It was the first flagship from a leading brand this year. And almost halfway through the year, it remains the flagship to beat, even though most brands have released their own flagships. We are talking about the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Yes, Samsung’s premium flagship may have a hefty price tag. However, in terms of sheer performance and potential, it still remains in a zone of its own, despite the launch of some very impressive (and cheaper) flagships from the likes of Xiaomi, OnePlus, iQoo, Realme, Vivo, and Motorola.
That’s because even months after its release, the Galaxy S22 Ultra still packs in features that the competition can’t match, even though other brands may come with a similar processor (the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Generation 1), RAM, and storage arrangements. Does it sound hard to believe in a world where technology travels so fast? Well, here are six features of the Galaxy S22 Ultra that make it the boss of the Android flagship even today:
The design
The design of the S22 Ultra is very different from any other Android flagship on the market, which makes it stand out. The main reason for this is the water drop pattern of the rear cameras. This makes the rear cameras look like glass drops on the back. It’s unobtrusive, subtle, and far removed from the clunky cameras on other flagships.
Dust and water resistance
Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the front and back, an armored aluminum frame in the middle, and an IP68 dust and water resistance rating – that’s what you get with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. And that makes it by some distance the strongest Android flagship out there.
The screen
Does anyone make screens like Samsung does? Judging by the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the competition still has some catching up. The S22 Ultra has a curved, 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 3088 x 1440 and a refresh rate of 120 Hz that adapts to the content. This is a Samsung display, of course, so colors are popping, and brightness can go up to 1750 nits. Yes, we’ve seen excellent shows of similar size and resolution from other brands, but nothing remotely close to a visual feast like this.
the cameras
Several phones with quad cameras, but none come close to the four cameras on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The main sensor is a huge 108-megapixel sensor, which comes with OIS. An excellent 12-megapixel sensor can handle ultra-wide tasks, giving users a 120-degree field of view. And then there are not one but two 10-megapixel telephoto sensors – one with a 3x optical zoom and the other with a stunning 10x optical zoom thanks to a periscope telephoto setup.
In addition, both telesensors also come with OIS. As a result, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra delivers a level of photography in terms of image quality and perspective that the competition simply cannot match. Whether zoomed in (no other flagship in India has that kind of optical zoom), ultra-wide angle, portrait, or normal shots, the Galaxy S22 Ultra delivers. The video quality is also great (actually, there are very few videos that went live on the Mobile Indian Youtube channel last month when they were shot on Galaxy S22 Ultra). Those telephoto sensors make this the closest we’ve seen a phone come to a point-and-shoot camera.
The certainty of Android updates
Regarding Android updates, Samsung has stolen a march on the competition. The brand assures users of regular software updates and delivers them. The Galaxy S22 Ultra not only comes standard with Android 12 (the latest version of Android) but also gets four generations of Android OS updates and five years of security updates. In addition, Samsung has improved its update record over the past year, making it one of the most reliable brands. Basically, the S22 Ultra will be rocking Android 16 in four years. We’re not sure if other flagships can match this, given their track record of updates.
The S Pen
Yes, we saved the best for last. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the only flagship phone on the market with its own built-in stylus. And it’s not just any stylus – it’s the iconic S-Pen that made the Galaxy Note series a huge hit. The result? You can do much more on that gorgeous screen, from writing to sketching to editing, without lag or linking issues. You don’t even have to worry about losing the stylus – it fits right into the S22 Ultra.
Top that off with excellent hardware — flagship-level processor, RAM, storage, UI, and so on — and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra remains the Android flagship to beat. It is not only a spec monster but also an amazingly innovative performer. Even now, there is nothing comparable on the market.