Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: What’s different?

Samsung has officially unveiled its Galaxy S22 series of flagship smartphones, and the most powerful among the three models is the Galaxy S22 Ultra. So what’s different compared to its 2021 predecessor, the Galaxy S21 Ultra? Should you upgrade? Find out in this specs comparison.

UPDATE: Samsung reached out and clarified that the Galaxy S22 series coming to the Philippines will sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, and not the Snapdragon 895 as they have previously communicated with us. We have updated the article to reflect the info.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G	Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display	6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
120Hz Dynamic refresh rate	120Hz Dynamic refresh rate
Gorilla Glass Victus+ (front)	Gorilla Glass Victus
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC	Samsung Exynos 2100 SoC
8GB, 12GB RAM	12GB, 16GB RAM
128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage
Quad-rear cameras:	Quad-rear cameras:
• 108MP Phase Detection F1.8 (wide)	• 108MP Phase Detection F1.8 (wide)
• 12MP Dual Pixel F2.2 (ultrawide)	• 12MP Dual Pixel F2.2 (ultrawide)
• 10MP Dual Pixel F4.9 (10x tele, 100x Space Zoom)	• 10MP Dual Pixel F4.9 (10x tele, 100x Space Zoom)
• 10MP Dual Pixel F2.4 (3x tele)	• 10MP Dual Pixel F2.4 (3x tele)
40MP Dual Pixel F2.2 front camera	40MP Dual Pixel F2.2 front camera
Dual-SIM	Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE	5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6E	WiFi 6E
Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.1
NFC	NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
USB Type-C	USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)	Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Face Unlock	Face Unlock
AKG Stereo Speakers	AKG Stereo Speakers
IP68 water and dust resistance	IP68 water and dust resistance
S-Pen (9ms latency)	S-Pen support
OneUI 4 (Android 12)	OneUI 3.1 (Android 11), upgradeable to OneUI 4 (Android 12)
5,000mAh battery w/ 45W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging	5,000mAh battery w/ 25W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
77.9 x 163.3 x 8.9mm	75.6 x 165.1 x 8.9mm
227g	229g(mmW), 227g(sub6)
Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Burgundy	Phantom Black, Phantom Silver

Design

One of the first things you’ll notice is the design. The Galaxy S22 Ultra doesn’t seem to share the DNA of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and more like an offspring of the Galaxy Note20, but more refined.

The corners are sharper, the top and bottom frames are flatter, and doesn’t have a bulging camera module. One of the biggest improvements in this part is the built-in S-Pen. You purchase an S22 Ultra, you’ll get the S-Pen as well.

Display

The display is pretty much retained. We still have the 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with QHD+ resolution. The dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz is here as well. What’s new is the upgraded Gorilla Glass Victus+.

Chipset

The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes in either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the Samsung Exynos 2200. Surprisingly, we’re getting the Snapdragon variant in the Philippines, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra last year was equipped with the Exynos 2100. We’ll know about the difference in their performance once we have fully reviewed the S22 Ultra.

Memory and Storage

When it comes to RAM, we’re getting a lower capacity with the S22 Ultra starting at 8GB, with a max at 12GB. The S21 Ultra was offered in 12GB and 16GB RAM.

Storage-wise, we’re getting the same 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB options.

Cameras

Surprisingly, the camera configuration remains the same. We still have a 108MP main, a 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical, and a 10MP telephoto with 10x optical and 100x Space Zoom. For selfies, it’s still a 40MP shooter. We’ll know in our review if the image quality remains the same.

Connectivity and Features

Connectivity is pretty much the same. There’s dual-SIM with 5G support, WiFi 6E, NFC, GPS, and USB-C. The S22 Ultra, though, gets an upgraded Bluetooth 5.2 versus the predecessor’s Bluetooth 5.1.

The in-display fingerprint scanner, AKG stereo speakers, IP68 water and dust resistance are still here. Probably the biggest improvement in this area is the inclusion of the S-Pen.

Software-wise, the S22 Ultra comes with OneUI 4 (Android 12) out of the box, while the S21 Ultra will get it via an OTA update.

Battery

The battery remains the same at 5,000mAh, which is still good news. However, the S22 Ultra gets a faster charging at 45W versus 25W on the S21 Ultra. Wireless charging and reverse wireless charging are still here.

Price

The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (12GB + 256GB) is now priced at PHP 69,990.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is priced at PHP 68,990 (8GB + 128GB), PHP 72,990 (12GB + 256GB), and PHP 80,990 (12GB + 512GB).

Should you upgrade?

If you’re using the S21 Ultra now, there’s not much you’re missing out on with the S22 Ultra. It has the same screen, cameras, connectivity and extra features, and battery capacity. The biggest upgrades are in the chipset, included S-Pen and faster charging rate.

If you’re buying into the Samsung flagship for the first time, then the S22 Ultra is surely an attractive option. But if you want bigger RAM and Storage for almost the same price, and are fine with not having the S-Pen out of the box, you might want to consider the S21 Ultra.

But what do you guys think? Is the Galaxy S22 Ultra worth getting? Let us know in the comments below.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022 stories here:

1) Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra full specs, price in the Philippines
2) Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, Tab S8 Ultra full specs, price in the Philippines
3) WATCH: Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ Hands-on
4) WATCH: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Hands-on
5) Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ Hands-On
6) Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Hands-on
7) Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: What’s different?