Why the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra could be the ultimate flagship phone

One of the most anticipated phones of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra combines all of the best parts of the Galaxy Note series with the impressive hardware of the S series. So could this be the ultimate flagship smartphone? 

We’ve been a huge fan of the Samsung Galaxy Note devices for a long time here at T3, so much so that in our Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review, we gave it a coveted five-star rating. But last year our dreams of a new Note were dashed when Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy Note 21 is dead but its legacy will live on. 

Leaving us with a glimmer of hope, we have been very curious as to what that could mean for the Samsung devices of the future. Finally, we have our answer, and it looks like it could be the best Samsung phone yet.  

To find out more about why they’ve merged the two devices, we spoke to Nick Porter, Vice President – Product Management & Commercial Operations at Samsung UK and Ireland. Here’s what he had to say.

‘In recent times, we’ve really been expanding that Galaxy Note experience across different categories. And so we’ve incorporated the very best Note experience which offers fantastic productivity and creativity features that have been in the Galaxy Note, including the S Pen.

We’ve been incorporating them in our ecosystem of products, and we’re now incorporating them within the Galaxy S22 devices. It’s really exciting for us to be bringing this new epic standard of smartphone technology, with the S22 series, to the market.

Everyone carries their mobile wherever you go. You interact, you engage. And in the last 10 years, it’s gone from like 45 minutes of media consumption on your smartphone to nearly four hours.

So we’ve really focused on making our smartphones integral to people’s lives, and giving them that performance and experience.

These innovations mean that it’s unparalleled in productivity, performance, and creativity, and bringing the experiences from the Galaxy Note – with all of the benefits of the S Pen – and marrying it with our S22 series. It really brings the best of both of those areas together.’

At T3, we think it makes a lot of sense to combine the two devices because the stylus lends itself well to the Ultra's big, bright screen. In our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review, we called it the ‘ultimate productivity handset for professionals and enthusiasts.’

It seems like a no-brainer to have the S Pen tucked away in the body of the phone. It's much more accessible than if you were to carry it around with you separately, which in turn means you’re much more likely to make use of it.

We really hope to see the S Pen slot pop up in more Samsung devices, it’d be very well suited to their foldable phones, for example.

As things stand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is fantastic for working on the go because it has a 7.6inch phablet display on the inside with S Pen support. But the stylus doesn’t come included in the box, so not only will you have to pay extra for it on top of an already pricey handset, but you also won’t have anywhere to keep it.

If the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, expected later this year, does include that feature, it’s sure to shoot straight to the top as the best folding phone yet.

Keep an eye out for T3’s full Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review, but if you’ve already made your mind up, these are the best Samsung Galaxy S22 pre-order deals.