Dynamic AMOLED, Stylus display- review

Little tweaks here, and a few tweaks there on the display of Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G which also has a dynamic AMOLED infinity display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, not just Victus. It has a QHD 1440 x 3080 pixels resolution which is higher than most smartphone displays. But it is definitely lower than Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G‘s 1440 x 3200 pixels res. Even the PPI has been reduced to 500 PPI from 515. Anyway, together with that supports us super fast 120 Hertz refresh rate. This refresh rate is adaptive to your content and can go as low as 10 Hertz to save energy.

Samsung has gone ahead to improve its ultrasonic under-display fingerprint readers for the S22 series. Now unlocking feels more responsive with the fingerprint (under the display, ultrasonic). You have a larger target area to hit with your finger. The icing on the cake is the awesome maximum brightness. Samsung says up to 1750 nits. And there is also support for a Stylus, 9ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) with Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G. Comes included.

Performance

The entire Samsung Galaxy s22 family is powered by a new chipset in the Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm). Other regions (outside the US) have the Exynos 2200 (4 nm). And Samsung is making big, bold claims when it comes to the chipsets here. You’ve got all kinds of crazy graphical features packed in here. If you are a gamer, the Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G should certainly satisfy you. And of course, this phone also gives you a good bit of 5G support as well. You’ve got Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e support on there as well. It is under the battery and device care section of the settings of Samsung Galaxy s22 Plus 5G that you’ll find the storage. The phone offers either 128GB 8GB RAM, or 256GB 8GB RAM.

Platform

What you have running the Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra 5G is Android 12, One UI 4.1 launcher. One UI just brings the best of Android 12 here. For instance, the privacy features are present and correct. You can fast toggle the camera and microphone access for all apps. And when you load up an app that uses the camera or the mic, you’ll get a little indicator at the top corner. You’ve got great customization in one UI. For example, you change the wallpaper and everything as usual, but you’ll also see the new color palette option as well. This can actually change up the theme and colors based on the wallpaper you’ve got installed at the time.

Cameras

It’s probably the cameras that make the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G outshine its siblings. Yes, that is the Galaxy S22 5G and the S22 Plus 5G. It constitutes a 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom main camera. Alongside it, 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom, 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom and a 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video lens. 

You’ll see a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera which is a 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.7µm, PDAF. This punch-hole cutout is similar to what we see on Huawei’s most recent addition in the Huawei P50 Pro. Camera-wise the two phones can go head to head. But generally, the S22 Ultra 5G is the better option. Video recording is up to 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps with the selfie camera of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G. As for video recording with the main camera, 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS.

Battery

The complaint on battery life is quickly silenced at the mention of Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable battery. The same supports fast charging 45W, unlike S21’s 25W, fast Qi/PMA wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging 4.5W. There is wireless charging if you need another way to charge your phone. The much Samsung has improved here is the charging speed. But hey, a 5000 mAh battery is more than generous, to be honest. One thing that is not included in the box is a charging adapter just like with a new iPhone. If you don’t have an adapter at home, you’ll have to buy one. But there is support for up to 45-watt charging as well as fast wireless charging, 15W, and reverse wireless charging, 4.5W. The battery life itself of this smartphone is great despite it being a power-hungry smartphone.

Security

As far as security goes, you’ve got an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor here on the Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra 5G. It is absolutely fine, perfectly responsive, and works alright. And it is backed up with face recognition as well. But hey, it doesn’t work if you are wearing a face mask. Again, Samsung’s Knox security features take all your sensitive information and isolate it so it can’t be directly attacked. These include your passwords, your biometric data, etc. This is to affirm that if security is a big issue for you, then Samsung is definitely among the best options along with the likes of the Google Pixel smartphones.

Alternative Devices to the Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G

• Apple iPhone 14 Pro
• Xiaomi Mix Fold 2
• Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
• Oppo Find X5 5G

 

Get the latest Samsung Smartphones in Kenya