The Galaxy Note Series is Back as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Samsung isn’t messing around with the Galaxy S series this year. With their refocusing of the Galaxy S22 and S22+, they’re also working on redefining their Galaxy S22 Ultra. After skipping the release of a new Galaxy Note last year, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is being imbued with the DNA and ethos of their most popular lineup.

The new Galaxy S22 Ultra is going through a total makeover this year and it starts with the design and seeps into its features. The first thing you’re going to realise about the new Galaxy S22 Ultra is that it doesn’t even share a hair with the design language of its siblings, the S22 and the S22+. Instead, its design cues hearken from the Galaxy Note series. In fact, it’s even adopted the integrated S-Pen slot! In essence, the Galaxy Note seems to have found new life as the top-of-the-line Galaxy S22 Ultra.

When it comes to materials, the Ultra shares the same materials that were used in its sibling devices. It comes with the same armour aluminium frame sandwiched in Gorilla Glass Victus+ that we see in the S22 and S22+. However, that’s where the similarities end. The Galaxy S22 Ultra adopts a dual-curved design that meets at the middle of the frame for a more ergonomic finish. It also has an angular finish. It has a rectangular silhouette that we saw in the Galaxy Note20+. However, like the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+, the S22 Ultra is also thicker. The thickness gives it a more natural feel in the hand. The S Pen finds itself back where it belongs in a slot on the right side of the device. On the back, the cameras are nearly flush and protected by Gorilla DX.

Making a Note-able Comeback

Speaking of the S Pen, it’s making a note-able comeback. Puns aside, the S Pen on the S22 Ultra is not the same we’ve seen in the Note10. Samsung has worked on making the writing experience on the S22 Ultra an even more natural one. The latency of the S Pen has been reduced even further to 2.8ms. This is done with improvements to the Wacom technology in the S22 Ultra as well as with AI prediction algorithms. The new Wacom IC is more sensitive allowing faster reaction to inputs while AI works in the background to predict the trajectory of the S Pen when in use. This time it will be able to predict multiple trajectories which allow the experience to feel even more instantaneous.

Together with the new hardware and AI, the S Pen is also supported by new software features. The Samsung Notes app is getting a few new features including improved handwriting recognition. You will be able to convert your handwritten notes into tidier typed out notes with a single click. It’s also coming with a new Quick Notes feature which allows you to capture full web pages for your notes. Additionally, it will also be able to work seamlessly with the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 in Collaboration View. This allows you to not only share via nearby share but also work on a larger display when needed. Similarly, Samsung has worked with Clip Studio to allow you to use the S22 Ultra as your colour palette for more precise control of colours in your digital art. You can even use the S22 Ultra’s camera to get colours you can’t get in the palette by snapping a photo and lifting the colour from there.

Packed with Cutting Edge Technology

Of course, it goes without saying that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s note-able features are supported by the latest technologies. Like the S22 and the S22+. the S22 Ultra is coming with the latest 4nm processor. Depending on the region you’re in, it may be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the AMD RDNA touting Exynos 2200. The processor will be complemented by either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. The S22 Ultra comes with the same 120 Hz capable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display as its siblings albeit in a larger 6.8-inch flavour.

When it comes to the camera, it’s imbued with the same features that are packed in its siblings. However, it comes with a more robust quad camera setup. The main sensor is a 108-megapixel wide sensor with dual pixel autofocus, an f/1.8 aperture and an 85° field of view (FOV). This is complemented with a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 120° FOV and two 10-megapixel telephoto sensors. One of which is capable of 3x optical zoom and has an f/2.4 aperture while the other is capable of 10x optical zoom with an f/4.9 aperture. The front camera is a 40-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 80° FOV.

Like the S22 and S22+, the camera of the S22 Ultra comes with new enhancements. The biggest enhancement is the larger pixels of the 108-megapixel sensor which is 1.23 times the size of the pixels of the Galaxy S21. In addition, it utilizes the same nona binning technology for better low light photographs. Galaxy AI enhances this with multi-frame exposure. This means that the camera will take up to 20 frames and use the data in each to get a more detailed picture with better dynamic range. The more capable NPU in the processors of the Galaxy S22 Ultra allows it to process up to 4 times the data. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is also able to shoot in 16-bit RAW which allows for more flexibility when processing pictures.

It also comes with an enhanced super steady mode which allows you to shoot even steadier video at higher resolutions. Portrait mode has also been enhanced with Galaxy AI. A new feature called AI Stereo map captures a more detailed picture of your subject and allows you to adjust everything from the intensity of the bokeh to the light positioning with the new Studio Lighting feature.

Pricing & Availability

The Galaxy S22 Ultra will be available starting February 10, 2022, in Malaysia. It will be available in Phantom White, Phantom Black, Green and Burgundy. Prices for the Galaxy S22 Ultra will start from MYR5,099 (USD$1,218.46) for the lowest variant.

Prices and variants for Malaysia are as below: