Earlier this year, Samsung introduced its usual annual updates for its Galaxy S range.
They announced the iterative and beautiful S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra (the latter praised for finally adding the coveted S-Pen stylus to the Galaxy S series for the first time).
However, a few people were shocked by the price, given the improvements made this year – a staggering £1,149 for the base model of the S22 Ultra.
Which got us thinking… given the cost of living crisis, socio-economic pressures and, most importantly, our mission to go green and recycle phones: is it really worth the price of a similar used device?
Here at IAOSIOS, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 128GO refurbished brand price is €491.99.
What is it? The Samsung Note 20 Ultra is time to flex.
S-Pen? Yes.
Incredible Zoom camera? Yes.
Big, beautiful AMOLED screen with excellent battery life? Yes.
At iaosios, we don’t care about technical specifications.
What counts for us, for you, is the actual experience.
How does it feel, what can the software do, how will the pictures of my dog come out?
Samsung S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra – Camera comparison
Let’s start with the camera.
Right off the bat, you’ll have no problem with either of these cameras when you’re taking a quick photo, but for discerning photographers, you may notice a little difference.
The image below (Note 20 Ultra) features nicely enhanced saturation, which really enhances detail and makes it an affordable camera worthy of Instagram.
What’s more, the laser autofocus really helped us get a quick shot in a moving environment.
The S22 Ultra doesn’t seem to capture as much detail and mutes a lot of colors. It’s not the best camera for taking a quick photo for social media, but if you like editing your photos, the S22 Ultra might be the best for you.
The S22 Ultra also boasts a sensor 1.7 times larger, giving it a slight advantage for low-light shots, but not as much as you’d expect given the price difference.
If you’re simply looking for a decent everyday camera, we’ll unfortunately have to opt for the Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra – S-Pen display AND features
Finally, Samsung has stopped hogging the S Pen for Note users, and introduced it to the Galaxy S range. Although only present on the S22 Ultra, it’s a start.
But is there a difference with the Note 20 Ultra?
No. Well, mostly no.
Even though the S22’s S-Pen offers slightly faster writing speed thanks to faster connectivity, we didn’t notice any difference on a day-to-day basis. We even noticed that the Note 20 Ultra’s S-Pen lasted a little longer, although it’s unlikely that you’ll need to recharge the S-Pen while you’re using it (it charges inside the device, which is very convenient).
Now, of course, you want to know more about that glass plate you interact with every day: the screen.
In terms of size, you get essentially the same screen with only 0.1 inches difference between the two – and both support a 120HZ refresh rate (if that’s a load of technology for you – it makes your screen look really smooth).
The only advantage of the S22 Ultra is that it supports LTPO refresh rates, which means it can lower the rate when the screen isn’t in motion (for example, reading an online article).
Finally, for intensive users, the Note 20 Ultra offers expandable storage space, which is no longer the case with recent Android devices.
Not only do you have more space for your music, videos and so on, but if you’re a budding photographer or filmmaker, you can swap memory cards at will. The new phones are yours!
Samsung S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra – Battery life
These days, many phones lie about the weight of the device, because you usually need to carry a power bank to get you through the day, whether scrolling through the news, sharing memes, making video calls or streaming TV.
But not with these two.
We admit that we’ve put these two devices through their paces, and they may not reflect how you typically use them over the course of a day, but that’s a good thing.
In our own one-day usage tests, we got home around 7pm after a long day of calls, texts, photos and videos and the typical commute, watching YouTube and listening to music, with around 50% battery life on the S22 Ultra, and around 40% on the Note 20 Ultra.
Basically, you’ll have no trouble getting through a normal day with either of these devices, but we admit there’s a slight advantage for the S22.
Samsung S22 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra – which is better?
The S22 Ultra adds a few handy features – a little more battery life, 100x zoom instead of 50x on the Note 20 Ultra – but you’re paying a hefty price for more modest, iterative upgrades.
If you’re still interested in the S22, we’d strongly recommend waiting for it to hit the refurbished market to keep the cost down (and picking up an existing phone rather than buying a new one).
So we have a winner,
In the end, the Note 20 Ultra is our big winner, and by far the best value for money.
Not only does the Note 20 Ultra offer a few extra advantages (apart from the price 😍 ), but you also get the same benefits as buying a new phone when you opt for IAOSIOS!
