The Samsung S22 Ultra launch was one that I was really looking forward to.
Last year, I got the S21 Ultra and immediately fell in love with it.
So the bar was really high for Samsung. The question is... Is it worth the price?
Have they raised the bar, or did they go backwards. Well, let’s find out.
Let’s start with the good stuff. And there’s loads of good things to say here.
I love the slick design and the curved screen. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea,
but I find it quite refined and takes me back to my Samsung S6 Edge a few years back.
It’s very slippery though, so we will come back to that!
Just like the S21 Ultra did, the fingerprint sensor on this phone is just... perfection.
It annoys me that Google didn’t manage to achieve this with the Pixel 6 Pro,
but Samsung... I take my hats off to them, it really is a superb implementation.
When it comes to this colour...It is growing on me. But I tell you what... that ain’t red! It’s
like red, after you put in the washing machine on 90C cycle. It’s definitely more orange than red.
The display is still amazing and with MOTION SMOOTHNESS (aka 120 Hz refresh rate),
it makes everything really really smooth.
Stop there Alex! Well, I was going to talk about the display and Gaming and listen...
I will cover that in more detail when I get a replacement screen.
At the beginning of the video I mentioned how slippery this phone is. I wasn’t kidding.
If you are going to use it naked, you’d be taking a massive risk. Especially after you
remove the protective wrapping it comes with. It really is like a bar of soap.
Yeah no s***!! And I wish I listened to my own advice! When I dropped my phone,
I didn’t have a case on it AND... this is the result...
So Spigen as always come as a great protective option,
and actually they have two new products that I am really excited to share with you.
Spigen cases are super stylish. They have great functionality in some of their models too
and basically a different model to suit everyone.
For the S22 Ultra, they have this new Optik Armor,
which has a cover for the camera for extra protection. (Excited phase) That is brilliant!!
When I started reviewing phone accessories this was actually a feature that I suggested
in my videos. So I am glad Spigen came up with it. And that slippery problem
of the S22 Ultra is now gone. All of their cases have fantastic grip.
Great attention to detail too for the S-Pen, it’s not rough or anything, it feels really well
designed with a nice curvature here, to let you to remove the S-pen without any issues.
Talking about a really well designed, this is the new Cryo Armor case,
which is designed to keep your phone cool! And it looks awesome! This detail on the back,
and the texture is just... If you like to fidget, like I do! This case is fidget heaven!
This was designed with gaming in mind and like I’ve tested on many devices before I
knew exactly what game to test this with. And it definitely helped keep the phone cooler,
which not only helps with the performance but it’s a great way of conserving your battery health.
The buttons on all Spigen cases are great. I always had a bit of a criticism on the
Tough Armor case, but again, they improved on it now. The power button has this much
more tactile feel to it with these grooves so it makes it much easier,
especially in the dark to locate the volume rockers.
Sounds silly and like a small detail, but really makes this case much nicer to use. And when it
comes to protection, this is one of my favourite cases not only form Spigen, but across all brands.
I have that same case on my Pixel 6 Pro right now
and have had their iPhone versions too which I use from time to time.
It has a dual layer design, Spigen’s air cushion technology on the corners and this
EXTRA layer of protection here, which helps dissipate the shock if you drop your phone...
But there’s more! This case comes with the extra functionality in this kickstand
which is awesome. I love when a product solves multiple problems for me.
And if you like to show off your device, especially if you went for a custom colour
like I did, they have this clear case, the Ultra Hybrid which is another great option from Spigen.
There’s a lot more to talk about when it comes to these cases and the good news is,
I will be doing a dedicated video on all of them, so make sure you subscribe so you
don’t miss out. And thanks so much Spigen for sponsoring this video!
Before we talk about the issues, let’s spend a moment just appreciating what they’ve done here
on the camera features again! The features on Android in general have come a long way
and I am sorry Apple fans... Apple have a long way to go when it comes to camera features.
Yes the iPhone takes amazing videos and does do a great job on point and shoot photos
but I am starting to see, not just with Samsung but the Google Pixel too,
they’re really catching up and in some cases have completely surpassed the iPhone.
This can be subjective of course, but as you are seeing in these shots,
especially in Portrait mode... the iPhone is making a right mess of it.
The S22 Ultra, is just doing a much much better job.
Of course there are many other features and iOS
for people who are well-embedded in the Apple ecosystem is really hard let go.
Ok we talked about all the great stuff. But are there any issues with this phone?
In short.. YES! Bearing in mind this is the Exynos chip.
And let me preface this by saying... You’re probably not gonna notice this.
Unless you really push this device or maybe you’re a tech youtuber,
I can assure you most people will not notice any lags or issues.
But in comparison with the Pixel or the iPhone, the S22 Ultra doesn’t feel as snappy. I am told
that the Snapdragon version performs much better but like I said, this is probably not gonna be an
issue for you. So be careful if you watch those massive channels saying the phone is rubbish.
It isn’t.
The other issue I noticed is the voice to text features. It’s nowhere near as good as using
the Pixel. Maybe I am missing something but I don’t know, OneUI seems to get in the way
and I am just not getting the same fluidity that I get with the Pixel 6 Pro.
So I really think overall Samsung moved forward and surpassed my expectations.
But in some areas... it kinda went backwards. Is it worth the price? Actually I think it is,
especially if you take advantage of Samsung’s offers and trade-in options.
Loads more to come, I have these 4 flagships here to compare and test and look at accessories
for them so you know what to do! while you wait, check out these other videos here!
I will see you and your smiling faces on the next one.