Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Unboxing & First Impressions
March 9, 2022Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 5G, 8GB RAM
Main Display: 6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x (3088 x 1440)
S Pen: Yes
S Pen Weight: 3.04g
Weight: 228g
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Features: 8K / 4K UHD / 1080p / 720p HD video recording
Rear Camera: 12 MP Ultra wide, 108 Wide, 10 MP Telephoto 1, 10 MP Telephoto 2
Front Camera: 40 MP, 4K Video recording
Price:RM5,099.00
Samsung’s S22 series builds upon the success of last year’s phones by offering incremental improvements in various areas that needed them. It’s a sensible decision considering how good looking last year’s models were, especially when it came to the contrasting color schemes. That said, the Korean giant broke with tradition when it introduced the S22 Ultra.
Unlike the S21 Ultra, which bared more than a passing resemblance to the rest of the S21 series family, the S22 Ultra doesn’t look anything like its lesser siblings. Instead, it is essentially a Galaxy Note masquerading as an S22. Evidently, the introduction of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and improved S21 Series line, rendered the Note somewhat irrelevant.
But instead of retiring the device and depriving its extensive fan base of features they have come to love, Samsung decided to consolidate the Note and S21 Ultra into a single, useful phone. That’s why we have the S22 Ultra, an amalgamation of the best bits of the Note20 fused with the practicality of the S21 Ultra.
What Do You Get In The Box?
If you are interested in buying the new S22 Ultra, what would you get in the box? Well, like the rest of its line up, the phone comes in a slimmed down packaging. On the top is the S22 Ultra in all its glory. Our unit is finished in Burgundy but Samsung also offers the phone in Phantom Black, Phantom White and Green.
If you order the phone online, Samsung also gives you the option of choosing between three exclusive colors made available for online purchase only. They are Graphite, Red and Sky Blue. In total, the Galaxy S22 Ultra can be ordered in 7 different colors, making it one of the most customizable flagship phones on the market.
Keep in mind that only the top of the S Pen matches the phone’s body color. Regardless of which one you choose, the S Pen’s entire body will be black in color. That might be a bugbear to some folks who were hoping for some continuity, but it’s something we’ll have to make peace with. It slots into the left, bottom section of the chassis and can be ejected just like ones from the Note Series.
Underneath the phone is a cardboard case containing a sim ejection tool and USB-Type C cable. The tradition of excluding a power brick continues here but keep in mind that the S22 Ultra is capable of 45W fast charging. And to experience this, you’ll need to pick up a compatible power brick capable of supporting this high charging rate.
As usual, there are no wired earphones included in the box. Since the phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, you’re probably better off purchasing a pair of wireless earbuds than looking for USB Type-C wired earphones. We’ve reviewed a number of earbuds but the most suitable should be the following:
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
Samsung Galaxy Buds2
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live
Besides this, there are the warranty booklet and instruction manuals. Samsung uses an e-warranty method to keep track of device warranty activation and durations. Ensure that the dealer or phone seller has already submitted the necessary information to the company before you take the device home.
Now, back to the phone itself. The rear shell has been elegantly crafted to wrap around the entire phone but tapers off as it meets the edges of the curved display. The screen is a vibrant, 6.8-inch dynamic AMOLED unit that is capable of displaying some very punchy visuals. It has a variable refresh rate that ranges from 10Hz to 120Hz depending on what’s happening on the screen.
But that isn’t all, said display is able to make adjustments to individual sections on the screen to ensure that what you’re watching remains perfectly visible, and by an extension eliminating black or washed out sections. We will need to test this feature to confirm whether it meets our expectations. For added protection, said screen is coated with corning gorilla glass Victus+.
Samsung claims that the new and improved S Pen can deliver up to 70% lower latency than previous models. In theory, the S22 Ultra should provide close to seamless feedback when jotting down notes or marking certain areas on screen.
The phone’s rear cameras are integrated into the unibody, forming a minimalist yet neat layout that should prevent the phone from wobbling about when placed on a table. Said camera array consists of a 12MP ultra-wide, 108MP wide and two 10MP telephoto lenses with F2.4, FOV of 36-degrees and F4.9, FOV of 11 degrees respectively.
We will be testing this phone thoroughly to see how well it does against the Note20 as well as the S21 Ultra. The S22 Ultra is supposed to be the sum of all that was good with these two devices, which means it is tasked to win over the regular S Series buyers as well as diehard Note fans – pretty tall order by anyone’s standards.
Our comprehensive review should be out soon, so stay tuned and we will let you know more.
