Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra: All the differences

Four years ago, Samsung gave us the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It marked the full return of the built-in S Pen and completed the merger between the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note identities. It also leaned heavily into extreme zoom with a dedicated 10x periscope camera, setting the tone for Samsung’s Ultra camera ambitions at the time.Now, Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy S26 Ultra at Galaxy Unpacked, with retail availability beginning in early March. This is a four-generation leap, so a lot has changed with Samsung’s Ultra model.

Below is a detailed breakdown of what upgrading from the Galaxy S22 Ultra to the Galaxy S26 Ultra actually means in practice.

Galaxy S26 Ultra: pre-order for up to $900 off

$399
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$1299
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$900 off (69%)

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has been announced, bringing a Privacy Screen feature, insanely fast processor, and multiple Galaxy AI enhancements. Right now, you can pre-order the flagship for up to $900 off with eligible trade-ins.

Pre-order at Samsung

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra differences:

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The Galaxy S22 Ultra was big, sharp-edged, and unapologetically boxy. It absolutely nailed the “Note replacement” vibe, but it also made itself known every time you used it one-handed, every time you carried it in a pocket, and especially during long days.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra still has that Note DNA, including the built-in S Pen, but it trims the profile in a way that should be immediately obvious if you are coming from an S22 Ultra. It drops to 7.9 mm thickness and 214 grams, compared to 8.9 mm and 229 grams for the S22 Ultra. That combination of a full millimeter shaved off and a meaningful weight reduction changes how the phone feels when you use it daily.

Samsung also changed the camera housing this year. The S26 Ultra adopts a unified camera island with vertically aligned lenses, replacing the older protruding-camera look. It still keeps IP68 protection and the integrated S Pen, so you are not losing any of the core Ultra identity in exchange for the slimmer body.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra already had a great 6.8-inch QHD+ OLED display with a 1–120 Hz adaptive refresh rate. But the S26 Ultra adds a series of upgrades that bring the user experience ot new heights.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with a 6.9-inch QHD+ panel with peak brightness rated at 2,600 nits, which is a significant jump over the S22 Ultra’s roughly ~1,750 nits. Just as important, the S26 Ultra pairs that panel with Gorilla Glass Armor 2 and an anti-reflective coating, which helps keep the display readable outdoors by reducing glare instead of just  brute-forcing it through brightness alone.

On the software side, the S26 Ultra launches on Android 16 with One UI 8 and comes with seven years of OS and security updates. The S22 Ultra is nearing the end of its support lifecycle, which by itself is a major reason you might want to start looking to upgrade. The S26 Ultra also adds newer connectivity standards like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, plus satellite emergency messaging support.

CPU Performance Benchmarks:

GPU Performance:

The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera system was ambitious for its time, especially with a dedicated 10x periscope. In 2026, the S22 Ultra’s limitations are most visible in low-light scenarios, but also when using its secondary cameras.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra modernizes things with a main camera powered by a 200 MP sensor. This generation also upgrades things with a wider f/1.4 aperture, which should pull in more light and improve low-light detail and dynamic range. The ultrawide is the same 50 MP one introduced with last year’s model, which is sharper than the old 12 MP ultrawide on the S22 Ultra.

Samsung also continues the Ultra line’s shift toward a more practical telephoto setup. Instead of a dedicated 10x lens, the S26 Ultra uses a 50 MP 5x camera with a wider aperture. You can still achieve pretty good results when using 10x zoom thanks to Samsung’s image processing and the new image sensor powering that camera.

Both phones use a 5,000 mAh battery, but judging by our battery test results from last year’s model, it is safe to assume that the S26 Ultra will have much better battery life than the S22 Ultra.

The S22 Ultra’s chips were not known for their great efficiency, and many owners remember that generation as one with inconsistent battery life. The S26 Ultra benefits from a far more efficient 3 nm platform, plus better display efficiency and software optimization, so real-world endurance should be on a completely different level even at the same capacity.

Charging is also meaningfully improved. Samsung moves to Super Fast Charging 3.0 at 60W, and it also upgrades wireless charging to the 25W tier while keeping Wireless PowerShare.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a great time to upgrade from the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

You get a slimmer and lighter design, a brighter and more usable display with Gorilla Glass Armor 2 and anti-reflection, and a Privacy Display mode. You also get a massive performance leap with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, backed by a new vapor chamber and updated thermal materials for stronger sustained performance.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra still works, but it is definitely beginning to show its age now, especially considering that it is at the end of its software support. If you decide to stick with it, it will continue getting security patches for one more year, so you would at least be safe while waiting to see the Galaxy S27 Ultra in 2027.