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BatteryThe brand new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) is a phone of superlatives. Samsung says the Exynos 2200 chipset is its fastest ever and the 6.8-inch display is its brightest display to date. The S22 Ultra is also the first S-series model to come with a built-in S-Pen, a feature that has previously been exclusive to the Note series.
In the camera array, the primary module uses a 108MP sensor, which in low light combines nine pixels into one for a very large 2.4μm pixel size. There is also a 12MP ultra-wide camera and two dedicated tele cameras. Medium-range tele duties are taken over by a 3x lens with 10MP resolution. For more extreme tele magnifications, a 10x periscope-style module is available. The primary camera also features an ultra-low reflection nano-coating, which is designed to reduce lens flare.
In video mode, the S22 Ultra is capable of recording 8K footage at 24 frames per second or 4K resolution files at up to 60 fps. The specs surely look impressive. Let’s see how they translate into real-life images and have a look at the DXOMARK Camera test results.
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 108 MP 1/1.33″ sensor, 0.8μm pixels, 85-degree field of view, f/1.8-aperture lens, OIS, PDAF
- Ultra-wide: 12MP 1/2.55″ sensor, 1.4μm pixels, 120-degree field of view, f/2.2-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF
- Tele 1: 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12μm pixels, 11-degree field of view, f/4.9-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, 10x optical zoom
- Tele 2: 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12μm pixels, 36-degree field of view, f/2.4-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, 3x optical zoom
- Laser AF
- 8K up to 24fps, 4K up to 60fps, 1080p at 60fps (tested at 4K/30fps)
- HDR10+ video (available as an option turned-off by default in advanced video recording settings, not tested)
About DXOMARK Camera tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 3000 test images and more than 2.5 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. This article is designed to highlight the most important results of our testing. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera test protocol, click here. More details on how we score smartphone cameras are available here.
Test summary
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
15th
14th
Pros
- Pleasant white balance and colors in all conditions
- Good exposure in most scenes, wide dynamic range
- Natural simulated bokeh effect
- Nice colors and exposure at all zoom settings
- Fast and smooth autofocus in video
- Good exposure and wide dynamic range in bright light and indoor video
- Nice color and skin tones in video
- Good video stabilization when walking while recording
Cons
- Slow autofocus for photos in many lighting conditions
- Occasional local loss of detail in dark areas of HDR scenes
- Luminance noise in most lighting conditions
- Image artifacts, including ringing, ghosting and hue shift
- Slight shadow clipping and unstable white balance in low light videos
- Inconsistent sharpness between video frames when the camera is moving while recording, especially in low light
- Texture artifacts in high-contrast video scenes
With a DXOMARK Camera score of 131, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) does not quite make it into the top flight in our smartphone camera ranking but performs overall well and delivers some improvements over its predecessor, the S21 Ultra, for example in video and zoom. But it cannot quite keep up with the best in class in areas such as texture/noise or night photography.
In photo mode, the camera does well, especially for color and exposure. Images show nice colors and a wide dynamic range. However, some luminance noise is usually noticeable, and the level of detail is not quite up with the best. Our testers also observed strong ringing artifacts in all conditions, and a ghosting effect can often be seen when capturing high-contrast scenes.
The ultra-wide camera produces similar results to the S21 Ultra in some ways but has been improved in low light, thanks to more effective noise reduction. When using the tele zoom, target exposure is accurate and white balance neutral in bright light and indoors at all tele settings. At close range, the level of captured detail is a little lower, when compared with competitors such as the Huawei P50 Pro or Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra, but at medium and long range, the S22 Ultra is on par, despite some artifacts. At very long tele settings, the S22 Ultra does well, thanks to its dedicated 10x tele camera.
In video mode, the S22 Ultra does well in bright light and under typical indoor conditions. The camera generally exposes well, and dynamic range is impressive, particularly in the highlights. Skin tones, color in general and white balance are nice, but tone mapping can result in too strong saturation in some HDR scenes. The autofocus works swiftly and smoothly, precisely tracking the subjects in a video scene. Video stabilization is generally effective when walking while recording, but a jello effect can become noticeable when panning quickly. Low-light video clips leave a little room for improvement. Our testers observed some shadow clipping and suboptimal white balance adaptation. There are also differences in sharpness between frames when walking in low light.
Photo
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) achieves a Photo score of 134. In this section, we take a closer look at each sub-attribute and compare image quality against competitors.
Exposure and Contrast
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
99
111
In these tests, we analyze target exposure, contrast, and dynamic range, including repeatability across a series of images. Tests are undertaken in a wide range of light conditions, including backlit scenes and low light down to 1 lux. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra delivers a good target exposure in all conditions combined with a pretty wide dynamic range. In this backlit portrait shot, the face is correctly exposed on all cameras. The S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro maintain good detail in both highlight and shadow areas of the frame. The S21 Ultra shows some highlight clipping in the sky and shadow clipping in the subject’s beard.
In some situations, the S22 Ultra overexposes the image, which results in strong highlight clipping.
When measuring in the lab, target exposure is generally accurate, especially in low-light conditions where many other devices have a tendency to underexpose. In turn, target exposure is slightly high in bright light. The same is true for the S21 Ultra.
This graph shows lightness measured on the 18% gray patch of the Colorchecker against the light level (in lux) for multiple lighting conditions. Lightness is measured in L*. The white area represents the region where the lightness is considered correct.
Color
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
105
107
In these tests, we analyze color rendering, skin tones, white balance, and color shading, including repeatability across a series of images. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra generally produces a pleasantly warm white balance and vivid colors with accurate skin tones. In this outdoor scene, all three cameras deliver nice color rendering. The iPhone 13 Pro colors are slightly less saturated, with a slight yellow touch, but still acceptable.
In low light, the S22 Ultra produces warm color casts with an orange hue. The iPhone image is pleasantly warm, with a less pronounced hue. The S21 Ultra on the other hand has a tendency to show a more unnatural pink cast.
Autofocus
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
94
109
In these tests, we analyze autofocus accuracy and shooting time, including repeatability, in the lab. We test focus failures, depth of field, and tracking of moving subjects using perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra can be slow to capture the image, which means you might miss a decisive moment. The iPhone 13 Pro, on the other hand, uses a Zero Shutter Lag (ZSL) strategy, continuously buffering images even before the trigger is pressed, ensuring the capture of the right moment.
This graph plots edge acutance against shooting time measured on the AFHDR set up on a series of pictures. All pictures are taken at 100 lux with TL84 illuminant, handheld, 500ms after the target is defocused. Edge acutance is measured on the four edges of the Deadleaves, shooting time is measured on an LED Universal Timer.
This sample illustrates the capture delay we have seen in the graph above. In this test scene, the shot is always triggered when the model passes through the door frame. When shooting with the S22 Ultra, the image is sometimes captured after the model has come through the door frame. The exact point of capture is not repeatable across consecutive shots.
In this test scene, the model is walking towards the photographer who triggers the shutter button at the exact moment the model is passing through the door.
The camera should capture the shot at this exact moment or very slightly before or after. On the iPhone image, we see that the model has not yet passed through the door, which illustrates the measurements in the graph above: The iPhone 13 Pro has a negative shutter lag of approximately 100-200ms. The Samsung on the other hand has a slight delay, which varies between acceptable (left image below) and a little longer (center image). This again confirms the measurements in the graph above.
Texture
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
98
111
In these tests we analyze texture on faces and objects, including objects in motion, in a range of light conditions, using several lab test setups and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
The level of detail captured by the S22 Ultra is quite similar to the S21 Ultra. The iPhone 13 Pro remains slightly better, providing more natural rendering of fine details. In the example below, we can also see that the S22 Ultra sometimes locally loses details in dark areas.
In lab measurements, the S22 Ultra shows fairly good acutance in most tested conditions. When mounted on the tripod the S22 Ultra texture values are close to the S21 Ultra across all light levels but lower than the iPhone 13 Pro in bright light. When the phone is handheld, there is a big drop in performance below 100 lux. In real-life scenes, we have seen some texture rendering instabilities at this light level.
The S21 Ultra is more reliable in both tripod-mounted and handheld use but loses almost all detail below 5 lux. On the iPhone 13 Pro, the difference between handheld and tripod is much smaller, and the Apple camera is more reliable in all conditions.
This graph shows DMC detail preservation against the light level (in lux) for handheld and tripod-mounted shooting.
DMC detail preservation metric is an AI-based texture analysis trained on three selected crops of our DXOMARK chart. The closer the value is to 100 the higher is detail preservation.
Noise
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
72
102
In these tests, we analyze noise on faces and objects, including objects in motion, in a range of light conditions, using several lab test setups and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
In the lab, the S22 Ultra noise measurements are higher than the S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro above 20 lux.
This graph shows visual noise against the light level (in lux) when the camera is handheld. The visual noise metric is the mean of visual noise measurement on all patches of the Deadleaves chart in the AFHDR setup.
In this outdoor scene, luminance noise is more intrusive than on the comparison devices.
In low light, noise reduction is sometimes not working effectively, resulting in coarse luminance noise.
Bokeh
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
75
80
For these tests, we switch to the camera’s bokeh or portrait mode and analyze depth estimation, bokeh shape, blur gradient, and repeatability, as well as all other general image quality attributes mentioned above. The score is derived from perceptual analysis of real-life images.
In bokeh mode, the three comparison devices use different equivalent focal lengths. We measured an equivalent focal length of 66mm for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is fairly close to a typical portrait lens. The iPhone at 78mm is even better in this regard, but the S21 Ultra falls somewhat short at 43mm. The S22 Ultra delivers a natural-looking bokeh effect, with a nice blur gradient and good subject isolation from the background. Some segmentation artifacts can be visible, though.
Night
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
65
82
In these tests, we shoot a selection of images in pitch-black darkness as well as with city lights in the background providing some illumination. We shoot sample images with the camera at default settings in both flash-auto and flash-off modes. We analyze all image quality attributes but we pay particular attention to exposure, autofocus, and color. We do not test night modes that have to be activated manually.
In terms of night shots, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has noticeably improved over its predecessor, the S21 Ultra, with a better texture/noise trade-off. White balance is more neutral than on the iPhone 13 Pro, which records lower noise levels.
Artifacts
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
62
77
In these tests, we check images for optical artifacts such as vignetting, flare, lens softness in the corners, distortion, and chromatic aberrations, as well as for processing artifacts such as ghosting and fusion errors, hue shift, and ringing.
On the S22 Ultra, ringing is often visible on high-contrast edges. This is better under control on the S21 Ultra and also less intrusive on the iPhone.
Ghosting can be visible in scenes with motion, especially in low light.
Preview
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
68
80
In these tests, we analyze the image quality of the preview image and the differences between preview images and captured images, particularly in terms of exposure, dynamic range, and bokeh effect. We also check the smoothness of the field-of-view changes in the preview image when zooming with both buttons or when using the pinch-zoom gesture.
Preview performance on the S22 Ultra is similar to its predecessor S21 Ultra, but the newer model achieves a higher score, thanks to delivering better photo quality.
Target exposure on portraits, when in the preview image, is acceptable in all tested conditions. This is a considerable improvement over the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which underexposes the subject in some light conditions, especially in low light (20 lux).
This graph shows measurements of the average lightness of the face in the preview of the camera app. Measurements are done on the face of the realistic mannequin in our Portrait HDR setup and are shot in different lighting conditions.
Lighting conditions are defined by different illuminance levels, and by the differences in luminance between the forehead of the mannequin and the backlight panel (expressed in ΔEV).
Zoom
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) achieves a Zoom score of 86. The Zoom score includes the tele and wide sub-scores. In this section, we take a closer look at how these sub-scores were achieved and compare zoom image quality against the competitors.
This graph explains some of our testing procedures for zoom image quality and shows the focal lengths for the different camera modules in several devices. Equivalent focal length is on the x-axis of the graph. The colored dots indicate the focal length of the ultra-wide, primary and tele camera modules in each device. The black crosses show all focal lengths at which our testers capture sample shots for analysis.
As you can see, the S22 Ultra has in terms of focal length a very similar camera setup to the S21 Ultra — a 13mm ultra-wide and two tele lenses at 70 and 230mm respectively in addition to the primary camera. This strategy is quite different from the Apple iPhone 13 Pro, which only uses a single 77mm tele module. This hardware allows the S22 Ultra to capture better detail at very long tele settings.
Wide
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
48
58
In these tests, we analyze the performance of the ultra-wide camera at several focal lengths from 12 to 20 mm. We look at all image quality attributes, but we pay particular attention to such artifacts as chromatic aberrations, lens softness, and distortion.
When shooting with the ultra-wide camera target exposure is accurate in most conditions. White balance and skin tones are generally accurate as well.
Tele
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
112
140
In these tests we analyze all image quality attributes at focal lengths from approximately 40 to 300 mm, paying particular attention to texture and detail. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
At long-range tele (170mm for this sample) both the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra capture good detail at the center of the frame. However, texture drops off significantly towards the edges. This is because the camera uses image fusion, capturing the center portion of the image with the 10x tele module (230mm equivalent) and filling the rest with the 3x module. The iPhone image shows less detail at the center of the frame.
When it comes to very long-range tele shots, the S22 Ultra does quite well, thanks to its 230mm equivalent 10x tele lens. Detail is even slightly better than on the class-leading Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra.
At medium-range tele zoom (90mm equivalent focal length) and in low light, the S22 Ultra sometimes does not use its 3x tele module and uses the primary camera instead. This results in a fairly low texture/noise trade-off. The S21 Ultra does the same in this scene, but the iPhone 13 Pro captures higher levels of detail.
The average resolution graph confirms the results we have seen above and the S22 Ultra’s good performance at very long tele settings. It shows the resolution obtained at different zoom factors. The Apple iPhone 13 Pro captures a similar level of detail around 90mm but cannot match the Samsung hardware at closer and longer ranges. However, the Huawei P50 Pro has better resolution across all tele zoom settings, thanks to its 64MP 90mm camera module.
In the lab tests, we can also see that the S22 Ultra has slightly improved over the S21 Ultra, delivering a slightly better resolution with a very similar texture/noise trade-off.
Video
In our Video tests, we analyze the same image quality attributes as for still images, such as exposure, color, texture or noise, but we also include such temporal aspects as speed, and smoothness and stability of exposure, white balance, and autofocus transitions.
NOTE: The sample video clips in this section are best viewed at 4K resolution.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) achieves a Video score of 114. A device’s overall Video score is derived from its performance and results across a range of attributes in the same way as the Photo score. In this section, we take a closer look at these sub-scores and compare video image quality against competitors.
Exposure and Contrast
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
107
118
When recording, video target exposure is generally accurate with a wide dynamic range in most bright light and indoor scenes. In this outdoor portrait scene, both cameras do a good job in terms of target exposure and contrast in bright areas. However, if we focus on the subject’s beard, the iPhone preserves better detail in the shadows.
In low-light scenes, faces can be slightly underexposed, especially on dark skin tones. In this sample, target exposure on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is lower than on the iPhone 13 Pro, especially on the dark-skinned model. There is also an unexpected change in exposure. The iPhone’s auto exposure system performs in a more stable way in comparison.
Color
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
101
107
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra renders skin tones nicely and delivers a pleasant white balance in video.
Autofocus
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
107
109
Video autofocus is one of the main strengths of S22 Ultra. In this difficult low light scene, the Samsung always maintains the subject’s face in focus, without any autofocus breathing. The iPhone 13 Pro does equally well.
Texture
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
84
99
Generally, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra delivers high levels of detail in video mode, but in this outdoor scene, we can see that the Apple iPhone 13 Pro does better.
In high-contrast scenes, texture artifacts can be visible. In this indoor scene, we can see some scene integrity artifacts in the shape of face deformation.
Noise
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
94
105
Noise is overall well controlled in the S22 Ultra’s video output. In most lighting conditions, noise levels are slightly higher compared to the iPhone 13 Pro.
Artifacts
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
78
85
For video artifacts, we check for the same kinds of artifacts mentioned in the Photo section, along with such video-specific artifacts as frame rate variation in different light conditions, judder effect, and moving artifacts (artifacts such as aliasing, color quantization, and flare can often be more intrusive when moving than in a still image).
In S22 Ultra video clips, aliasing artifacts can be visible on areas of high-frequency detail. In this high-contrast lab scene, aliasing is more noticeable on the S22 Ultra than on the iPhone 13 Pro.
Stabilization
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
100
103
In these tests, we analyze residual motion when handholding the camera during recording, as well as when walking and running with the camera. We also look for stabilization artifacts such as jello effect, sharpness differences between frames, and frame shift (abrupt changes of framing).
Video stabilization works effectively when walking while recording. In this outdoor scene, the S22 Ultra stabilization does a good job. The same is true for the iPhone 13 Pro.
Sharpness differences between frames can be noticeable, especially when recording in low light. In this sample, the effect is more visible on the S22 Ultra than on the iPhone 13 Pro.
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