Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

For the reduced price that comes with a buying last year’s model, I would recommend the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. I like the unique color & appreciate curved screens so no major complaints. Phone is not perfect but is a good purchase when on sale. Pros: • Cameras o Super saturated colors which may not be for everyone but I really prefer them. o Was not sure why there were 2 zoom cameras but the results are fantastic. The pics from far away come out usable. o Softskin on both cameras, not just the selfie. o A slight downside is the quirky camera switching when getting closer to an object. This recenters the picture which can be annoying. • Screen o OLED screen is bright and colorful o Curved screens may not be for everyone but I really like them; this is not quite the dramatic waterfall displays of 2020 phones but still curved enough to add some flair. o 4k screen is sharp. I leave it on 4k even though it uses more battery because I figure I paid extra for all those pixels so might as well use them. • Burgundy Color is not as vibrant as I had hoped but still pleasant overall. Makes the phone standout from the crowd. • Wide variety of cases & accessories available. Cons: • Bloatware o Setting up the phone was much harder than other Android phones I have owned as it keeps trying to get you to create a Samsung account and did not transfer everything from the Google backup, which is what I am used to. o So many unnecessary duplicate Samsung apps that you cannot uninstall. o Several MicroSoft ones too due to their partnership. • Weight is on the hefty side and can sag down your shorts/pants. • No charging block included which is baffling considering the price. • Wifi o It does not always connect so sometimes I have to manually tell it to connect or turn wifi off & back on for it work. o Even you tell it cellular preferred, the phone always uses wifi calling when available. • Bluetooth connection to my car has a lot of weird background noises that I have not experienced with any of my other phones. • Phone will do this weird thing where when you call someone, it connects but you do not hear the other person. A reboot fixes this issue but it happens every few days which is annoying. Not sure if this is Samsung or T-Mobile issue tho mind you. • Microphone o Cannot turn off for just the camera/video like my other phones. You have to pull down the shade and turn it off completely which will then give you pop up warnings that it is off and you cannot do things like make calls. o If you are on a phone call using the microphone, you are not able to take videos which is something my other phones would allow. o In fact, other phones had a button right on the camera screen which allowed you to easily turn the microphone off which would have been nice as it makes the video file smaller. So-So: • Pricey but it has come down after a year. • Battery life is OK but definitely uses a lot more power than any other phone I have had. Will still get you through a day of light use but I am not used to dipping below 50% in a 24 hour period. • One UI skin is not terrible but prefer stock Android o Phone does unnecessary beeps when making & ending a call. o Lock screen notifications are not as detailed making you have have to open them to read more. o No call screening.

Great phone! Works exactly as expected. Over the last 7 months of owning it ive dropped it many times with nothing more than a couple scuffs. Its fast with zero lag. And everyone knows samsung cameras are insanely awesome. Battery life and charging I have no complaints. Reception is better than the galaxy S10 I upgraded from. This S22 Ultra is large and might not be the right pick for someone with smaller hands. I definitely recommend this phone.