I Spent a Week With the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and I Loved It

Image via Complex Original/Kagan McLeod

Whether to send to friends or post on Instagram, I’m constantly snapping photos so it’s necessary for me to have a camera that works well. That’s why I was stoked to learn that high-quality video and photos and the Galaxy S22 Ultra go hand-in-hand. One of the first times I truly put the camera to the test was when I took it with me to see one of my favourite bands in concert. Anyone who’s ever gone to an indoor show knows the often-used colourful, flashing lights and hazy smoke effects can make it difficult to capture any decent content. And if you’re anything like me and have shaky hands, that also doesn’t help when trying to save photos and videos to look back on in the future—it can end up looking a little like a “found-footage” horror film—if you catch my drift. That’s why I was so impressed with the Auto Focus Video Stabilization on Galaxy S22 Ultra. My video came out effortlessly smooth and captured moments that were clear, steady and unforgettable. Overall, it didn’t take too long for me to figure out all the different camera modes to capture some epic memories.

Because the camera on the Galaxy S22 Ultra has 108MP resolution and Nightography (meaning it performs really well in low-light), most of the concert pics I took of my favourite alt-pop duo came out so crisp, clear, and bright, they looked like they could have been shot by a professional, despite the dim and smoky atmosphere. The Galaxy S22 Ultra captured the colours of the shimmering light display and the bright blue and purple spotlights with ease, while not losing sharpness. It truly felt like having a DSLR in my pocket!

Throughout the week I continued to use the camera to see how it performed in different settings. Next up was longboarding with a friend. Since we are both lowkey bad riders (neither of us are destined to go pro) taking photos and videos is a great way to track our learning progress while also capturing every hilarious #Fail. I’m notoriously ungraceful (especially on wheels) but thanks to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the videos I captured made me look cool even while bailing from my board.

I was too afraid to try filming myself while longboarding in the event that both me and the phone went flying (which I did more than once), so I had my friend step in as photographer. They quickly figured out how to take great shots without any instruction from me and found the set-up intuitive to use. Also, worth calling out the blue light management on the phone which automatically adjusts making it easy for me to review what we captured (a.k.a. my poor form) on the high-resolution display, despite being outdoors. 

And when the sun eventually did go down, the Nightography once again proved to be one of the most exciting features of the camera. The nighttime photos and videos that my friend and I snapped while grabbing much-needed drinks after our longboarding adventures were just as amazing as those taken during the day. Even at an ambient but dimly lit café, content looked premium AF. Wowed, I tried Nightography out again a different night and snapped a bunch of photos of my friends from my high-rise balcony while hanging out. Despite the late hour and lack of lighting, the Toronto skyline ended up looking impressive and clear, with all the buildings glowing subtly, making for an epic backdrop.

Whether in meetings or doing interviews with artists, I’ve always carried around my trusty notebook and pen to jot down ideas or scribble down reminders. This time however, I decided to give the Galaxy S22 Ultra and its integrated S Pen a try while taking notes at an award show. I’ve never loved using any sort of stylus on a phone or tablet—preferring the old-fashioned approach—but figured I would see if it could compare to my pen and paper.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 6.8-inch AMOLED display turned out to be the right size for writing comfortably with the S Pen. I also liked that I could write on it quickly and smoothly without having to whip out my notebook all the time. The S Pen was also so responsive that my writing seemed just like it would have been on paper – I was pretty shocked how well it worked! Despite the chaos of musicians all around me, I was actually so entranced that I scribbled away with enough focus that the only thing that broke my concentration was when the host darted past me in a hot pink suit. 

Another awesome feature on the Galaxy S22 Ultra is something called Samsung DeX, which transforms it into a mini desktop. While working from home all I had to do was connect the phone to my monitor and I could use it to take notes and chat with my co-workers, which is basically a multitasker’s dream. And when I took breaks to scroll on TikTok, it was nice to be able to watch each video on a TV-sized screen.

Image via Samsung Electronics