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In this article, we’ll compare the very best Google and Samsung have to offer at the moment. The Pixel 7 Pro launched earlier this month, and we’ll pit you against Samsung’s flagship. We’ll compare the Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S22 Ultra did launch back in February, but it’s still the company’s most powerful smartphone, not counting the foldables.
These two phones are quite different, in many ways. Their internals are not that similar, and they surely look different. The in-hand feel is also considerably different, and so on. It will be interesting to see how they compare, and this article will hopefully help you make a purchasing decision. We’ll first compare their spec sheets, and will then move to the design, display, performance, battery, cameras, and audio categories.
Specs
| Google Pixel 7 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
| Screen size | 6.7-inch QHD+ curved AMOLED LTPO display (120Hz refresh rate) | 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (120Hz adaptive refresh rate, LTPO, down to 1Hz) |
| Screen resolution | 3120 x 1440 | 3080 x 1440 |
| SoC | Google Tensor G2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Samsung Exynos 2200 |
| RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5) | 8GB/12GB (LPDDR5) |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) |
| Rear cameras | 50MP (Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor, 1.2um pixel size, f/1.85 aperture, 82-degree FoV) 12MP (ultrawide, 1.25um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 125.8-degree FoV, lens correction) 48MP (telephoto, 0.7um pixel size, f/3.5 aperture, 20.6-degree FoV, 5x optical zoom, Super Res Zoom up to 30x) |
108MP (f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 0.8um pixel size. Produces 12MP images with 2.4um pixel size) 12MP (ultrawide, Dual Pixel AF, 120-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 1.4um pixel size) 10MP (telephoto, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/2.4 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, 70mm lens, optical zoom 3x) 10MP (telephoto, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/4.9 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, 230mm lens, 10x optical zoom, 100x Space Zoom) |
| Front cameras | 10.8MP (1.22um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 92.8-degree FoV, Fixed Focus) | 40MP (f/2.2 aperture, 80-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF) |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, non-removable, 23W wired charging, 23W wireless charging, reverse wireless charger Charger not included |
5,000mAh, non-removable, 45W wired charging, 15W Qi wireless charging, 5W Wireless PowerShare Charger not included |
| Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9mm | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 212 grams | 228/229 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Face Unlock In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) |
| OS | Android 13 | Android 12 One UI 4.1 |
| Price | $899/$999/$1,099 | $1,199.99 |
| Buy | Samsung |
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Design
Both The Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra are made out of metal and glass. In fact, they both utilize aluminum and glass. The Pixel 7 Pro has Gorilla Glass Victus on the back, while Gorilla Glass Victus+ is used on the back of Samsung’s flagship. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is flat on the top and bottom, while its sides are heavily curved. The Pixel 7 Pro has more curves overall, as even its top and bottom sides are curved towards the front and back. The Galaxy S22 Ultra also comes with corners that are less curved.
The two phones are similar in terms of dimensions. The Pixel 7 Pro is slightly shorter, and narrower, but they’re equally thick. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is slightly heavier (by 16 grams). Both devices offer IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. They do feel different in the hand, considerably different, due to their build. They’re both quite slippery. The Pixel 7 Pro may even be a bit more slippery due to its design, but it cuts into the hand a bit less for that reason. Using a case is certainly recommended with both, and both do feel like really premium devices.
Both phones have a centered display camera hole, and very thin bezels. They also include curved displays, though the curvature is different, it’s more pronounced on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. If we flip them over, we’ll see even more differences. The Pixel 7 Pro has a camera visor on the back, which is covered by metal. It goes from one side of the phone to the other, and protrudes quite a bit. It can actually help you balance the phone if your hands are large enough. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single camera island. Each of its cameras protrude directly from the backplate.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Display
Both of these phones have a really large display, but they are different. The Pixel 7 Pro includes a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED panel. That is a curved display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It does support HDR10+ content, and it gets quite bright at 1,500 nits of peak brightness. We’re looking at a 19.5:9 aspect ratio here, and this panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 6.8-inch QHD+ (3088 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. This panel is also curved, and it also offers a 120Hz refresh rate. HDR10+ content is supported, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display gets even brighter than the Pixel 7 Pro’s. It peaks at 1,750 nits of brightness in auto mode. This panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus+, in case you were wondering.
Both of these displays are truly excellent. They offer vivid colors, excellent viewing angles, and deep blacks. The touch response is flagship-grade, and they’re well-optimized all around. They’re also more than sharp enough. The content looks gorgeous on both of them. The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s panel does get brighter outdoors, but the difference is not that big. You’ll be fine with either of these displays in direct sunlight, that’s for sure.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Performance
First and foremost, it is worth noting that the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes in two different variants. Most phones are fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but in Europe, the Exynos 2200 is included. The Exynos 2200 model is reported to heat up more, and offer inferior performance, battery life, and even camera results. The differences are not monumental, but they are noticeable, it seems. We have used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 model, so that’s the one that we’ll be talking about.
In addition to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Galaxy S22 Ultra includes 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Pixel 7 Pro comes with the Google Tensor G2 SoC, 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. Now, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is technically a more powerful chip, but the Tensor G2 is optimized specifically for the Pixel 7 series, and it’s very “smart”. Don’t get us wrong, it’s also technically quite fast.
What’s the performance like? Well, excellent, on both accounts. They are very smooth during regular tasks, and even when it comes to gaming. We did notice that the Galaxy S22 Ultra handles truly demanding games, such as Genshin Impact, a bit better. They both do heat up quite a bit, though nothing that should concern you, especially considering that it doesn’t affect the performance. Just note that the Pixel 7 Pro is not the best phone for gaming at the moment. We did notice that the Pixel 7 Pro is generally more fluid, in day-to-day usage. The Galaxy S22 Ultra tends to skip frames at times, and it feels a bit jankier in comparison. The difference is, once again, not big, but that is worth noting. The Pixel 7 Pro is actually one of the smoothest-performing devices we’ve ever used.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Battery
Both of these phones include a 5,000mAh battery pack. The battery life is actually really good on both, but not the best we’ve seen, not even close. We’ve been able to get around 6-7 hours of screen-on-time on these two phones. It’s still quite early for the Pixel 7 Pro, though, as its battery life may improve once Google irons out the software. Either way, even now, the battery life is solid.
Do note that we’re basing this conclusion on very light gaming, and otherwise regular use with browsing, consuming multimedia, emailing, taking some pictures, and so on. Your mileage may differ considerably, as your usage will be different, as will your cell service, apps you have installed, and so on. So, always take battery life information with a grain of salt, you never know how will your usage impact it.
What about charging, though? Well, the Pixel 7 Pro supports 23W wired, 23W wireless, and also reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has support for 45W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Do note that neither of these two phones includes a charging brick in the box.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Cameras
The Pixel 7 Pro is equipped with a 50-megapixel main camera, which is backed by a 48-megapixel telephoto unit, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 108-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto unit, and a 10-megapixel periscope telephoto camera. These two devices are amongst the best camera smartphones in the market, but they do offer considerably different results.
The Pixel 7 Pro tends to provide slightly more detailed images in most situations, especially in low light. It also tends to have cooler tones in its images. The Galaxy S22 Ultra keeps things a bit closer to life in most situations, but it does add some saturation to images. In low light, the Galaxy S22 Ultra tends to keep images a bit darker, and closer to life. The Pixel 7 Pro brightens up the scene, which ends up looking great, but not really lifelike. The Pixel 7 Pro usually gets away with more details in low light.
Google’s flagship shines in HDR situations, even though the Galaxy S22 Ultra doesn’t really do a bad job either. We’ve found the Pixel 7 Pro camera a bit more consistent, but the Galaxy S22 Ultra does a great job as well. If you’re shooting something really far away, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is still the go-to camera. Ultrawide cameras are good, but they do a noticeably worse job in low light in comparison to main sensors. The two phones are basically trading blows from one scene to the next, and the same goes for video recording.
Audio
Both of these phones include stereo speakers, and no audio jack. Those speakers are really good on both phones, though we did notice slightly more detail in the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s output. The soundstage also seems to be slightly wider. That may be due to AKG’s input and speaker tuning.
In order to connect your headphones via a wire, you’ll have to use a Type-C port at the bottom. Wireless connections are done via Bluetooth 5.2, which is available on both smartphones.