announces a new phone, it falls into the hands of reviewers, and everyone proclaims its screen to be the best yet. Yet somehow, the company really does manage to top itself each year, providing its devices with the best OLED displays around, and the S22 Ultra is no exception. It's a gorgeous 6.8-inch panel with a 1440 x 3088 resolution and a now-standard 120Hz refresh rate. It's even capable of hitting 1,750nits of brightness outside — perfect for checking Instagram while poolside this summer. Some misleading marketing about its ability to drop down to 10Hz aside, it's truly an outstanding screen. You'll just have to give up your one-handed ease of use dreams to enjoy it.
The return of the S Pen
Samsung released the Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra back in 2020, and it didn't take long for rumors of the series demise to start appearing. Last year came and went without a Note device, and while the S21 Ultra and Z Fold3 did gain optional stylus support, it just wasn't the same. No one wants to use a specialized case to carry around an S Pen — we want to have it embedded in the phone, pairing with whatever accessories suit our personalities the best.
It's evident to anyone who compares the two phones: this is the true successor to the Note20 Ultra, right down to the curved rails and refined design. Plenty of die-hard Note fans spent 2021 fretting over the loss of their phone of choice, but it wasn't necessary. The S Pen is alive and well, and with any luck, it'll continue to come to more Samsung phones.
Smart Widgets
Samsung has been quick to roll out Android 12 and One UI 4 to its existing phones, but the S22 series ships with both out of the box. In addition, the company has finally introduced One UI 4.1, with a handful of upgrades and currently-exclusive features. Smart Widgets are by far the best addition, taking an idea from — you guessed it — Apple and making it even better.
Smart Widgets are stackable, swipeable cards, letting you keep multiple widgets on your home screen without wasting space. AP's reviews editor Ryan Whitwam used it to keep multiple playback tools on his phone all in one spot, and it's easy to imagine similar use cases. Maybe you have a few trusted weather apps with different views for forecasts, and you want them kept together. Perhaps you want to pair your work email and calendar widgets into one single space, easily ignorable on the weekend. The possibilities seem endless.
The periscope camera
Samsung's camera performance has always felt like a runner-up compared to what Google can do with its Pixel, but this year, the company's come closer than ever to matching. While the Pixel still wins in a pure point-and-shoot contest, the S22 Ultra provides users with an array of sensors to pick from, along with matching pro modes perfect for adjusting your settings just the way you want them.
By far, the most exciting lens on the back of this phone is the periscope camera. It's using an IMX754 sensor, just as the 3x zoom lens does, and the results are far better than last year. Night-time performance has improved in particular, though Samsung still prefers cropping on the primary lens more often than not. As long as you're patient with the hardware — and you have a steady hand to deal with the slower shutter speed — you can get some crazy-good shots out of the periscope lens on the S22 Ultra. Samsung's 30x-100x digital "Space Zoom" is pretty good, too, even if it's as fuzzy as you'd expect.
Extended software support
The days of a two-year upgrade cycle are mostly gone, with customers and carriers alike expecting longevity from their devices. With prices continuing to rise, most shoppers expect to get three, four, even five years out of their purchase. A few years ago, extended software support was one of the most significant weak points in the Android ecosystem, with few devices ever getting more than a couple of upgrades. Even the Pixel 3, Google's 2018 flagship phone, reached its end of life after just three years.
Thankfully, Android phones are finally starting to see Apple-esque software support, and it's Samsung — not Google — leading the pack. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is set to receive four major software upgrades, along with five years of security updates. That's basically unheard of in our neck of the woods, even beating Google's latest policy for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The S22 series is expensive — especially if you're considering the Ultra — but you can't say you won't be getting your money's worth.
There really is a lot to love about the Galaxy S22 Ultra, even with its high price tag. While it might not be as eye-catching or flashy as any of the Z-series phones, it truly seems like Samsung has perfected the "standard" smartphone. Only one question remains: where will it go from here?
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