It's easy to get carried away and lose sight of just how far we've come in the smartphone world. Apple's iPhone 14 is 7.8 millimeters thick but can communicate directly with satellites, boasts photographic talents that eclipse dedicated cameras and action cams, and does so starting at just $799.

Improved low-light camera performance, Clever safety features (you hope you won't need)

Improvements feel evolutionary, eSIM may prove a headache, iPhone 13 offers much the same for $100 less

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best yet with heaps of power, great camera, S Pen and much more. Starting from $1849 you need a use case.

S Pen is fast, but you need to use it!, Great screen still 16.7M colours, Four years of major software updates, Excellent camera all around, It is a Galaxy S series, and all that goes with it

45W charger required and fast charge not class-leading, Less RAM than S21 Ultra, No microSD or 3.5mm, The base price of $1849 belies the fact that you really need to spend $2149-$2499 to get 12GB/512GB/1TB, Samsung artificially throttles 10,000 apps without telling you

The iPhone 14 is better than its predecessor, but it's also more expensive and doesn't have many significant upgrades.

Even faster, with a better camera and more features.

Charger is optional. Lacks telephoto lens. Price has been increased.

With an integrated S Pen. With the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Samsung combines the top models of the S and the Note series. The smartphone uses high-end components in all areas and splurges in superlatives. Find out in our test, whether this combination succeeds and where there might be some problem areas.

very bright and accurate display, 5G, Wi-Fi 6E and eSIM, will get updates for a long time, S Pen included, IP68 certification, great voice quality

storage not expandable, lack of audio codecs for Bluetooth, adaptive display only between 24 - 120 Hz at this point, weak gaming performance, 5 GHz WLAN not particularly fast

No matter what camp you land on in the Android market, you have to admit that Samsung is the king. The company has a long history of being the most competent and successful Android phone maker.

So should you buy the Galaxy S22 Ultra? That's a bit of a tough one. The S22 Ultra does not feel like an S series phone, it feels like a Note. So for Note users and those who appreciate the S Pen, well, it's the newest and pretty much only option in town. And a super powerful one at that!

S Pen in a flagship, great for creatives, Industry-leading screen quality, Faster charging than before, 10X zoom camera is improved significantly, Video recording gets smoother stabilization, 4 years of major software updates!

Battery life has gone down from the S21 Ultra, You get less RAM than last year, No microSD card slot, no headphone jack, Loudspeaker quality could be better, Jittery swiping, microstutter with gesture nav in One UI

Editor's Choice: The Galaxy S22 Ultra offers new Note-inspired features, but otherwise isn't that different from the S21 Ultra.

It may be a year old, but the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is still a tempting phone with impressive capabilities in a rather large package. Most of it still works fantastically well, and importantly, it’s dropped in price since the release of the S23 Ultra.

Stunning display with fantastic detail and brightness, Versatile camera system with impressive zoom, Good low-light camera performance, Fast charging, Promise of many years of updates, You don’t want sacrifices: This is a phone that packs everything possible.

Battery life should be better, Design a step backward, You need to buy the fast charger separately, You’re concerned about size: This phone is big and it takes a strong grasp to comfortably hold it.

The new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the perfect hybrid between the mainstream S series and more niche Note with its built-in stylus.

Chic design, Outstanding cameras, Real performer

Too big for some hands, Unexceptional battery life

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the perfect upgrade for existing Galaxy Note users, offering the same design language, a built-in S Pen slot and more. Throw in flagship specs including a WQHD+ 120Hz display, one of the best camera setups around and Samsung’s Exynos 2200 and you’ve got a very...

Incredible S Pen performance, Buttery-smooth, ultra-bright display, All-day battery life, Impressive camera performance

Expensive, Exynos 2200 isn’t as powerful as 8 Gen 1, Slower charging than key rivals, Can be hard to hold one-handed