Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra long-term review

25 November 2022


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  • Agilo
  • mbD
  • 27 Nov 2022

It is definitely the worst phone I've ever owned. I live in Europe, so that should also be telling (i.e., Exynos).

Camera is not focused well (Snapdragon doesn't have this issue), performance is terrible even with "Processing Speed" turned to "Maximum", constant overheating issues when trying to do anything resource intensive for 10+ minutes (like gaming), battery doesn't stay charged long even with daily use outside of gaming (but at least Super Fast Charge charges the phone fast — not ideal for charge cycles with regard to longevity of battery cells though).

I have many more griped with this phone aside from these major ones. Can't wait until my plan finishes so I'll be able to get something better (definitely Snapdragon). I knew what I was signing on for with Exynos before purchasing but figured it shouldn't be too bad. Oh, how wrong I was..

    I would love to own this beast of a phone one day. It's too expensive in Uganda, can't afford it. Great review 👏 👌 👍

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      • Slim
      • Mrp
      • 27 Nov 2022

      Realy wondering if the author had the s22 ultra in his hands. I own it since it hit the marker and never felt like its unresponsive and mine is runing pn Exinos CPU. Im realy satisfied with how the phone works since day one and after going through many top tier phones I must say that Samsung did a realy great job. The oy downside is the battery life but its also not that bad, can easily go for 2 days of normal usage.

        TheAlienNextDoor, 27 Nov 2022I've got the S22 Ultra 12/256 Snapdragon. All I can... moreAnd please, don't place Xioami in the same group as Huawei ... if you KNOW something about mobile phones:

        The interface of Huawei's Emui 13 and Harmony OS 3 is absolutely cleaner and without any single bug or lag than the disaster that Xiaomi's Miui usually is. Absolutely nothing to do with it.

        Because if you think they are the same, or you don't understand anything about mobile phones, or what I suspect: Never in your life have you had a Huawei Mate series in your hands.

          TheAlienNextDoor, 27 Nov 2022I've got the S22 Ultra 12/256 Snapdragon. All I can... moreYou have not done a review of the Huawei Mate series, and for example the latest Mate 50 Pro. The quality of the construction and the impressive hardware that it comes with makes your opinion incomplete because you have NOT tried it. And if it isn't for the US ban, your Samsung knows very well that it would be on a lower scale than any Huawei flagship ...

          ... as was already happening in 2019, what happens is that someone around here have very little memory and only see what interests them.

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            • Anonymous
            • fuj
            • 27 Nov 2022

            Anonymous, 27 Nov 2022No phones are special. They are just phones. People don... moredebateable

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              • AM Bunny
              • 7%L
              • 27 Nov 2022

              Long live The Note!

                • u
                • unlikely
                • Q6y
                • 27 Nov 2022

                what set of skills does this phone have? that doesnt clarify anything about this device... not to mention that it doesnt have the actual chipset of the snapdragon 8 gen 2

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                  • Anonymous
                  • 70d
                  • 27 Nov 2022

                  RomanZ4, 27 Nov 2022Except for the Zoom capabilities, the S22U has nothing spec... moreNo phones are special. They are just phones. People don't buy phones because they are special. They buy phones that have features they want.

                    I've got the S22 Ultra 12/256 Snapdragon.

                    All I can say is this is by far the best phone, bar none.

                    I had my share of Xiaomi, Huawei, Sony and even iPhones.

                    Both Xiaomi and Huawei were cheaper for similar hardware, at least they used to be, but the enormous amount of bugs, coupled with adds, has left a very sour taste in my mouth. My Xiaomi for example would randomly restart, and even had its screen light up for no reason.
                    And don't get me started on the software.

                    My Sony had a self cracking screen (the infamous Z1 and Z3), and just abysmal camera compared to the competition. I also didn't like the lackluster software experience.

                    My iPhone 13 pro was all around great. No issues whatsoever, but I didn't like the lack of features and even at times stuff old Nokia phones had (like adding a numbers row on the keyboard, or basic file transfer via cable). I loved the video recording though.

                    But nothing comes close to my Samsung experience.
                    I had the S1, S2, S3, S5, Note 4, S6, S7, S8 plus, S9, S9 plus, s10e, S21 plus and now the S22 Ultra.

                    I never had a single issue with these phones. Not a single one.
                    Considering the fact I only use wifi I also have no problems with battery.
                    I used to use Nova launcher, but now use GoodLock. The amount of features I have and get, the overall amount of quality, the 4 year software support, is just beyond the competition.

                    Is everything perfect? Of course not.
                    I still yearn for the headphone jack. Don't care that much about the sd card, but wouldn't mind having it back. Would love to also get back the ir blaster and heartrate sensor. Would rather have metal backs, so that I don't need a case. The original silicone case is trash. I got my Android 13 update a couple of weeks after the Exynoss version. I wish there were only SD.

                    But honestly, despite all this, no other phone comes even close to Galaxy phones (besides Apple). You either buy Samsung or Apple. If you don't have the money, buy a cheap Samsung. Don't buy a bug infested mess.

                      Everyone knows that Samsung had been losing market share to Huawei since 2019 and that the Mate 50 Pro would be the best phone on the planet... until the US ban did the opposite.

                        Except for the Zoom capabilities, the S22U has nothing special going on.
                        In fact, the battery life sucks hard, the camera is ok to great sometimes but can't match higher end of Xiaomi,Huawei and Vivo(Vivo night HDR is unmatchable).
                        Exynos is a piss poor attempt as always, Poor memory management but good software support for 4 years( at least on paper).

                        So no, The S22U is nothing special and an easy pass for me, probably same will apply to S23 series.

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                          • Thejoker
                          • phC
                          • 27 Nov 2022

                          Is 4 hours of SoT when browsing and scrolling considered as "great battery life"? It sounds rather poor to me.

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                            • Oui il I imagine 888
                            • 0S%
                            • 27 Nov 2022

                            I'd love

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                              • Anonymous
                              • xGe
                              • 27 Nov 2022

                              AnonD-864404, 26 Nov 2022Why don't u setup a phone business of yours and show S... moreIf u can't take the heat,stay out of the kitchen

                                Looking at reviewer's camera samples. Has anyone noticed serious softness in lower left corner of almost each photo, such as photos 3,6,7,8?
                                I've had the same issues with my unit. My God that's some low-end Xiaomi level of processing.
                                I believe that's partly thanks to wider focal length compared to s21u (s21u had no such corner softness issues, at least not with main cam) and half-assed software work in dealing with such coverage.

                                  Well, if you could see how 11u's camera's are capable with gcam and Matteo mod, you could not even watch again pics from S22U.. Totally different experience with quality - Samsung are put in a drawer comparing camera's aside.

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                                    • Sie
                                    • pKs
                                    • 26 Nov 2022

                                    "I expect a Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S22 Ultra to have an even better battery life"

                                    You would be wrong. S22U Exynos has had better battery life than Snapdragon for a long time now.

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                                      • Leha
                                      • 35R
                                      • 26 Nov 2022

                                      I love my S22U! Now, when you can buy 12/256 version for less than 1000$, it's the best choice. Its 10x camera has simply no competitors.

                                        PhoneFreak45, 25 Nov 2022If you want to talk objectively, I can give you that. O... moreThe motorola that only gets update for one year, maybe 2? And no after sales support? The sony that throttles and close the camera because of the heating? Xiaomis and their endless bugs?🤡🤡🤡 go and cry on a corner. Now Let's spit some facts, this has the most versatile camera system, consistent user experience and long term software support, excellent battery life, The screen is gorgeous, the S pen is a plus, as well as the DeX... Samsung is the best android manufacturer and the sales prove it 🤷🏻‍♂️. Your opinion is that, yours and only yours it doesn't mean it is true.

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