Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review: great performance, improved cameras, and welcome S-Pen support, but lackluster battery and the stylus might not suit everyone
A worthy Note successor that stands alone — Phones in a flagship lineup have come to feel like variations on a theme.
Context & Ripple Effects
The S22 Ultra follows the Note20 Ultra's performance, large-display, and battery-led flagship formula, while pre-release coverage had already identified its Note-like hardware and S-Pen support as its defining distinction. The review clarifies the trade: Samsung has brought the stylus-oriented model into the Galaxy S line, but battery life is no longer an unambiguous strength.
That positioning matters within Samsung's own range. The subsequent S22 and S22+ assessment also praised performance and cameras while faulting battery life, leaving the Ultra's stylus and more advanced camera proposition—not endurance alone—to justify its premium role.
First-order effects
- Samsung gives former Note-oriented buyers a Galaxy S flagship with integrated S-Pen support and Note-like hardware, while asking them to accept lackluster battery performance.
- Buyers who value handwriting and productivity gain a clear reason to choose the S22 Ultra; those who prioritize battery life or do not use a stylus have a weaker case for the larger model.
Second-order effects
- The S22 and S22+ must compete on a simpler flagship proposition, since the Ultra now owns Samsung's stylus-equipped top tier while sharing the lineup's battery-life criticism.
- Samsung's premium-phone differentiation shifts toward specialized hardware and camera features, making the S-Pen a more important purchase criterion than a broadly superior experience across every metric.
Third-order effects
- If Samsung sustains this product split, the Galaxy S Ultra line becomes the durable home for the former Note category: a flagship tier defined by task-specific input hardware rather than screen size alone.
- The later S25 Ultra review indicates that the Ultra-and-S-Pen pairing persists, even as individual stylus capabilities can be removed, making software and feature continuity an ongoing part of the premium proposition.
The trend: Samsung is folding the Note identity into Galaxy S Ultra, using the S-Pen to create a distinct premium tier amid otherwise closely related flagships.