During our hands on session which we had during the same week of the global announcement, it was very brief. And so, we had to wait to get our hands on the phone in order to really share what we feel about it. Now that we finally have it in our hands, here’s our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Initial Impressions, and boy it feels like a Note.  

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Initial Impressions

More Note-feeling than S Series

I have said this over and over again, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra feels more like the Note than an S Series smartphone. Coming from the S21 Ultra which is the last S series looking Ultra we will ever see, keeping it side by side, you will realize the rounded-off finish on the S21 Ultra isn’t present with the S22 Ultra. Instead, it’s a lot more squared off, more rectangular and only has curves on the side.

Except for the odd-looking bump we have seen on the Note20 Ultra, which is gone, now we have this rounded camera cut off which is alright, I guess. But nonetheless, I am a huge fan of this design over the curved S21 Ultra, although that phone was marvelous and unique on its own.

Finally, an Ultra with Colors

We have had issues with the S Series Ultra for a while, not only we saw them exist, but they existed in those “safe” colors – the Galaxy S20 Ultra in Grey or Black, the Galaxy S21 Ultra in Black or Silver. But this Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra brings life in its look with a nice Burgundy color which we have here and a green color which I am a huge fan of. These colors add a variety for users to pick something that matches their persona, and I am liking it.

Our very first Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 for Malaysia

For the time being or maybe indefinitely, we would have to bid farewell to the Exynos Processor because of the unnecessary backlash we have gotten and personally I am a huge fan of the Exynos processor. Seeing the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra run the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is nice but the issues that’s been arising with that processor concerns me too. That said, it’s early for us to comment right now, until we push it to its limit and come to a conclusion. For that, you must stay tuned to us.  

To be honest, 128GB Variant shouldn’t exist

While this may be an unpopular opinion, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra shouldn’t exist in 128GB at all. Given that this phone packs the top shelf components to give the top shelf experience, especially in the camera department where it can do Expert RAW and all that magic, it makes no sense to do it all on the 128GB base variant as RAW files as we know takes up a lot of space and in this case, this phone featuring a 108MP camera, means that the RAW file size is going to be bigger than my Sony A7II’s NEF which is already in my opinion big coming in at 40MB.

So, if you are getting the phone for its photography prowess, fork out a little more and get the 256 or better yet, the 512GB.

This is all we have for now, and our initial impressions. We will be doing a bunch of content where we will put this phone to good test, and to see that, make sure to keep your eyes peeled to us because it’s going to be great.

Special thanks to Samsung Malaysia for making this and upcoming content on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra happen.