Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $280 | $499 |
| Our rating | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 25W | 45W |
| RAM (max) | 16 GB | — |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.8 in | 6.8 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 108 MP | 108 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 227 g | 228 g |
| Released | Jan 2021 | Feb 2022 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is ahead on our rating, weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is ahead on wired charging.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels (WQHD+) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Features | Always-on display, adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate | — |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 | Android 12, upgradable to Android 14 (One UI 6.1) |
| Chipset (International) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) | — |
| Chipset (USA/China) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | — |
| CPU (Exynos) | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) | — |
| CPU (Snapdragon) | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | — |
| GPU (Exynos) | Mali-G78 MP14 | — |
| GPU (Snapdragon) | Adreno 660 | — |
| Chipset | — | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - USA/China; Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - Europe/International |
| CPU | — | Octa-core (Snapdragon: 1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510; Exynos: 1x2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | — | Adreno 730 (Snapdragon); Xclipse 920 (Exynos) |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Storage | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Type | UFS 3.1 | — |
| RAM | — | 8GB, 12GB |
| Card slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Quad | 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video | 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Features | Dual video call, Auto-HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion, non-removable |
| Charging | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless | 45W wired (advertised), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Capacity | — | 5000 mAh |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight | 227g (Sub6), 229g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) | 228g / 229g (mmWave) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | — |
| SIM | — | Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM) |
| IP Rating | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| GPS | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | January 14, 2021 | February 9, 2022 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, January 29 | Available. Released February 25, 2022 |
Frequently asked questions
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 227 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus 228 g for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra — Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus Feb 2022 for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 9/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 8/10.