Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Unboxing & Initial Setup

In this episode, we unbox, set up, and test out the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Smart Phone, including some initial camera tests.

I know, this is a gaming channel, what's with the smartphone stuff? Well, I've always been a tech nerd (I mean, I DID spend 5 years working at RadioShack), and I actually created content for the now-defunct webOSRoundup website. When I started this channel, I actually used a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 & Google Pixel XL to film our content. That being said, when the newest Samsung Galaxy Note, erm, I mean S22 Ultra was announced we knew it was time to upgrade my wife's Note 10 +.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:55 - Inside the Box
1:16 - S22 Ultra Physical Overview
2:12 - Comparisons to the Note 10+
2:46 - S Pen
3:33 - Comparisons to the Pixel 6 Pro
4:09 - Initial Setup
5:28 - Transferring Your Old Phone's Data
6:39 - Using Samsung Smart Switch to Transfer Data
9:09 - Testing the Rear-Facing Cameras
9:28 - Testing the S Pen
9:55 - S Pen Issue
11:00 - Display and Device Initial Thoughts
11:44 - Video Playback and Sound
12:21 - Conclusion

As many manufacturers have done, Samsung has omitted the AC Adapter power brick for the phone, trying to get people to either buy a new one at an additional cost or reuse bricks from older phones. This helps Samsung reduce the overall size and footprint of the box, which is super-thin now with a literal brick removed. Inside the box, you'll get the phone itself, a small envelope with a quick-start guide, a terms and services card, and a USB-C to USB-C Cable. That's it. No AKG headphones, no thick manual, no screen protector. It seems somewhat anti-climactic, but, ok.

While Samsung calls this an S22-series phone make no mistake about it, this is a Note-successor through and through. The 6.8 inch Dynamic AMOLED Display on the front is beautiful in its hugeness, a trait the OG Note's started. The only thing that takes away from the front display is the in-display 40 MP Front Facing Camera. For what and where it is, it's not bad, but I am looking forward to the day that the front camera is completely hidden behind the display itself. What a day that will be! Not to be outdone outback, Samsung has created a quad-camera setup on the back, with a 108MP, 12MP & 2 different 10MP lenses on the back of the phone. While not as Daft Punk as the Pixel 6 Pro's camera hump, it's pronounced.

Powering this latest S22 in the USA is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Processor, and it has 12GB of RAM. The S22 Ultra has 4 different storage options, 128, 256, 512GB, and a massive 1TB. Why would you need that much storage on a mobile device? Well, the S22 Ultra can shoot 8K video, so having enough onboard storage for such large files is crucial.

The initial setup was pretty easy, thanks to both Google One and Samsung Smart Switch. We were able to move all of our content, except for our Samsung Note files for some reason, over within about 30-minutes. I was shocked how quickly the battery drained during this process, but I attribute that to background processes vs anything with the transfer process itself. One curious thing we found during the transfer was the fact that we experienced a dead area of the screen when testing out the S-Pen. Once the transfer was complete this part of the screen worked normally, but it wasn't something we expected or have ever encountered before.

One of the most important features of any flagship smartphone now is the camera. We took several stills, including in Portrait Mode, along with some video for a YouTube Short (See that video here - https://youtu.be/r5n0Ufxb8_M). The camera seemed to be very quick and responsive to launch, and the quality was great. I tested the camera with our studio lights on and off and the results were great regardless.

While I currently use a Pixel 6 Pro myself, I am more than a little jealous of my wife's new Samsung Galaxy S22. I wish that Samsung would have been a little more transparent when they said the Note Series was pretty much dead, as that is why I picked up the Pixel. Thus far, S22 Ultra IS the Note successor I wish I had, & that's disappointing.

#SamsungUnpacked #S22Ultra #Unboxing