5 Galaxy S22 Ultra Features That Could Tempt Me From the iPhone

Number 3 could be the clincher!

Next Friday, I’m expecting the delivery of a shiny new Galaxy S22 Ultra.

I’m really rather excited.

This year, I’ve promised myself that I’ll broaden my horizons and look beyond the walled garden of Apple’s admittedly sticky ecosystem. It’s why I used a Motorola phone during a recent trip to the English Lake District, and why I’m training myself to reach for a Windows laptop rather than my trusty MacBook Air.

But this is different. I’ve wanted a Galaxy Note for years.

And, come on, Samsung, we all know that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is actually a Galaxy Note.

I’ll be running the No- sorry, Samsung’s latest flagship in tandem with my iPhone 13 mini. It’s the smartphone equivalent of Twins, I know, but it will give me the chance to see which of the two platforms I prefer.

Could I finally be tempted away from the iPhone?

Here are five Galaxy S22 Ultra features I’m looking forward to the most.

1. The ‘Note’ experience

There have been countless times in the past where I’ve nearly pulled the trigger on a Galaxy Note. Alas, when the 2017 version made everything within a three-meter radius catch fire, I decided to stick with what I knew.

I love the iPhone, but it has become rather intrinsic, and intrinsic can be boring.

There’s something about the Note experience, which has now clearly been transferred into Samsung’s S line of smartphones. It has a cult following, too — S Pen aficionados who undertake virtually every task on their near tablet-sized phone, and who will not switch from the Note for love nor money.

I like that.

Watching from afar, the Note experience looks fascinating and incredibly tempting. You feel left out if you’re not in the Note Club.

I want in.

2. A bigger screen

Yes — I know I’ve rambled on incessantly about how wonderful the iPhone 13 mini is.

Hear me out.

I’ve really been enjoying that Moto G200. It’s a ludicrously long phone (you could practically surf on it), but having used the iPhone 13 mini’s screen for so long, it’s been quite nice to occasionally switch to an all-encompassing screen.

But the S22 Ultra’s AMOLED screen looks like something else entirely. Not only is it massive, but it’s practically bezel-free and features lots of exciting screen tech including 1,750 nits of peak brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and something called Vision booster for better outdoor viewing.

I can’t wait to experience it.

Despite this, I hate the way the G200 feels in my pocket, and I do wonder if it’ll be the same with the S22 Ultra. We shall see if the benefits of the screen outweigh its potentially trouser-destroying antics.

3. The S Pen

I’m now a full digital note-taking convert. This is thanks mainly to the brilliant iPad mini, but I’m also currently testing the reMarkable 2 tablet, which is essentially a Kindle you can write on.

But the other reason I’ve always wanted a Galaxy Note is because of that S Pen. It’s the only smartphone I’ve ever seen with a stylus that looks genuinely useful.

Indeed, as noted earlier, it appears to be the main draw for most members of the Note Club.

Whether or not the S22 Ultra’s screen is too small to be used for all of my note-taking duties remains to be seen, but I do like the idea of having something in my pocket onto which I can quickly jot down ideas or shopping lists whenever the need strikes.

Of course, the S Pen may also spend most of its life encased within the phone, rarely seeing the light of day. If it does, that raises huge question marks over the point of the Ultra in the S22 lineup (for me, at least).

4. Samsung’s take on Android

Since the ninth iteration of Android, Samsung has slapped its own ‘skin’ on top of Google’s mobile operating system. Known as ‘One UI’, it follows various attempts by the electronics behemoth to customise Android for its user base.

Those attempts haven’t always been particularly successful or popular. I remember using older versions of Samsung’s previous take on Android; known as TouchWiz, it was, to put it mildly, horrible. What a stupid name, too.

Samsung Experience did a slightly better job for Android 7 and 8, but the general consensus seems to be that they’ve finally struck gold with One UI.

I’ve never experienced it in the flesh. More importantly, the only experience I’ve had with Android over the last two years has been of the stock variety thanks to the brilliant Pixel 4a and Motorola’s admirable lack of tweakage on its G series.

I like trying new things, though. I’m also rather bored of iOS.

So, once again, bring it on.

5. The unexpected surprises

Whenever I review a piece of technology that sits outside of my normal tech stack, I’m always pleasantly surprised by something entirely unexpected.

It’ll be a feature that’s buried at the bottom of the spec sheet, or something that I’d previously written off. For instance, the presence of a high refresh rate screen on the Moto G200 was an unexpected delight, despite me having shunned the importance of ProMotion on the iPhone 13 Pro.

I’ve picked out the obvious stuff above. The screen, S Pen, and Samsung’s One UI are all obvious points of differentiation for the iPhone comparison. But what am I not aware of that’s nestled within that S22 Ultra’s huge frame?

I’ll report back as soon as I’ve spent some time with it.

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Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on February 17, 2022.