Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: Should you upgrade?

Samsung has unpacked its 2022 Galaxy S phone lineup with the Galaxy S22 series. That includes the high-end Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is also supposed to be the replacement for the Galaxy Note series. However, if you have 2021’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, should you upgrade to the newer model? Here’s our look at the Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra battle.

Like the older Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 6.8-inch display with rounded edges. Both phones have a QHD+ dynamic AMOLED screen with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Both phones also have a punch-hole front-facing camera placed on the top center of the display. However, the Galaxy S22 Ultra does not have an under-display camera similar to the Galaxy Fold 3.

These phones have glass on the front and back with an aluminum frame. However, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a bump on the top left rear that houses its rear camera sensors, placed vertically. The S22 Ultra does away with this camera bump design completely, with the sensors just popping out of the rear. At the bottom, both phones have a USB-C charging port, along with a speaker and a SIM card tray.

However, the biggest difference on the bottom of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the embedded S Pen slot. Like the now-discontinued Note series, the Galaxy S22 Ultra includes a stylus, which you can take out of the phone with a quick push of the finger.

The older Galaxy S21 Ultra has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip inside for the US market, and Samsung’s own Exynos 2100 chipset for other international markets. Inside the new Galaxy S22 Ultra, US buyers will get the phone with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC processor. Buyers in other parts of the world can expect the new Samsung Exynos 2200 chip inside. Oddly, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has 8GB and 12GB RAM options, while the older Galaxy S21 had 12GB and 16GB RAM support.

Both phones have onboard storage options of 128, 256, or 512GB, with the S22 Ultra including a 1TB option as well. But there’s no way to add additional storage to these phones via a microSD card slot. Both phones have a large 5,000mAh battery, with the S21 Ultra going up to 25W wired charging speeds, while the new S22 Ultra supports up to 45W charging.

Both phones have the same camera sizes in terms of megapixels, with a 108MP rear sensor, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and two 10MP telephoto cameras. Those telephoto sensors support up to 3x optical zoom for one camera, and the other supports up to 10x optical zoom, along with the software-assisted 100x Space Zoom. Both also have a 40MP front-facing camera.

Of course, the game-changer in terms of hardware for the S22 Ultra is the included S Pen. The Bluetooth-connected stylus is aimed at the smaller but very loyal number of Galaxy Note users who want to use it to take notes on the screen, draw artwork on the display, and operate apps without putting a finger on the screen. This version is also supposed to include lower latency than other S Pen-based phones, so it should act more like using a real pen on a real piece of paper.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will come out of the box with One UI 4 based on Android 12 installed. Samsung is pledging that the phone will get four years of major software upgrades and five years of security upgrades, a huge software upgrade cycle improvement for any Android-based smartphone maker. The Galaxy S21 Ultra launched with One UI 3.1, based on Android 11, and has since been updated to One UI 4, based on Android 12. While it initially was expected to receive three years of version upgrades, Samsung extended its new pledge to the previous generation too. That means it’ll now receive the same four years of updates and five years of patches.

If you are a Galaxy S21 Ultra owner looking for something a bit cheaper than the S22 Ultra for an upgrade, you might want to consider the new Galaxy S22 or S22 Plus models. Both have the same new processors as the Ultra model, and both share many of the more expensive phone’s other improvements.

For people who want a premium camera experience, there’s the Sony Xperia 1 III. It has three Sony-made high-end 12MP rear cameras that can take great pictures. However, at a price of $1,299, it’s even more expensive than the S22 Ultra.

• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (8/128GB): $1,199 / £1,149
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (12/256GB): $1,299 / £1,249
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (12/512GB): $1,399 / £1,329
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (12GB/1TB): $1,599 / £1,499
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: $950

The Galaxy S22 Ultra will be generally available starting February 25, 2022, on Samsung.com, as well as third-party retailers like Amazon or Best Buy, and Samsung’s carrier partners. Pre-orders have already begun, and there are some nice offers for those willing to pre-order, including a free storage upgrade. The phone comes in several colors — Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and Burgundy. There are also exclusive online colors — Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.

We have yet to get the Galaxy S22 Ultra in for a full review, so we can’t really give Galaxy S21 owners a definitive answer on whether they should upgrade. On paper, the battle between the Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra would suggest that S21 Ultra owners not upgrade to the new model. Aside from some boosts in performance from the new processors, and a few new camera improvements, it’s likely that S21 Ultra users will not see anything that might compel them to exchange the phone for the new Galaxy S22, at least not right away.

However, there is the matter of the new S Pen in the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Owners of last year’s S21 might want the added functionality of that embedded stylus for work. If that’s the case, the S22 Ultra becomes a more attractive upgrade choice.

We’ll be putting the Galaxy S22 Ultra through its paces very soon in a review very soon. We’ll update this Vs when we’ve reached a firm verdict. For now, let us know in the poll below if you think it’s worth upgrading.