Best of both worlds
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra offers better camera capabilities and productivity features, writes Izwan Ismail
ARE smartphone cameras as good as real cameras? It depends on the type of photography you are doing, but from a general purpose up to a certain level of pro photography, the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra certainly has something to offer.
Based on the lenses at the back of the phone, it looks like this device is designed to produce some great images.
I had the joy of reviewing this phone for a few weeks, taking it around Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya for various kinds of photography.
Normally, when reviewing phone cameras, I try to compare them with proper cameras to see if they are worthy shooters.
FIRST LOOK
From the front, the 6.8-inch Galaxy S22 Ultra looks identical to its predecessor, the S21 Ultra. However, if you take a look at the back, you’ll see that the camera design is different. It still has five lenses (one is laser autofocus), so officially there are four lenses. The difference between the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra camera design is that the latter’s cameras are housed in a steel “compartment” or Contour Cut Camera housing, as Samsung calls it, giving a sort of sturdy, but bulky look. The ones on the S22 Ultra are placed individually on the phone’s top left, making the body look thinner and more streamlined.
Inside the body, of course, Samsung has done some upgrades to the cameras on the S22 Ultra.
The cameras include a 108MP main, 12MP ultrawide, two 10MP telephoto cameras, and a laser autofocus to enhance the AF performance of the phone in close range and low-light environments. This feature is available only on Galaxy S22 Ultra. On the front, meanwhile, there is a 40MP single selfie camera.
The camera in the Galaxy S22 Ultra now has a larger 2.4 micrometer sensor to capture more light; that’s up from 0.8 micrometer on the S21 Ultra. There’s also an anti-reflective coating to reduce light flares. The phone includes AI Stereo Depth Map functionality for improved portrait photos and auto framing in video for detecting and tracking up to 10 people.
Besides the camera settings, the phone has about the same feel and weight as the S21 Ultra, so you won’t feel much difference if you hold them.
The S Pen has been offered since the S21 Ultra. The S22 Ultra confirms that this capability is now a permanent feature of this model with a dedicated S Pen silo at the bottom of the phone, making it look like a Galaxy Note. Previously, you had to get a separate case to store the S Pen if you wanted to carry it around.
With seamlessly integrated camera lenses and a sleek metal frame that creates a mirror effect, the Galaxy S22 Ultra offers the most premium look and feel. The glass and haze finishing adds an elegant touch to S22 Ultra’s linear, floating layout.
CAMERA PERFORMANCE
Samsung has been promoting the Nightography feature, available on the entire S22 family of devices, that allows users to snap crisp, clear videos on both the front and back cameras. This may be the top enhancement it has made to the camera.
To see how good this feature is, I took the phone for a few photography sessions during sunset and at night at a lake near my house and in Putrajaya.
I was blown away by most of the lowlight photo results that came out of this phone. They all look clean and sharp despite the lack of light.
This is probably because the S22 Ultra is built with a 2.4um pixel sensor — Samsung’s largest pixel sensor ever, enabling its camera lenses to capture more light and data, optimising the lighting and detail of your video clips. Plus, S22 Ultra’s advanced Super Clear Glass lens helps you take smoother and clearer night-time videos without flare.
One thing I like about this phone is how stable it is when taking photos in low-light conditions. This is important as the shutter may open for a couple of seconds to let the light into the sensor. This is the work of its OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation).
Besides that, the Pro feature in the camera menu allows me to have better control of the camera settings, such as shutter speed, white balance, ISO and exposure.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra can get users closer to the subject with its 100x zoom. Although this may look good on paper, but when it comes to zoom, the only thing that matters in terms of photo quality is the optical zoom. This phone offers up to 10X optical zoom, and beyond that it’s just the enlargement of the photo.
I tried it on a few occasions, and yes, it can give you photos of things some distance away, like a couple of kilometres, but it’s not sharp.
BETTER PRODUCTIVITY
I’m not sure how Samsung will position the Note series with the inclusion of the S Pen into the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but this move has definitely made the S22 Ultra a better device for productivity. I can do without the S Pen’s presence, but the fact that it’s there gives me that extra edge.
The presence of the S Pen means taking the favourite aspects of the Note series into this phone, giving users the most powerful Ultra yet. I think it’s a natural next step for Samsung, and something Note fans will appreciate.
CONCLUSION
If you’re looking for an ultimate phone that offers the best of both photography and productivity, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra should be on your list.
The phone comes in four colours: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Burgundy. It comes in three storage options — 128GB, 256GB and 512GB — and is priced at RM5,099, RM5,499 and RM5,899 respectively.