In the run up to the final official unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, I was hyped after getting a phone that was supposed to be the spiritual successor of the Galaxy Note phones, which was pretty much killed after the Galaxy Note 20.
And luckily Samsung delivered it with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, nicely mixing the best parts of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, as well as adding some tweaks. With its latest flagship, Samsung has created one of the best Android phones and in fact one of the best phones you can buy right now. Still, I’m overwhelmed.
When I got my fingers in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, I fully expected it would pull me away from an increasingly beloved iPhone 13 Pro, as I am a naturally big Android phone fan. But that did not happen thanks to the amazing consistency of the iPhone 13 Pro experience.
So instead, I expected the Galaxy S22 Ultra to become my favorite Android phone, replacing the excellent but at times tough Google Pixel 6 Pro. After all, I love the design of the S22 Ultra with its expansive flatter, rectangular display that makes it a great display where you can see pretty much everything.
And the cameras are simply excellent, especially for zooming. While the S Pen is a great accessory to what I expected to be the almost ideal smartphone bowl.
But something strange happened.
While I write about and test smartphones (among other things) to make a living, I do not lack flagship phones to reach for, and one of them is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
It is far from a perfect phone, with a thick design and a cover screen that feels a little too cramped to use as one uses a non-folding phone. It also has no included S-Pen and an inferior rear camera. Still, it’s the phone I ended up reaching for over the Galaxy S22 Ultra, something I really did not expect.
Despite its shortcomings, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has started to change my expectations around what I expect from a great Android phone.
I’ve already stated how good the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is at being productive on the go, but I’d thought the Galaxy S22 Ultra would be a challenger, given how good the Note phones have been at getting things done when they are away from a laptop; I basically S Pen wrote my application letter for Tom’s Guide on the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.
But even the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s stunning 6.8-inch screen pales in comparison to having a proper folding screen, which offers 7.6-inch diagonal screen space that is much larger in use than that number sounds.
Everything from watching videos, browsing photos, browsing websites and reading digital books just feels superior on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Yes, it’s extra hassle to unfold it and the extra weight and bulk in my pocket is not ideal. But it’s a price I’m surprisingly happy to pay for the extra screen space.
And of course, the cover screen could be a little wider. But once you’ve adapted to it, it’s fine to check messages or tap a quick message; there is an argument that it is easier to use one-handed than Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Even more than the screen, it’s what the Galaxy Z Fold 3 represents that has held my attention. It may not have the fastest chip or the very best cameras – its cameras are still mostly very good – but it has more advanced technology than the Galaxy S22 Ultra or indeed many other top Android phones. The folding mechanism is just lovely in terms of design and feel, and the use of a camera under the display is also remarkable.
Of course, both are ripe for improvement, as is the Galaxy Z Fold line in general. But that changes what one can expect from a smartphone both now and in the future. It’s also the one folding phone that’s polished enough to make me start to feel that foldable is the future, rather than a niche for technical fans with deep pockets.
By comparison, the Galaxy S22 Ultra feels more like a well-polished and semi-nostalgic look back at the past rather than a true step forward.
For that reason, I find that I am increasingly reaching past some excellent Android phones and beyond the amazing S22 Ultra for its foldable stable mate. And I can not wait to see what Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 can bring to the foldable phone table.