Apple recently unveiled the newest additions to its flagship smartphone line-up with the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. But, how does the premium model compare to Samsung’s own high-end Galaxy S22 Ultra?
We’ve put together this guide to break down how exactly the iPhone 14 Pro stacks up to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra aside from their differing operating systems. Read on to discover all the standout differences between the two premium smartphones.
The iPhone 14 Pro has an innovative way of making the notch productive
One of the most interesting new features to come to the iPhone 14 Pro is the Dynamic Island. Not only has Apple finally ditched the notch on the Pro, but it’s managed to integrate the remaining group of sensors into the OS by displaying notifications from certain apps and incoming calls.
The S22 Ultra, meanwhile, has a smaller but less seamless punch-hole camera in top centre of its screen.
The Ultra has a larger display at 6.8-inches compared to the Pro’s 6.1-inch screen (for a larger iPhone, you’ll have to look toward the 14 Plus or 14 Pro Max). Otherwise, both phones feature always-on displays and 120Hz refresh rates.
The S22 Ultra has an additional camera sensor
The iPhone 14 Pro’s camera consists of a 48-megapixel wide angle sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor. There are improvements in low-light across all three sensors and support for 4K video at 60fps and Cinematic Mode 4K at up to 24fps.
S22 Ultra, meanwhile, features four camera sensors. This includes a 108-megapixel wide angle sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor and two 10-megapixel telephoto sensors. There’s also support for 8K video at 24fps or 4K at 60fps.
We were especially impressed by the zoom capabilities of the Ultra in our review and found that the main sensor captured rich and vibrant images, though at times the details looked a little too sharp.
You’ll have to wait for our review of the iPhone 14 Pro to hear how the two cameras compare with real-world use.
The iPhone 14 Pro has some unique safety features
Apple has announced two new safety features on the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch 8 lines that you won’t find on the S22 Ultra – Emergency SOS via satellite and Car Crash Detection.
Emergency SOS now supports satellite frequencies, allowing users to send a message to emergency services and share their location on Find My when outside of cellular and Wi-Fi range in the US and Canada. However, this feature is only free for the first two years.
Car Crash Detection, meanwhile, will automatically detect if you’ve been in a car crash and contact emergency services and emergency contacts with your location if you don’t dismiss the feature after a 10-second countdown. This feature requires two new motion sensors, so it’s unlikely Samsung would be able to introduce the same feature to the S22 Ultra with a simple software update.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with an S Pen
If you’re one for sketching or note-taking when you’re out and about, the S22 Ultra might appeal more than the iPhone thanks to the inclusion of the S Pen.
The S22 Ultra has essentially taken the place of the Galaxy Note in Samsung’s line-up and you no longer need to pay extra to get the stylus with the phone. It now comes built-in with its own slot so you can always have the pen handy.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra keeps its physical SIM tray
One surprising change Apple introduced with the iPhone 14 was the removal of the SIM tray.
From this year, users will need to pair their iPhones with an eSIM rather than a physical SIM card. This change has only been made in the US and only applies to the iPhone 14 series, so users in the UK don’t need to worry about switching to an eSIM at this point.
Galaxy phones still have their SIM trays at this point, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see other manufacturers, like Samsung, follow suit in the future as eSIM seems to be the way forward.
Spec comparison
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
