OnePlus 10 Pro looks stunning but is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra the better buy?

T3 has been detailing the story to launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G for over a year now as it is going to be the first flagship Android phone launch of 2022.

Now, though, we've just got an unprecedented look at the second major Android phone launch of the new year, too, with full specs and front and back images of the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G breaking cover.

And the great news for lovers of the very best phones is that both handsets look dynamite – they are without doubt going to be two of 2022's best 5G phones. But which will be the better buy? That's the question that is now occupying my mind.

The OnePlus 10 Pro 5G's reported specs are as follows:

Dimensions: 163x73.8x8.5mm
Screen: 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz LTPO
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 8/12GB LPDDR5
Storage: 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1
Battery: 5,000 mAH
Charging: 80W SuperVOOC / 50W AirVOOC (+ Reverse WC)
Rear cameras: 48MP+50MP+8MP Hasselblad 2nd Gen
Front camera: 32MP
OS: OxygenOS 12

Now, on paper, that looks like an incredible Android phone flagship. Buckets of performance, supremely impressive charging technology (and with a large battery capacity, too), a powerful suite of cameras designed by a camera master in Hasselblad, and OnePlus's always super speedy and impressive OxygenOS.

But, for me at least, I still honestly can't decide if it is the better buy when compared to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, which has the following reported specs:

Dimensions: Unknown
Screen: 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1440 x 3200 pixels
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 895 / Exynos 2200
RAM: 12/16GB LPDDR5
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 3.1
Battery: 5000 mAh
Charging: Unknown (fast charging)
Rear cameras: 108MP+10MP+10MP+12MP
Front camera: 40MP
OS: Android 12, One UI 4

On paper, as you can see, there is basically nothing between the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G and the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G, although I'd say the S22 Ultra 5G is the slightly better equipped handset in terms of hardware. Both are equipped with some of the very best Android phone technology on the market today, though, and both will offer premium, top-table phone experiences.

However, there's two things that I think could make the difference for me (and no doubt other Android phone users) when it comes round to picking between them – price and the S22 Ultra 5G's unique party piece – its S Pen digital stylus.

The return of full S Pen digital stylus functionality in the S22 Ultra 5G (which was last seen in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series) is no doubt a feather in the S22 Ultra 5G's cap as it is a feature that the OnePlus 10 Pro just can't match.

Fans of the Samsung Galaxy Note series will no doubt be majorly swayed by its inclusion in the South Korean maker's incoming flagship.

However, for me at least, the price has to be right for that to be considered a bonus over the OnePlus 10 Pro.

OnePlus flagships have been getting steadily more expensive over the past 5 years and the maker's reputation of a producer of cheap flagship killers isn't quite so clear cut as it once was.

But if the OnePlus 10 Pro does retail for markedly less than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G then I know a lot of Android phone users, and notably those who don't care about digital stylus functionality, are going to have their heads turned.

Price, therefore, is going to be really important here.

For me I'm going to wait until there is more clarity of pricing and, to be honest, release dates, too, as we still don't officially know when either flagship is going to hit the market. My gut tells me we will see the Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G in the west a few months before the OnePlus 10 Pro, but whether or not it is will be worth the wait will  be largely down to its pricing and performance, both of which are yet to be determined.

Watch this space, then, as T3 will naturally report on both flagships as soon as we get more information. For more information on the new handsets we're expecting in 2022, be sure to read T3's Android in 2022 feature.