Productivity powerhouse
There’s no denying that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is essentially the most feature-rich machine of the yr. It has the perfect display of any telephone I utilized in 2022, a beautiful design that turns heads, excellent cameras, and all-day battery life with quick wired and wi-fi charging. As an added bonus, you get an built-in stylus that is nice for note-taking and as a distant shutter button for the cameras. Combine that with class-leading updates and the Galaxy S22 Ultra continues to be a real powerhouse.
Fabulous all-rounder
The iPhone 14 Pro takes a well-recognized design with a number of modifications on the entrance. The Dynamic Island makes the cutout much less distracting and the zone is interactive, making it that rather more helpful. The inside {hardware} is among the many better of any telephone at this time, the brand new 48MP digital camera takes implausible images, and also you get extra software program updates than the Galaxy S22 Ultra and some other Android machine. The iPhone 14 Pro is a robust showcase when you’re desirous about seeing what iOS has to supply.
Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Design and display
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We’re previous the purpose the place we get drastic design modifications within the high-end class, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro construct on design languages which can be well-established. I significantly like what Samsung has carried out with the Galaxy S22 Ultra because it jogs my memory numerous the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra — that telephone in Mystic Bronze was certainly one of my favourite designs of the final three years, and Samsung did an excellent job recreating it for 2022.
Just just like the Note 20 Ultra, Samsung went with a chic colour for the S22 Ultra this yr, and the Burgundy variant seems to be gorgeous. The S22 Ultra stands out within the S22 sequence and its Android rivals due to the distinctive design, and after utilizing all 2022 flagships, I’m assured in saying that that is my favourite design of the yr. The dual-curved design does an important job maximizing the display actual property, and the matte end over the glass again is nice to carry and ensures smudges do not present up.
My solely quibble with the S22 Ultra is the scale of the factor; that is the most important conventional flagship I used this yr, and the width and weight of the machine is noticeable. Samsung did an important job with weight distribution, however at 228g, the S22 Ultra is an absolute unit. This is the place the iPhone 14 Pro comes into its personal; the telephone is not significantly gentle at 208g, however it’s considerably simpler to carry and use due to the smaller display — it is an entire 15.8mm shorter.
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The iPhone 14 Pro has the identical design as its predecessor, with flat sides, a sizeable digital camera island with giant rings across the three modules, and a frosted glass again with a matte texture. While there aren’t many modifications on the again, this can be a design that also seems to be unmistakably premium. You do not get a lot in the way in which of ports, and the U.S. model of the iPhone 14 Pro does not also have a SIM card slot. I’m irritated that the machine nonetheless makes use of the Lightning port to cost, however that fortunately ought to change with the following era.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a twin SIM card tray as normal in international markets (the U.S. will get a single-SIM model), and one of many causes for its heft is the built-in stylus tucked into the underside. As a giant fan of the Galaxy Note sequence, I’m glad that Samsung discovered a strategy to reintroduce the stylus with the S22 Ultra, and it’s simply as versatile in day by day use. You can use the stylus to take notes, doodle, annotate textual content, and invoke air gestures. My favourite use case is utilizing the stylus as a distant shutter button when taking images — its inclusion makes the S22 Ultra stand out that rather more.
Switching over to the display facet of issues, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has an enormous 6.8-inch QHD+ (3088 x 1440) AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh that’s an absolute delight to make use of. It’s no secret that Samsung’s AMOLED tech is utilized in all flagships, however the model clearly reserves the perfect screens for its personal use, and the S22 Ultra has the perfect total panel of any telephone I utilized in 2022. It has wonderful distinction ranges and colour vibrancy, and an always-on mode with a superb quantity of customizability. The panel has HDR10+ as effectively, and the massive display measurement makes the S22 Ultra a pleasure to make use of for streaming movies.
The iPhone 14 Pro is not missing on this space both, with the 6.1-inch (2556 x 1179) 120Hz OLED panel providing unbelievable colours and Dolby Vision. The smaller display is healthier suited to one-handed use, and the Dynamic Island cutout is not as ungainly as earlier generations. The pill-sized cutout is interactive in that notifications, timers, and music taking part in within the background are surfaced right here, and that makes the zone usable. The iPhone 14 Pro additionally has an always-on mode for the primary time, however I do not like the way in which it really works; the display simply dims on this mode, and I discover it to be distracting.
Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Hardware
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has rather a lot to supply on the {hardware} facet of issues, and though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is not as energy-efficient because the newer Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, it is not brief on energy. The telephone handles something you throw at it with ease, and there is not a situation the place you will see slowdowns. Samsung has carried out a a lot better job this yr tuning its gadgets to take full benefit of the {hardware}, and because of this the Galaxy S22 Ultra is way more clean and fluid in day by day use.
When speaking about {hardware}, the iPhone 14 Pro clearly steals the present. The A16 Bionic is the quickest cellular platform accessible at this time, delivering unbelievable energy for almost any use case. Playing demanding video games is a pleasure on the iPhone 14 Pro, and due to the vertical integration right here, you are not going to see any slowdowns for a number of years.
Elsewhere, each gadgets include 128GB of storage as normal, and you’ll choose up a mannequin with up 1TB of storage. You’re not lacking out on any extras right here: there’s IP68 mud and water resistance on each gadgets, extremely wideband integration, wired and wi-fi charging, and cellular cost providers. I’m not going to speak an excessive amount of concerning the {hardware} as these are among the many greatest telephones on this regard.
There is a transparent distinction in the case of the battery; the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the runaway chief on this space, delivering excellent figures. The iPhone 14 Pro has a smaller battery, and whereas the A16 Bionic is extra environment friendly — being on a 4nm node — these good points do not essentially translate over in real-world utilization. As a consequence, the iPhone 14 Pro does not final anyplace so long as its rivals, and when you’re a heavy consumer, you’ll need to cost the machine earlier than the day’s out. The S22 Ultra does not have any such shortcomings, and the telephone manages to final effectively over a day no matter utilization.
As for charging tech, each telephones have first rate wired and wi-fi charging baked in, and like their rivals, there’s reverse wi-fi charging that can be utilized with the best wireless earbuds and different equipment. Neither machine comes with a charger or cable within the field, so you’ll have to furnish your individual. This is barely much less annoying with the S22 Ultra because the machine depends on USB PD charging tech and has a USB-C port; the iPhone 14 Pro remains to be on the Lightning port, so you’ll need a Lightning cable.
Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Cameras
The major purpose for purchasing both of those telephones is for the cameras, and there’s a lot to love right here. The Galaxy S22 Ultra continues with Samsung’s 108MP module, and it is joined by a 12Mp wide-angle lens with a 120-degree area of view and twin 10MP lenses that ship as much as 10x optical zoom. The iPhone 14 Pro is packing new {hardware} within the type of a 48MP module, and it has a 12MP wide-angle lens that does macros and a 12MP zoom lens that goes as much as 3x.
Both telephones take stellar images in all taking pictures circumstances, however Samsung has the sting in the case of versatility; the S22 Ultra delivers usable pictures at as much as 10x. That mentioned, the iPhone 14 Pro is in a dominant place for video recording — there is not an Android machine that comes shut on this regard.
Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Software
Samsung is doing all the best issues on the software program entrance, and it has set the bar excessive for different Android producers. The Galaxy S22 Ultra launched with One UI 4.1 based mostly on Android 12, and the machine has switched to Android 13 a number of weeks after Google launched the secure construct. The One UI 5 replace has a well-recognized interface and does not differ an excessive amount of to its predecessor, however you get all of the refinements Google added in Android 13, and some extras, together with higher lock display customization, new multitasking and digital camera options, and notification tweaks.
For its half, the iPhone 14 Pro has rather a lot to supply on this space as effectively. iOS 16 provides much-needed tweaks to the lock display and notifications, and whereas the interface hasn’t acquired a lot in the way in which of polish, it’s fashionable and has numerous helpful options. Samsung has been ridiculed for displaying advertisements on its high-end Galaxy telephones, and iOS 16 now has the identical problem — you will see advertisements in Weather, News, and so forth — I do not like what number of advertisements there are within the interface now.
And when you’re used to Android, there’s a studying curve with iOS, significantly round notification administration. That mentioned, options like Focus mode go a great distance in snoozing pointless notifications all through the day, and for essentially the most half, there’s characteristic parity between iOS and Android now.
When it involves updates, the iPhone 14 Pro will choose up another platform replace than the S22 Ultra, and that is superb. The incontrovertible fact that Samsung has closed the gulf on this space is an achievement in and of itself, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra has acquired one platform replace and is slated to select up three additional updates together with 5 years of safety patches.
Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Which must you purchase?
Whenever I pit an Android flagship towards an iPhone, I’m reminded that the 2 platforms aren’t as totally different as they was once. You’ll discover a feature-rich interface on each gadgets, together with the newest {hardware}, standout cameras, and all of the extras you may ask for.
I just like the design of the Galaxy S22 Ultra higher than the iPhone 14 Pro; Samsung did a very excellent job with the design this yr, and the telephone is without doubt one of the greatest I’ve ever used. While the iPhone 14 Pro normally will get brighter for HDR content material, I just like the display of the S22 Ultra slightly extra; the bigger floor space mixed with the curved edges make it a implausible alternative for streaming movies.
But the iPhone 14 Pro is within the apparent lead in the case of the {hardware} facet of issues, with the A16 Bionic towering over something that Qualcomm has to supply in the meanwhile. The S22 Ultra isn’t any slouch on this space, nevertheless it does not fairly have the identical grunt. That mentioned, you get a bigger battery on the S22 Ultra, and the telephone lasts rather a lot longer — there’s completely no battery anxiousness right here, in contrast to the iPhone 14 Pro.
Both telephones have a robust digital camera bundle, and the iPhone 14 Pro wins out in the case of video recording; there’s nonetheless no equal on Android. Both gadgets do an excellent job with nonetheless images, and also you get a flexible set of cameras that take wonderful pictures in any state of affairs. If I had to decide on, I’d go together with the S22 Ultra for nonetheless images and the iPhone 14 Pro for movies.
The S22 Ultra now prices the identical because the iPhone 14 Pro, and also you get a number of distinctive options with the machine which can be lacking on the iPhone. Of the 2 decisions right here, I’m going with the S22 Ultra, however that is simply my desire — when you’re desirous about switching over, the iPhone 14 Pro has rather a lot to supply.
Productivity powerhouse
With a robust feature-set backed by a beautiful design and class-leading updates, the Galaxy S22 Ultra continues to be a implausible alternative.
Fabulous all-rounder
The iPhone 14 Pro has a well-recognized have a look at the again, however the Dynamic Island cutout on the entrance makes the machine stand out a bit extra, and also you get new cameras that take unbelievable pictures. Combine that with highly effective {hardware}, and also you get a robust total bundle.