Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 6 Pro: Which flagship is right for you?

Updated 3 hours ago

A big-phone brawl

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is Samsung's flagship phone for the year, and ostensibly represents the best the company has to offer. In many ways, it also marks the unification of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines. At first blush, it's an impressive device — likely a contender for the best Android phones of 2022. The Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, is a few months old now and packs last year's parts. However, since it's a Google phone, it comes with its own set of perks.

Both are top-tier devices, though, and you can't go wrong with either of them. Nonetheless, if you are looking to decide between the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Google Pixel 6 Pro, read our comparison below to help you decide.

Phone Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Google Pixel 6 Pro Chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200 Google Tensor RAM 8GB, 12GB 12GB Storage 128, 256, 512GB 128, 256, 512GB Display 6.8” QHD+ (1440x3200, 20:9) LTPO 120Hz 6.7” QHD+ (1440x3120, 19.5:9) LTPO 120Hz Battery 5000mAh, up to 45W fast charging, up to 15W wireless charging 5003mAh, up to 30W fast charging, up to 23W wireless charging Rear Cameras 108MP f/1.8 primary, OIS and PDAF; 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (120° FoV); 10MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom sensor with OIS; 10MP f/4.9 10x optical zoom with OIS; 100x digital zoom 50MP f/1.85 primary (82° FoV w/OIS); 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (114° FoV); 48MP f/3.5 telephoto w/OIS; 4x optical and up to 20x Super Res Zoom Front Camera 40MP f/2.2 with autofocus 11.1MP f/2.2 (94° FoV, fixed focus) Connectivity 5G, Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Ultra-Wideband 5G, Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Ultra-Wideband Dimensions 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm, 229g, IP68 certified 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm, 210 g, IP68 certified Software One UI 4.1/Android 12 Android 12 Colors Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and Burgundy Sorta Sunny, Cloudy White, and Stormy Black Price Starting at $1,200 Starting at $900

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Design

Both the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Google Pixel 6 Pro feature an aluminum chassis with glass panels at the front and rear, like many premium Android phones on the market right now. They are also both IP68 certified, sport stereo speakers, and lack headphone jacks.

Despite being a Galaxy S series phone, the S22 Ultra builds on the design of the Note20 Ultra. It has a flat top and bottom with rounded sides that are complemented by the 6.8-inch QHD display's curved edges. This also makes the phone a lot more manageable. Samsung has also managed to neatly integrate the camera bump into the phone's body — a far cry from the Pixel 6 series. The dedicated S Pen slot is located on the bottom left makes it easy to scribble notes or doodle. The S Pen itself is also new, with a rubberized texture making it nicer to hold.

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As for the Pixel 6 Pro, its design has a lot more character, with the dual-tone back and the massive visor-like camera strip — though this might not be everyone's cup of tea. Do note that these are both massive devices, so if you don't like big phones, you might want to look for other options.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Display

Nearly every recent flagship has an incredible display, and the Pixel 6 Pro is no exception. However, Samsung continually pushes the boundaries with display quality, and it raised the bar yet again with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Samsung's ultra-premium flagship sports a 6.8-inch AMOLED display that can reach a peak brightness of 1750 nits—far higher than the Pixel 6 Pro's 800 nits.

In terms of size, both panels are nearly the same—6.8 inches on the S22 Ultra vs. 6.7 inches on the Pixel 6 Pro. They both feature QHD+ resolution with curved edges. The S22 Ultra's has a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ glass display panel, while the Pixel has regular Victus glass. They also both feature in-display fingerprint scanners, though the S22 Ultra has an arguably more secure ultrasonic sensor.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Chipset

The Galaxy S22 Ultra ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 chipset depending on where you buy the phone. Both are fabricated on the 4nm process and are 2022's flagship chips offering notably superior GPU and AI/ML performance compared to last-gen offerings.

The Pixel 6 Pro is powered by Google Tensor, the company's first custom smartphone chip. It actually has a lot in common with Samsung's Exynos chips, with some added enhancements and modifications from Google to boost machine learning and AI performance. This chip helps the Pixel 6 Pro offer some exclusive features like Magic Eraser, Face Unblur, instant voice typing with punctuation and emoji support, and more. That said, the Tensor chipset caused Pixel 6 owners a lot of headaches, but Google appears to be working out the kinks.

In benchmarks, the Galaxy S22 Ultra scores slightly higher as it has a more powerful SoC, but Pixel 6 is still a workhorse. Both phones offer excellent performance. However, the Galaxy could possibly get a bit hot when under a heavy load, due to the high power draw of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip.

Samsung has always offered plenty of RAM and storage on its devices; however, the story is a bit different this time around. The Pixel 6 Pro ships with 12GB RAM as standard across the board, while the S22 Ultra base model has 8GB RAM — surprisingly, that's even less than the S21 Ultra from last year. You can upgrade to a higher storage model to get 12GB RAM, though. The base models of both phones ship with 128 gigs of storage, but while the Pixel tops out at 256GB, the S22 Ultra is available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations.

Another important point to note: While both phones feature 5G (including UWB), Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.2, the Pixel uses an underperforming Exynos modem that tests have shown is not as good as the competition when it comes to 5G connectivity. The S22 Ultra has a major advantage here as it uses a newer 5G modem from Qualcomm, which should theoretically allow it to reach higher 5G speeds.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Camera

The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a higher resolution 108MP primary shooter with f/1.8 aperture and OIS. By comparison, the Pixel 6 Pro has a 50MP f/1.9 sensor with OIS. Both phones use pixel binning to output photos around 12MP in resolution. Google's phones are known for their camera capabilities, and the Pixel 6 Pro raises the bar in that regard. Still, Samsung has made solid AI and image processing improvements with its offering this year, especially in low-light scenarios.

There's a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera on both devices, though the one on the S22 Ultra has a slightly wider FoV: 120° vs. 114°. The Pixel's ultra-wide camera is not as good as its primary sensor, while Samsung's ultra-wide shooter tends to do a decent job as long as there's enough light. There's a difference in their telephoto setup, with the S22 packing a more versatile setup comprising both a 10MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom camera and a 10MP f/4.9 periscope shooter with 10x zoom. With some AI magic and the 10x telephoto camera, the S22 Ultra is able to offer up to 100x Space Zoom. The Pixel 6 Pro features a 48MP f/3.5 telephoto lens offering 4x optical zoom and up to 20x Super Res Zoom.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is notably better than the Pixel 6 Pro in the video recording department, both in terms of quality and features. Apart from 8K video recording, it offers Auto Framing that can automatically keep the subject in the frame. There are plenty of other camera features and video modes to play around with, too. Samsung is also using a Super Clear Glass lens on the S22 Ultra, which it claims should help reduce nighttime flares.

As for the front cameras, the S22 Ultra's 40MP selfie shooter has autofocus allowing it to capture sharper selfies, though the Pixel's 11MP snapper is pretty decent, as well.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Battery life and charging speed

Both the Pixel 6 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra pack a hefty 5,000mAh battery. Coupled with the adaptive refresh rate and LTPO displays, they should easily offer all-day battery life, even under heavy use.

While many people expected the Galaxy S22 Ultra to outperfom the Pixel 6 Pro in the battery-life department, that doesn't seem to be the case. Both phones should get moderate users through a day between charges, but some Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra owners claim their phone's battery is nearly dead after a half day of use. And while Samsung's Exynos chips are not as power-efficient as Snapdragon, the 8Gen 1 mobile platform seems to be pretty power-hungry as well.

Regarding charging times, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra phone has a clear advantage — it can go from empty to 100% in less than an hour with a 45W charger. By comparison, Google recommends using its 30W USB-C power adapter with the Pixel 6 Pro, but it only pulls around 23W of power. While it's good enough to charge the battery to 50% in 30 minutes, a full charge takes well over an hour. Neither of the phones come with a charger, so regardless of which you go with, you'll have to spend extra on it if you don't already have one.

The Pixel and Galaxy both support wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. The Pixel 6 Pro only charges at 23W speed with the 2nd-gen Pixel Stand. The S22 Ultra can be wirelessly charged at 15W on any Qi-compatible fast charger.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Pricing and availability

The Pixel 6 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra each represent the very best of what Google and Samsung have to offer so far. While you can't go wrong with either of them, it's hard to ignore price, where the Pixel has a major advantage: It's available for $900 before taxes, making it substantially cheaper than the $1,200 Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Samsung's offering does have a few advantages like a better display, bundled S Pen, faster charging speeds, a more versatile camera setup, and a superior 5G modem. The company has also stepped up its game in the updates department and promises four years of OS updates and five years of security patches for the S22 series. This is even better than the Pixel 6 series, which is slated to receive three years of OS updates.

Nonetheless, a $300 price gap will make many shoppers question if the Galaxy S22 Ultra is worth buying over the Pixel. Do note that Galaxy phones are frequently available at a discount or with some bonus offer that should help narrow this gap with the Pixel, if not completely eliminate it.

There are two other issues with the Pixel 6 Pro: availability and bugs. The phone is only available in a handful of markets, and if you don't live in one of them, you're out of luck. As for bugs, Google has been addressing them, but there are still a lot of issues that need to be fixed. If you'd rather not compromise on stability and have the money to spare, the Galaxy S22 Ultra could be a better buy.