Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra, our S Pen-ed hopes

Thе year 2021 must have brought tears in many a Note 10 owners’ eyes, as for the first time in a decade Samsung didn’t release a new Note model to upgrade to, and even deprecated the model line altogether. 

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra design and displays

S Pen-ed to the gills

Perhaps the most striking fact about the Galaxy S22 Ultra is how Note-like its design is. Not only does it have an S Pen silo for the first time in the Galaxy S line series history, but it also borrows the Note’s more angular design, distinguishing it from its S22 and S22+ siblings in more ways than one. Moreover, with the S22 Ultra Samsung is returning to the 19.3:9 ratio that is uses for the Note 20 Ultra, so the two phones have very similar footprints save for the slightly smaller screen diagonal of the S22 Ultra, hence shorter body.

While the S22 Ultra may resemble the Note 20 Ultra in size and shape, flipping it over would quickly dissipate the semblance as it features a camera area without a camera island, but with a camera archipelago where each lens and sensor kit protrudes individually from the rear. We saw a similar design in the LG Velvet which called it “raindrop,” but on the S22 Ultra the cameras seemingly won’t be arranged in a descending order by size.

Despite the aforementioned nudge of the S22 Ultra towards the Note line form factor, it should be available in Black, White, Burgundy Red, and Green at launch, colors that are rather different than the black, white, and bronze hues that the Note 20 Ultra came in. 

Turning the phone over will relieve another big difference that won’t be immediately visible – the displays. At first blush they’d be pretty similar – a 6.8″ 1440p 120Hz display on the S22 Ultra and a 6.9″ panel with the same specs on the Note – but they are two generations apart, after all. 

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra camera

Score two for the S22 Ultra is its camera kit. Also scores three and four, as not only does it come with the latest generation of Samsung’s top-shelf 108MP sensor but also with both a 10x periscope zoom camera, and a 3x telephoto shooter. Not that the Note 20 Ultra’s 108MP main sensor and 5x periscope zoom are slouches, but it’s clear who will be the camera specs boss between the two S Pen-wielding warriors.

Still, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra performed admirably in our camera tests, so for general intents and purposes it should be a match for the S22 Ultra. When it comes to detail, magnification, and light sensitivity, though, the S22 Ultra may bend it to its will. Here are some more Galaxy S22 Ultra cameras samples in different situations – night, daylight, zoom, selfies, and closeups – to gauge its camera performance.

Moreover, Samsung is employing a drastically (48%) improved image sensor stabilization that aids in night shots and make it superior to the Note 20 Ultra when recording video footage.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra processor specs and performance

The benchmarks of the Exynos 2200 model of the S22 Ultra here are pretty clear, and Samsung doesn’t give it any chance in the memory department as well.