For the love of S Pen
Samsung took a year off from releasing Note phones, and now it looks like the Note line is done. There's hope, though. So, maybe you've been nursing your Note 20 along, the add-on S Pens for the S21 Ultra and Z Fold3 didn't cut it, and you're itching for something new. It just so happens, Samsung has a new stylus-equipped phone. It's not a "Note," but what's in a name? The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, sharing numerous features and design elements with the 2020 powerhouse. Unfortunately, one of the things it shares is a high price tag. Should you drop the cash on upgrading from the Note 20 Ultra to the new S22 Ultra? Let's break it down, starting with some good old-fashioned specs.
The Note 20 Ultra (above, left) and S22 Ultra (above, right) are both high-end phones, so the performance is at least in the same ballpark. The Note is a few years older, but the SD865 was top-of-the-line when it launched, just like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is now. It's possible your Note has more RAM than the comparable S22, which starts at 8GB in the base model. That's a minor drawback, though.
Both phones have 5G connectivity, but the newer S22 Ultra has many more bands thanks to the X65 modem. If it's a 5G signal in North America, the S22 can latch on—mmWave, low-band, and everything in between. The Note 20 is no slouch, but the modems of late 2020 didn't support some newer frequencies, for example, the 3.45Ghz and C-bands and that will be so vital on AT&T and Verizon going forward. Software support on the newer phone is better, too. The Note 20 is only now getting Android 12, and it will get Android 13 eventually. However, the S22 Ultra comes with an even newer build of One UI, and it will get updates for years longer with Samsung's new update guarantee.
Both phones have enormous OLED displays, but the Note 20 Ultra is a tenth of an inch bigger. The difference is negligible, especially given the slightly more aggressive curve on the Note. Both phones provide a huge canvas on which to doodle with the S Pen. The S22's display is several years more advanced, though. The refresh rate adjusts intelligently to save power, and you can get the full 120Hz refresh rate at full native resolution (QHD+), whereas the Note 20 Ultra has to step down to 60Hz. The S22 Ultra's OLED also gets brighter—1,750 vs 1,500 nits.
The S22 Ultra's display is a bit more refined, and the materials are a modest step up from the Note 20. Samsung now uses a custom aluminum alloy it calls "Armor Aluminum", and the front/back glass is Gorilla Glass Victus+. Both are more scratch-resistant than the materials on the Note 20 Ultra. Samsung also opted to extend that glass panel on the back all the way up to the sensors. So, there's no unsightly island floating on the back to house the camera array. As a result, the S22 Ultra lays almost completely flat on a table.
The overall size and shape of the phones are quite close. The S22 is a fraction of a millimeter thicker, but the buttons and S Pen are all in the same locations. The S22 Ultra is 21g heavier than the Note, and that's already a monstrously heavy phone.
Samsung's "Ultra" branding guarantees the best camera hardware money can buy, but even flagship cameras don't stay on top forever. The Note 20 Ultra's triple-camera array is still respectable, but the S22 has it outclassed. The primary sensors are both 108MP Samsung ISOCELL units, but the one in the S22 Ultra has two additional generations of progress (HM1 vs. HM3). Samsung says you'll get brighter, sharper pictures on the S22 Ultra thanks to the refined sensor, enhanced photo processing, and re-engineered camera glass. I think this claim is fair—there have been noticeable advances in the past two years.
The zoom levels are where the S22 Ultra really pulls ahead. The Note 20 Ultra has just one 5x optical zoom level, but the S22 Ultra has two: 3x and 10x. This lets you get more photos at a distance without resorting to digital zoom, and the S22 will really let you push the zoom. The Note 20 topped out at 50x "hybrid zoom," but the S22 Ultra has 100x support. These photos won't look great, but other phones can't even hope to snag a shot from so far away.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra squeezes in 500mAh more juice than the Note 20 Ultra did, and it can recharge faster. Samsung supports 45W charging speeds on the S22 Ultra, much higher than the 25W max of the Note. However, overall charging speed isn't going to be much different. The 45W support is only faster when your phone is nearly empty. The added battery capacity helps support the S22's more advanced hardware and brighter screen, but both phones last about a day. Well, the Note did when it launched. After this long, your battery might be on the outs.
The Note 20 Ultra launched at $1,200, and that's the same price as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It's a lot of money for a phone, but if you spent big to get the S Pen in 2020, now's your chance to do it again. That said, you might not have to drain your bank account if you act fast. There are still a few days of pre-order bonuses, and Samsung is offering good money for that old Note 20 Ultra—I'm seeing $600 on the Samsung US site. That's competitive with the market's cash price for a used Note 20 Ultra, cutting the price of the S22 Ultra in half. This is probably the last time the Note 20 will be worth any significant amount, so you should strongly consider taking Samsung up on the trade-in offer.
Even if you miss the pre-order, the S22 Ultra is the phone you've been waiting to buy. Don't let the name fuss you—this is the successor to the Galaxy Note. If you want that sweet stylus action, this is the phone for you.
See at Samsung See at Amazon
Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would. He's the author of a sci-fi novel called The Crooked City, which is available on Amazon and Google Play.