Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 6 Pro

Once we speak of the perfect Android smartphones cash should purchase, the record sometimes narrows right down to flagship choices from two manufacturers: Samsung and Google. As of 2022, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely and the Google Pixel 6 Professional signify the perfect Android smartphones provided by way of options. For anybody pondering of investing in a flagship smartphone this yr, there’s a good likelihood that these two units will likely be in rivalry. Nonetheless, provided that each these smartphones are succesful units, selecting may not be a straightforward process. That’s the place our detailed comparability between the Galaxy S22 Extremely and the Google Pixel 6 Professional is available in. For those who’re torn between these two wonderful smartphones, there are some issues you need to know earlier than you resolve to swipe your bank card.

Specs

Design and show

The Galaxy S22 Extremely and the Google Pixel 6 Professional are each giant, handsome smartphones which are almost an identical in dimension. Though the Pixel 6 Professional is the marginally taller of the 2, the S22 Extremely is the general greater gadget and will get a slightly bigger show. The understated seems to be of the S22 Extremely are enhanced by its matte end, which is widespread throughout all coloration choices.

That definitely doesn’t imply the Pixel 6 Professional’s design doesn’t have its share of admirers. The telephone seems to be nice and is a welcome departure from the older Pixel design language. Each telephones are evenly matched so far as IP scores (IP68) and display screen safety requirements (Gorilla Glass Victus) are involved. Nonetheless, the glass-clad, shiny rear panel of the Pixel 6 Professional might appeal to fingerprints and dirt extra simply than the matte again on the S22 Extremely.

Though each these smartphones use similarly-sized OLED panels, there’s no denying the Galaxy S22’s panel is in a league of its personal. It nearly makes the Pixel 6 Professional’s show — which isn’t a nasty panel in any respect — appear pedestrian. Not solely is the Galaxy S22’s panel almost twice as brilliant with a claimed peak brightness of 1,750 nits (in comparison with the Pixel 6 Professional’s sub-1,000 nit panel), it additionally comes with Samsung’s proprietary Imaginative and prescient Booster know-how that maintains coloration accuracy regardless of the ambient lighting situations.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely

Efficiency, battery life, and charging

Samsung ships the U.S. Galaxy S22 Extremely with Qualcomm’s flagship-grade Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. This processor is among the many quickest smartphone SoCs at the moment out there for Android units, and though there was loads of current controversy surrounding Samsung’s resolution to covertly “restrict” the efficiency of the Galaxy S22 collection units to maintain the thermals in examine (this has been subsequently reversed after a software program replace), there isn’t any denying that customers will expertise blazing quick efficiency on the S22 Extremely.

With the Pixel 6 Professional, Google tried one thing new by choosing a self-designed chip referred to as Google Tensor. This chipset has loads of similarities with Samsung’s Exynos 2100 from final yr whereas additionally sharing some traits of the newer Exynos 2200 chip that Samsung placed on the Asian and European iterations of the Galaxy S22 collection.

Whereas the Tensor chip gives good efficiency throughout the board, it’s nonetheless thought of a notch under the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 by way of real-world efficiency. That being stated, until you run graphics-intensive duties and processor-intensive duties on a regular basis, the efficiency distinction between the 2 units might not be that noticeable to the common consumer.

The place the efficiency of the Galaxy S22 Extremely is noticeably quicker is when unlocking the telephone utilizing the fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy S22 Extremely’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner has rather a lot to do with this as a result of it’s objectively higher than the Pixel 6 Professional’s commonplace optical sensor in nearly each doable side. The end result? The S22 Extremely is way quicker to unlock whereas being constantly extra correct than the Pixel 6 Professional.

Each smartphones are evenly matched in battery capability and have large-capacity 5,000 mAh cells. In our exams, the Samsung Galaxy S22 settled down and constantly delivered as much as two days of life with reasonable utilization. We have been additionally capable of cost the telephone from 3% to full in about an hour. It’s been an analogous story for the Pixel 6 Professional, with the telephone simply lasting nicely over a day with reasonable use. Though the Galaxy S22 helps quicker charging speeds (45W versus the Pixel’s 30W), the telephones are fairly evenly matched on the subject of real-world charging speeds.

General, we really feel the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely wins this spherical merely due to the longer battery life, quicker charging speeds, and spectacular efficiency.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely will get a potent quad-camera setup that features a 108MP major digital camera, a 12MP ultrawide digital camera, and twin 10MP telephoto cameras — all of which work in tandem with a 40MP selfie digital camera. The Pixel 6 Professional isn’t any pushover both, and its triple-camera setup features a 50MP major digital camera, a 12MP ultrawide digital camera, and a 48MP telephoto digital camera with 4x optical zoom. Rounding off issues on the Pixel 6 Professional is the 11MP front-facing digital camera.

The Galaxy S22 Extremely lives as much as its “Extremely” tag and options loads of new additions over its predecessor — together with help for RAW modifying with its new Knowledgeable RAW app. Samsung has additionally labored on bettering its AI-infused portrait mode — an space the place Google has historically held an enormous lead. It’s uncommon to discover a state of affairs the place the Galaxy S22’s digital camera fails to ship. Given its wonderful zoom vary and competent ultrawide digital camera, you additionally find yourself with a tool that captures wonderful, shareable pictures proper out of the telephone. On the danger of nitpicking, the S22 Extremely confronted coloration accuracy and publicity points with the telephoto cameras at 3x and 10x zoom. We additionally weren’t too impressed with the output from the front-facing digital camera — particularly in low-light conditions.

The Pixel 6 Professional might fall behind the Galaxy S22 Extremely on most different parameters, however not on the subject of total digital camera and picture high quality. With the Pixel 6 Professional, it’s nearly a given you find yourself taking a wonderful photograph whatever the state of affairs. Whereas Pixels have been already recognized for his or her unimaginable low-light modes and wonderful portrait photographs, the Pixel 6 Professional’s excellent {hardware} now lets customers seize nice telephoto photographs as nicely.

There’s little or no that separates the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely and the Pixel 6 Professional so far as digital camera capabilities go. Chances are high, your resolution to select one amongst these would ultimately rely upon private preferences. We nonetheless imagine that the Pixel 6 Professional — even with its supposedly “inferior” {hardware} — is by far the perfect Android smartphone on the subject of pictures.

Winner: Pixel 6 Professional

Software program and updates

Though the Pixel 6 Professional and the Galaxy S22 Extremely run Android 12 — the newest steady model of Android — the general consumer expertise couldn’t be extra completely different between the 2. Folks in search of a no-frills, pure Android expertise can not go incorrect with the Pixel 6 Professional. The brand new Materials You design will likely be a marked change for most individuals coming in from one other Android pores and skin. Google additionally made a number of modifications to the quick-access buttons on Android 12, most of which have been welcomed by Android customers globally. Then there are some new options that embrace the Google Assistant-powered voice-typing mode that’s suitable with WhatsApp and the Messages app. Google can even usually replace the Pixel 6 Professional for the subsequent three years.

With Samsung’s renewed enthusiasm for software program updates, the Galaxy S22 Extremely will simply final you the subsequent 4 years — which is unquestionably some extent in its favor. The telephone launched with Android 12 however runs Samsung’s customized One UI interface, which is at the moment on model 4.2. Other than all of the Android 12 goodies that Google brings to the desk, OneUI gives its personal share of extras that many inventory Android customers might miss out on. Nonetheless, these might not be deal-breakers for folk preferring a inventory Android expertise. Samsung’s OneUI has additionally seen huge enhancements throughout the board, and it’s a far cry from the corporate’s notorious Touchwiz interface.

Winner: Tie

Particular options

In terms of particular options, there’s no denying that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely sits right here, due to all of the capabilities led to by the S Pen that’s a part of the bundle. Samsung has additionally improved the response time on the brand new S Pen. And though the Pixel 6 Professional has nothing equal to supply, it does include its personal share of particular options that embrace the aforementioned Magic Eraser function, which reportedly works higher than the one on the Galaxy S22 Extremely. As well as, Google Assistant options additionally work higher on the Pixel 6 Professional with a couple of further options.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely

Worth and availability

The pricing is the place the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely and the Google Pixel 6 Professional differ by a reasonably extensive margin. The distinction is so stark that you may purchase the totally loaded, unlocked, high variant of the Pixel 6 Professional for lower than the bottom variant of the Galaxy S22 Extremely. The bottom variant of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely will get 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM and is priced at $1,200. The opposite variants on provide embrace a 256GB variant that goes for $1,300, a 512GB possibility priced at $1,400, and a top-of-the-line 1TB variant that may lighten your pockets by $1,500.

As for the Google Pixel 6 Professional, you should buy the bottom variant of the gadget for $900. The opposite two choices you will have embrace the 256GB possibility that prices $1,000 and the top-end 512GB variant that may set you again $1,100.

General winner: Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely is correct up there among the many finest smartphones cash should purchase. It’s loaded with options, and the confirmed software program replace solely sweetens the deal even additional. In fact, you do pay an enormous premium for the privilege of proudly owning one in every of 2022’s finest smartphones.

The Google Pixel 6 Professional, however, doesn’t attempt to be as extravagant at every part. However it will get the fundamentals proper on the subject of the fluid inventory Android UI and the superb digital camera options. A lot of the annoyances that plague the Pixel 6 Professional may probably be solved by way of future software program updates. Allow us to not neglect the truth that the Pixel 6 Professional is cheaper than the Galaxy S22 Extremely by an enormous margin, making it a wise possibility for anybody on the lookout for a sub-$1,000 flagship.

Nonetheless, if you’re seeking to purchase the very best, no-compromise Android smartphone out there for buy proper now, you can’t go incorrect with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely.

Editors’ Selection