Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Which should you buy?

Google finally unveiled its latest flagship smartphones after months of leaks and teasers, mainly by Google itself. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are iterative updates this time, but that’s not bad for a company that’s been quite inconsistent with its devices. You get the expected upgrades to the processing package and key improvements across the board, with the Pixel 7 Pro standing out as the phone to get if you want it all.

The Pixel line is one of the year’s last releases, so if you’ve been waiting to buy a phone in 2022, now’s a great time to make that decision. That means comparisons! The Pixel 7 Pro joins a competitive Android flagship space, with the Galaxy S22 Ultra one of the best you can get. How do the latest and greatest from Samsung and Google stack against each other? Here’s a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Google Pixel 7 Pro.

We will focus on the best of the lot here. But both companies have cheaper and smaller alternatives available for those who don’t want to splurge. Check out our Samsung Galaxy S22 vs Pixel 7 comparison to find out more!

Refinement is the name of the game with the Pixel 7 Pro. It does enough to make it distinguishable from its predecessor, with the new metallic bar with camera cutouts taking the place of the black camera visor of the Pixel 6 Pro. I liked the look of the latter since it hid the cameras, but the silver bar of the 7 Pro makes it less flashy and more refined. Even though the bar splits the back of the phone, Google decided to forego two-tone colors with the 7 Pro.

The Pixel 7 Pro looks and feels like a flagship, with the metal frame, Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back, and a decent heft. And it looks more refined with the metal bar. But without two-tone colors, the standard colorways — white and black — lean towards boring, with only the Hazel option standing out.

Turn to the front, and it’s more of the same, but few can recognize an Android phone by looking at the front anyway. The 6.7-inch Quad HD+ display gets some upgrades, though. It’s 25% brighter than the Pixel 6 Pro and has a variable refresh rate of 10Hz to 120Hz. It’s a bright, beautiful AMOLED screen, and we wouldn’t expect anything less from a 2022 flagship.

On the other hand, we have the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Unlike its smaller siblings, the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, the Ultra doesn’t keep the design from its predecessor. Instead, it goes back further, reminiscent of the discontinued Galaxy Note with its rectangular design and curved sides. There are no contour cuts or bars here, with the multiple cameras dotting the top left corner on an otherwise plain back. Adding to its Note-like look is the built-in slot for the S Pen. Yes, the Ultra is the Note replacement people have been hoping for a while, being a part of the Galaxy S-series in name only.

Like most Samsung phones, the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display doesn’t fail to impress. The Quad HD+ Super AMOLED screen stands out with its bright, vibrant colors, and the 120Hz adaptive refresh rate makes everything fast and smooth.

The Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra are big, unwieldy phones that don’t offer the best handling experience. The Samsung device is a touch bigger courtesy of its slightly larger display, but there’s no noticeable difference in size. You’re out of luck if you were hoping for a smaller flagship, though. While the Pixel 7, the Galaxy S22, and S22 Plus are smaller, you’re also compromising on key specs like the camera, RAM, storage, battery capacity, and more.

Google continues where it left off with the Tensor program, with the new Tensor G2 powering the Pixel 7 Pro. It offers lower power consumption with everyday tasks like video streaming, messaging, speech recognition, and more. Google claims it’s 60% faster than its predecessor, but that’s likely not enough to take on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-toting Galaxy S22 Ultra in terms of pure speed. Of course, both are flagship processors, so both phones can easily handle anything you throw at them.

Helping the performance is the 12GB of RAM you get with the Pixel 7 Pro. The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with 8GB or 12GB RAM variants. Samsung also offers more storage, starting at 128GB and going to 1TB. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro has 128GB or 256GB of storage.

The large size of the two phones allows Samsung and Google to pack large 5,000mAh batteries into them. You get solid battery life with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, with our review showing up to 6.5 hours of screen time with a little more than a full day of use. We’ll have to test the 7 Pro before making any final decisions, but the low-power features of the Tensor G2 should help make the phone last beyond the impressive battery life we saw with its predecessor. With the new Extreme Battery Saver mode, Google says the Pixel 7 Pro can last up to 72 hours.

Both phones come with wireless charging and fast charging. But the Galaxy S22 Ultra gets the leg up here with 45W fast charging, while Google’s 23W charging should give you 50% in 30 minutes. Neither features the much faster charging we’ve seen from Chinese OEMs, which should help with longevity.

Looking at the cameras, both phones stick with the tried and tested, but with improvements that make them even better. The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a 108MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide unit, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 10MP periscope lens with 10x optical zoom. A 40MP front-facing camera makes for beautiful selfies and sharp video calls.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro retains the cameras from its predecessor, with a 50MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 48MP telephoto lens with 4.8x optical zoom. Up front is a 10.8MP unit to cover your selfie and Face Unlock needs.

The two phones have very different camera packages and takes on image processing. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has the Pixel 7 Pro beat in terms of pure numbers. However, Google relies on AI image processing to push its photography capabilities to the next level. There’s a reason why even Google’s 12MP cameras from previous Pixels were considered among the best while taking on phones with much higher megapixel counts. And now, with the numbers catching up to the software, things are even better.

We consider the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra the best phone camera you can get. We’ll have to wait for our review unit to make a final decision, but we can certainly expect the Pixel 7 Pro to give it a run for its money and might even displace it from the top of the hill.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at $1,199, with four RAM and storage variants pushing the price up to $1,599 for the top-of-the-line option with 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Google keeps the starting price of the Pixel 7 Pro as its predecessor, starting at $899 for 128GB of storage. You’ll need to shell out an extra $100 to double the storage. 12GB of RAM is the only option with the Pixel device.

The fact that the Pixel 7 Pro is $300 cheaper than the equivalent variant (12GB/256GB) of the S22 Ultra is a massive advantage for the Google phone and showcases Google’s commitment to the aggressive pricing we’ve seen from the company recently with the Pixel 6 series and the Pixel 6a.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is available in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and Burgundy. You’ll also get exclusives like Graphite, Sky Blue, and the flashy Red colorway saved for purchases directly from Samsung. Meanwhile, Google plays it safe with the Pixel 7 Pro with only three colorways available. Options include Snow (white), Obsidian (black), and Hazel.

We come to the all-important question: Which should you buy? The Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Pixel 7 Pro are among the best in the Android world, but the two phones couldn’t be more different. And that makes answering the question a whole lot easier.

You’ll get beautiful, high-resolution, and fast refresh displays with both. The two also have an IP68 rating for protection from the elements, wireless charging, and large batteries. But that’s where the commonalities end.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra will be the go-to for power users. While we have to test the performance of the Pixel 7 Pro, the Galaxy phone will likely have the edge in terms of pure speed. Granted, you won’t see a noticeable difference in the day-to-day. But getting a more powerful device is essential if you want to hold on to it for a long time. The S22 Ultra also offers more storage options, comes with an S Pen, and packs more features into its One UI software.

In a somewhat surprising twist, you’ll get a better software commitment with Samsung. The Galaxy S22 Ultra will get the following four Android versions and up to five years of security updates. The Pixel 7 Pro has the exact duration of security updates but three years of Android software updates. There’s the question of whether Android requires major yearly updates anymore, but it’s still nice to see Samsung setting the bar in a world where Apple supports phones that are five or more years old.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra beats the Pixel 7 Pro on the spec sheet as far as the camera setup goes. Of course, megapixel counts and the number of cameras are meaningless if they don’t perform. The S22 Ultra does perform incredibly well, though. The Pixel 7 Pro won’t be behind, relying on AI smarts to compensate for any perceived hardware shortcomings.

There’s also the question of ecosystems. Samsung has an established ecosystem with years to refine its smartwatch series and wireless earphones, and everything works together like a well-oiled machine. While Google is late to the party, it’s finally going the same route with the Pixel Watch and the Pixel Buds Pro. These are exciting first-party additions that people have been clamoring for. But it might be a while before they get to the level that Samsung has already set.

For most buyers, the decision often comes down to price. And that’s where Google has Samsung beat by a mile. A $300 difference is huge when you’re looking to buy a flagship. Which ultimately makes the Pixel 7 Pro the better buy. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best choice for power users and anyone who misses the Note series. For everyone else, the Pixel 7 Pro is more than up to the challenge. And you get to save some cash.