Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Quick Review Philippines: Note Replacement

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Quick Review Philippines: Note Replacement

Initial Review Verdict: The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in the Philippines is a Note in everything but name, giving stylus lovers and big-screen enthusiasts another shot at a noteworthy device.

Pros

  • It’s a Galaxy Note in all but name
  • Big screen
  • Better-looking design VS the vanilla S22
  • Snapdragon processor

Cons

  • Almost the same price as Samsung’s foldables
  • Very expensive for a non-foldable phone

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Philippines Specs

  • Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor
  • 8GBGB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM
  • 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 3.1 storage
  • 6.8-inch Quad HD+ curved Dynamic AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate, 240hz touch response rate
  • 108-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with Dual Pixel AF and OIS, 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 10-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, 10-megapixel periscope camera with 10x optical zoom
  • 40-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera
  • 4G, LTE, 5G
  • WiFi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
  • In-display fingerprint scanner, IP68 Rating, stereo speakers
  • S-Pen
  • 5000mAh battery
  • 45w wired charging, 15w wireless charging
  • Android 12, One UI 4.1

Samsung’s Note series might be dead, but the big-screen phablet continues to live on as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. While the phone still has the same S22 moniker as its smaller brothers, it’s undoubtedly a Galaxy Note in all but name.

Design

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is radically different in terms of design from its smaller brothers. The phone has a blockier, more angular design ala the Galaxy Note of previous years, though there’s still a slight curve at the sides of the chassis because of the phone’s curved display.

The camera module no longer protrudes like the Galaxy S22 and S22+ does, as the quad-camera setup is integrated directly into the phone’s chassis is a sort of P-shape. All four cameras stick out a bit from the body, but not as much as the cameras on its more affordable brothers.

More importantly, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has an S-pen holster, located on the lower left side of the phone. It works pretty much like the S-Pen on Samsung’s older Galaxy Note line and gives the pen a secure place to slot into when it’s not being used.

Speaking of the S-Pen, Samsung’s done some improvements with it with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, specifically reducing the pen’s latency to just 2.8ms from the Note20 Ultra’s 9ms.

As for controls and ergonomics, if you’ve owned a Galaxy Note before you’ll feel right at home with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The phone is pretty tall because of its big display, with the phone measuring in at 77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9mm. It’s a very tall phone because of its big display, and if you had trouble using Galaxy Note’s previously because of their size, that isn’t going to change with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The build quality is right in line with what you’d expect from a flagship Samsung phone, meaning it’s phenomenal. The frame is made from tough, armor aluminum and Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus protects the front and back. The phone has an IP68 certification which means it can survive being dunked in water for a bit.

Display

True to form, the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s size is mainly due to its huge display. The phone has a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X curved display with the same variable refresh rate (1 to 120Hz) as the Galaxy S22 and S22+. You’re getting the same high 240Hz touch sampling rate while gaming as its smaller brothers, and Samsung advertises that the panel has received certification from VDE Germany for its 100 percent Mobile Color Volume in the DCI-P3 range, meaning you’re getting rich, vibrant colors no matter what.

The S22 Ultra has ridiculously small bezels on the top and bottom, and as I mentioned before, curved sides that meet the armor aluminum frame. There’s a 10-megapixel camera stuck on a halo notch on top.

Palm rejection on the curved display is pretty good, though that being said, no amount of software will ever filter out all the accidental touches on the side while you’re holding the phone, so take that into account if you want the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Cameras

Unlike the Galaxy S22 and S22+, Samsung is retaining the same optical package from last year’s offering in the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The main camera is still a 108-megapixel sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, dual-pixel AF and OIS. The Ultra-wide camera sits at 12-megapixels with an f/2.2 aperture. There are still two 10-megapixel telephoto cams that shoot at 3x and 10x, and the front camera is a 40-megapixel deal.

Like the Galaxy S22 and S22+, we didn’t have enough time with Samsung’s new flagship to take it out and test it fully, but we did manage to take a few sample shots that we’ve linked above.

Performance, software, battery

Just like the S22 and S22+, the S22 Ultra also gets the most important upgrade for the S series, at least for the Philippines: the switch to a Snapdragon processor instead of Exynos. Specifically, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be getting Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip when it lands in the Philippines.

While we only had limited time with the phone during our hands-on, the Galaxy S22 Ultra felt incredibly smooth and responsive, which is something that you’d expect from a flagship offering from the Korean brand. The phone will come in three variants: an 8GB/128GB version, 12GB/256GB version, and a 12GB/512GB version.

The phone will be running on Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI 4.1 layered on top, and if you’ve used a Note device before the interface with the S-Pen will feel very familiar to you. Samsung has migrated over all of the awesome things that made the Note series great specifically when it comes to the S-Pen’s functionality.

The battery for the Galaxy S22 Ultra is set at 5,000mAh, and thankfully the phone does have fast-charging up to 45W. There’s also 15W of wireless fast charging here if you need it, plus wireless “power share”, essentially reverse wireless charging for devices like TWS earbuds, smartwatches, and the like.

Wrap-up and initial verdict

Samsung might have killed off the Galaxy Note, but the phablet still lives on with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, at least from what we’ve seen in this quick review of it for the Philippines.

Unfortunately, the biggest hurdle for anyone looking to buy the Galaxy S22 Ultra is price. The base variant has the same price as the 256GB version of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra last year (with half the storage), with the top-end variant getting a sticker price that’s a few thousand pesos short of Samsung’s own Z Fold3.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review Price Philippines:

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra that we featured in this hands-on review will have a price of Php 68,990 in the Philippines for the 8GB/128GB variant. The 12GB/256GB variant will have a price of Php 72,990, while the top-end 12GB/512GB variant is priced at Php 80,990.

Those pre-ordering via Samsung.com until March 3 will get a Php 10,000 e-Voucher, Silicone Case with Strap, and a Lucky Box Strap. Those pre-ordering through Samsung Experience Stores, select Authorized Samsung Stores, Lazada, Shopee, Abenson.com, and MemoXpress Online will get a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro, Silicone Case with Strap, and a Lucky Box Strap.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter

1 Comment

  • John jr ang , July 21, 2023

    How much for samsung galaxy s22 ultra

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *