Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Note merged with S Series to become the default android 

Samsung has crowned themselves as 'The Android Flagship' with their newest release, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The brand took the features of their Note phones and added them to their Galaxy S series, making S22 Ultra the best of both worlds and the default android phone in today's market. 

The newest S22 Ultra incorporates all the features of the Note phone – like S Pen support, handwriting recognition, and compatibility with Samsung Note's S pen, making S22 Ultra an actual Note.

Although the S22 Ultra has been pretty subtle with upgrades, yet, it is still the best performing android flagship, with the highest possible specs, crispiest screen and the best camera. 

But before we talk about the things that make this Galaxy flagship the best, let us go through the unimpressive upgrades first.

First of all, this year, Samsung capped the RAM at 12 GB, whereas the max RAM on S21 Ultra was 16 GB. Even though it looks terrible on paper, in practical use, no phone these days needs 16 GB of RAM, especially an optimised phone like the S22 Ultra. 

Furthermore, last year's z-axis motor was swapped with an x-axis vibrator, presumably to save internal space. However, this x-axis vibration is not that effective on a desk since it vibrates along the table's surface.

Other than these minor changes or downgrades, everything else about this flagship is pretty solid.

Spec-wise, so far it has the highest possible specs for a mainstream flagship. Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, 12 GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, 1750 nit screen brightness, crisp audio, IP68 water and dust resistance, high refresh rate, fantastic camera array – everything you would expect in a good phone. 

The camera layout looks the same as last year's S21 Ultra, but significant changes were made on the software side to improve the image processing. 

The four rear cameras are the 108 wide-angle, 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP telephoto with 3x zoom, and another 10 MP telephoto with a 10x zoom. The front has a 40 MP camera for taking selfies and video calls. 

Samsung uses their AI Stereo Depth Mapping to make sure they produce the best portrait in any condition. They even claimed that this improved- AI-mapping would allow something as thin as a single strand of hair to be isolated from the background. 

Another area where their camera shines is their Nightography. However, some might find their nighttime photos brighter than they like. Even if you are not a fan of bright Nightography, you have to appreciate the details it retains in a dark environment.

The video quality is still excellent, comparable to the newest Apple devices. However, still no 30 fps on 8K recording, just 24 fps. It would not matter to an average consumer because 8K shooting on a phone still has not become mainstream. 

This phone has a durable solid Armour Aluminium frame on the sides and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the surface. S22 Ultra, like its accompanying S22 and S22+ models, is also IP68 water and dust-resistant.

This S Pen is perhaps the most exciting point of sale for Samsung. It is small, fits comfortably in any hand and works almost instantaneously with just a 2.8 milliseconds latency. 

The stylus would not cut into the battery experience as Samsung managed to fit a gigantic 5000 mAh battery inside, guaranteeing an average of 6.5 to 7 hours of screen on time. 

Even if you drain the battery quickly with heavy gaming and content consumption, it can be recharged with the add-on 45 Watt power adapter. 

Another aspect that Samsung has always been great at is its screens. The newest model has a 6.8-inch Edge Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display with 3088 x 1440 resolution in a panel that goes as bright as 1750 nits, making it comfortably visible under direct sunlight. 

It also has a 240 Hz touch refresh rate and 120 Hz max screen refresh rate. Even though a 120 Hz screen refresh rate is not unusual for a flagship in 2022, its capability of dropping the refresh rate to 1 Hz when there is no dynamic content on the screen is unique, allowing the battery to last longer than other phones with a high refresh rate.

Considering that last year's S21 Ultra was already an awesome phone, this year's minor refresh bode well with Android lovers who just want a stable android experience with Android 12. It is the iPhone of the Android world that is excellent in every aspect.  

Price and where to find

This well-built flagship is priced at $1199 globally. However, including the taxes and carrier fees it takes to bring it here, the retail price is around Tk1,40,000, and you can preorder it from Samsung showrooms nationwide throughout March. You can also purchase it directly from independent importers and Samsung showrooms by April this year. 

Samsung S22 Ultra Specification: 

RAM: 8 GB and 12 GB

Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB

OS: Android 12

Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200

Screen: Edge Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Resolution: 3088 x 1440 Infinity-O Display

Pixel Density: 500 ppi

Authentication: Ultrasonic Fingerprint and Face Recognition

Refresh Rate: 1 to 120 Hz

Maximum Brightness: 1750 Nits

Front and Back Glass: Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus®+

Dust and Water Resistance: IP68

Camera: 40 MP front camera, 12 MP ultra wide, 108 MP wide angle

Telephoto Cameras: 3x 10 MP and 10x 10 MP

Battery: 5000mAh

Max Charging Speed: 45W Super-Fast Charging

Video Resolution: 720p, 1080p, 4K and 8K

Weight: 228 grams

Dimensions: 77.9mm x 163.3mm x 8.9mm