Improved processing and new zoom cameras pay off
Samsung’s “ultra” phones don’t cut corners when it comes to the camera hardware. You get the highest resolution sensors, the longest zoom lenses, and none of those useless afterthoughts like a macro camera or depth sensor. The new Galaxy S22 Ultra is no exception, with a more powerful camera setup than the base model S22 and S22+, as well as some improvements over last year’s model. The Ultra has four camera sensors on the back, and all of them do something useful. What can they do? Funny you should ask because we have a few dozen snapshots in our sample gallery for your perusal.
Primary 108MP
The S22 Ultra’s primary camera is 108MP with a Samsung HM3 sensor. We’ve seen this hardware before, but Samsung’s image processing is always changing, with a particular focus on brightness. My initial impression is that the primary shooter does seem improved this year with more natural lighting and rock-solid focus. I’m impressed with the accuracy of its face-tracking, too.
Ultrawide (and macro) 12MP
The Ultra also gets the same ultrawide sensor as last year, the IMX563 at 12MP. It’s not always the number of megapixels, though. This is still a very capable sensor when paired with Samsung’s above-average processing and an f/2.2 aperture. Even pointed right at the sun, the dynamic range is good. The S22 Ultra switches to this camera for macro automatically when you focus on an object close up, which I think is a new feature this year. I’m much happier with the results from this camera than I ever have been with a dedicated macro.
3x telephoto zoom 10MP
The first of Samsung’s two optical zoom levels has 3x magnification with the IMX754, a new sensor for Samsung. This setup has a narrower f/2.4 aperture, which is expected for zoom lenses. It’s only 10MP, but the results are fine as long as you don’t crop.
10x telephoto zoom 10MP
The 10x periscope camera uses the same IMX754 sensor as the 3x, but it has a much longer focal length. It is possible to push the phone to much higher zoom levels (up to 100x), but that’s digital. And as with the 3x module, I don’t think cropping these shots is a good idea—they’ll end up looking too soft. The overall performance looks good, though. Images are bright even with the narrow f/4.9 aperture, show good dynamic range, and the bokeh is excellent.
The variety of focal lengths is what makes this phone shine. The primary camera isn’t new, but the performance does seem improved, particularly in low light. Most of the dog pics above were taken in what I would consider low indoor light. You can get closer to your subject with the periscope, and if you’re somewhere in between, there’s the 3x zoom to help minimize digital zooming. I’ve pulled out a few zoom series from the above sensor-separated galleries to give you a fool of how close the S22 Ultra can get without any digital zoom.
If you want to check out these photos at full resolution, we have a Google Photos album right here.
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