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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) Camera test

This device has been retested in the latest version of our protocol. This summary has been fully updated. For detailed information, check the What’s New article
OTHER AVAILABLE TESTS FOR THIS DEVICE

The brand new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) is a phone of superlatives. Samsung says the Exynos 2200 chipset is its fastest ever and the 6.8-inch  display is its brightest display to date. The S22 Ultra is also the first S-series model to come with a built-in S-Pen, a feature that has previously been exclusive to the Note series.

In the camera array, the primary module uses a 108MP sensor, which in low light combines nine pixels into one for a very large 2.4μm pixel size. There is also a 12MP ultra-wide camera and two dedicated tele cameras. Medium-range tele duties are taken over by a 3x lens with 10MP resolution. For more extreme tele magnifications, a 10x periscope-style module is available. The primary camera also features an ultra-low reflection nano-coating, which is designed to reduce lens flare.

In video mode, the S22 Ultra is capable of recording 8K footage at 24 frames per second or 4K resolution files at up to 60 fps. The specs surely look impressive. Let’s see how they translate into real-life images and have a look at the DXOMARK Camera test results.

Overview

Key camera specifications:

  • Primary: 108 MP 1/1.33″ sensor, 0.8μm pixels, 85-degree field of view, f/1.8-aperture lens, OIS, PDAF
  • Ultra-wide: 12MP 1/2.55″ sensor, 1.4μm pixels, 120-degree field of view, f/2.2-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF
  • Tele 1: 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12μm pixels, 11-degree field of view, f/4.9-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, 10x optical zoom
  • Tele 2: 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12μm pixels, 36-degree field of view, f/2.4-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, 3x optical zoom
  • Laser AF
  • 8K up to 24fps, 4K up to 60fps, 1080p at 60fps (tested at 4K/30fps)
  • HDR10+ video (available as an option turned-off by default in advanced video recording settings, not tested)

Scoring

Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.


Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
131
camera
127
Photo
106

130

113

130

95

125

105

124

83

117

66

82

75
Bokeh
75

85

69
Preview
69

93

134
Zoom
101

120

99

122

131
Video
102

116

96

120

112

120

103

118

105

120

79

86

108

119

Use cases & Conditions

Use case scores indicate the product performance in specific situations. They are not included in the overall score calculations.

BEST 180

Outdoor

Photos & videos shot in bright light conditions (≥1000 lux)

BEST 169

Indoor

Photos & videos shot in good lighting conditions (≥100lux)

BEST 138

Lowlight

Photos & videos shot in low lighting conditions (<100 lux)

BEST 154

Friends & Family

Portrait and group photo & videos

Pros

  • Pleasant white balance and colors in all conditions
  • Good exposure in most scenes, wide dynamic range
  • Natural simulated bokeh effect
  • Nice colors and exposure at all zoom settings
  • Fast and smooth autofocus in video
  • Good exposure and wide dynamic range in bright light and indoor video
  • Nice color and skin tones in video
  • Good video stabilization when walking while recording
  • Good document scanning capabilities

Cons

  • Slow autofocus for photos in many lighting conditions
  • Occasional local loss of detail in dark areas of HDR scenes
  • Luminance noise in most lighting conditions
  • Image artifacts, including ringing, ghosting and hue shift
  • Slight shadow clipping and unstable white balance in low light videos
  • Inconsistent sharpness between video frames when the camera is moving while recording, especially in low light
  • Texture artifacts in high-contrast video scenes

 

Test summary

About DXOMARK Camera tests: DXOMARK’s Camera evaluations take place in laboratories and in real-world situations using a wide variety of subjects. The scores rely on objective tests for which the results are calculated directly by measurement software on our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests in which a sophisticated set of metrics allow a panel of image experts to compare aspects of image quality that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo, Zoom, and Video quality are scored separately and then combined into an Overall score for comparison among the cameras in different devices. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores are available here. The following section gathers key elements of DXOMARK’s exhaustive tests and analyses. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us  on how to receive a full report.

With a DXOMARK Camera score of 132, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) does not quite make it into the top flight in our smartphone camera ranking but performs overall well and delivers some improvements over its predecessor, the  S21 Ultra, for example in video and zoom. But it cannot quite keep up with the best in class in areas such as texture/noise or night photography.

In photo mode, the camera does well, especially for color and exposure. Images show nice colors and a wide dynamic range. However, some luminance noise is usually noticeable, and the level of detail is not quite up with the best. Our testers also observed strong ringing artifacts in all conditions, and a ghosting effect can often be seen when capturing high-contrast scenes.

This S22 Ultra shot shows good subject exposure, a wide dynamic range, well preserved fine as well as low levels of luminance noise.

The ultra-wide camera produces similar results to the S21 Ultra in some ways but has been improved in low light, thanks to more effective noise reduction. When using the tele zoom, target exposure is accurate, and white balance is neutral in bright light and indoors at all tele settings. At close range, the level of captured detail is a little lower, when compared with competitors such as the Huawei P50 Pro or Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra. However, at medium and long range, the S22 Ultra is on par, despite some artifacts. At very long tele settings, the S22 Ultra does well, thanks to its dedicated 10x tele camera.

In video mode, the S22 Ultra does well in bright light and under typical indoor conditions. The camera generally exposes well, and dynamic range is impressive, particularly in the highlights. Skin tones, color in general and white balance are nice, but tone mapping can result in too strong saturation in some HDR scenes. The autofocus works swiftly and smoothly, precisely tracking the subjects in a video scene. Video stabilization is generally effective when walking while recording, but a jello effect can become noticeable when panning quickly. Low-light video clips leave a little room for improvement. Our testers observed some shadow clipping and suboptimal white balance adaptation. There are also differences in sharpness between frames when walking in low light.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) Camera Scores vs Ultra-Premium
This graph compares DXOMARK photo, zoom and video scores between the tested device and references. Average and maximum scores of the price segment are also indicated. Average and maximum scores for each price segment are computed based on the DXOMARK database of devices tested.

The Samsung does well for close-up shots but is not quite on the same level as the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, which are the top devices for this category. Our testers also observed a significant loss of sharpness.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), good close-up capabilities, but slight loss of detail at the center of the frame
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, good close-up capabilities with nice detail at the center

Photo

127

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

169

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra
About DXOMARK Camera Photo tests

For scoring and analysis, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2,600 test images both in controlled lab environments and in outdoor, indoor and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photo protocol is designed to take into account the main use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portraits, family, and landscape photography. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements on images of charts captured in the lab under different lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) Photo scores vs Ultra-Premium
The photo tests analyze image quality attributes such as exposure, color, texture, and noise in various light conditions. Autofocus performances and the presence of artifacts on all images captured in controlled lab conditions and in real-life images are also evaluated. All these attributes have a significant impact on the final quality of the images captured with the tested device and can help to understand the camera's main strengths and weaknesses.

Exposure

106

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

130

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

Exposure is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures. The main attribute evaluated is the brightness of the main subject through various use cases such as landscape, portrait, or still life. Other factors evaluated are the contrast and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera's ability to provide the same rendering when shooting several images of the same scene.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra delivers a good target exposure in all conditions combined with a pretty wide dynamic range. In this backlit portrait shot, the face is correctly exposed on all cameras. The S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro maintain good detail in both highlight and shadow areas of the frame. The S21 Ultra shows some highlight clipping in the sky and shadow clipping in the subject’s beard.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), good exposure, wide dynamic range
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), good exposure, limited dynamic range
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, good exposure, wide dynamic range, contrast issue at the bottom of the frame

In some situations, the S22 Ultra overexposes the image, which results in strong highlight clipping.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), overexposed subject, strong highlight clipping
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), acceptable subject exposure
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, good face exposure, warm color cast

When measuring in the lab, target exposure is generally accurate, especially in low-light conditions where many other devices have a tendency to underexpose. In turn, target exposure is slightly high in bright light. The same is true for the S21 Ultra.

Color

113

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

130

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Color is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures.The image quality attributes analyzed are skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, and repeatability. For color and skin tone rendering, we penalize unnatural colors but we respect a manufacturer's choice of color signature.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra generally produces a pleasantly warm white balance and vivid colors with accurate skin tones. In this outdoor scene, all three cameras deliver nice color rendering. The iPhone 13 Pro colors are slightly less saturated, with a slight yellow touch, but still acceptable.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), nice white balance and color
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), nice white balance and color
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, nice white balance and color

In low light, the S22 Ultra produces warm color casts with an orange hue. The iPhone image is pleasantly warm, with a less pronounced hue. These types of color casts are both acceptable under our new Camera version 5 test protocol. In comparison, the S21 Ultra has a tendency to show a more unnatural pink cast which is penalized heavier in our evaluation.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), orange cast
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), unnatural pink cast
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slight orange cast

Autofocus

95

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

125

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

Autofocus tests concentrate on focus accuracy, focus repeatability, shooting time delay, and depth of field. Shooting delay is the difference between the time the user presses the capture button and the time the image is actually taken. It includes focusing speed and the capability of the device to capture images at the right time, what is called 'zero shutter lag' capability. Even if a shallow depth of field can be pleasant for a single subject portrait or close-up shot, it can also be a problem in some specific conditions such as group portraits; Both situations are tested. Focus accuracy is also evaluated in all the real-life images taken, from infinity to close-up objects and in low light to outdoor conditions.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra can be slow to capture the image, which means you might miss a decisive moment. The iPhone 13 Pro, on the other hand, uses a Zero Shutter Lag (ZSL) strategy, continuously buffering images even before the trigger is pressed, ensuring the capture of the right moment.

Autofocus irregularity and speed: 100Lux Δ0EV TL84 Handheld
This graph illustrates focus accuracy and speed and also zero shutter lag capability by showing the edge acutance versus the shooting time measured on the AFHDR setup on a series of pictures. All pictures were taken at 100Lux with TL84 illuminant, 500ms after the defocus. The edge acutance is measured on the four edges of the Dead Leaves chart, and the shooting time is measured on the LED Universal Timer.

This sample illustrates the capture delay we have seen in the graph above. In this test scene, the shot is always triggered when the model passes through the door frame. When shooting with the S22 Ultra, the image is sometimes captured after the model has come through the door frame. The exact point of capture is not repeatable across consecutive shots.

In this test scene, the model is walking towards the photographer who triggers the shutter button at the exact moment the model is passing through the door.
The camera should capture the shot at this exact moment or very slightly before or after. On the iPhone image, we see that the model has not yet passed through the door, which illustrates the measurements in the graph above: The iPhone 13 Pro has a negative shutter lag of approximately 100-200ms. The Samsung on the other hand has a slight delay, which varies between acceptable (left image below) and a little longer (center image). This again confirms the measurements in the graph above.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), fast capture after shot is triggered
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), slow capture after shot is triggered
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, fast capture after shot is triggered

Texture

105

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

124

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Texture tests analyze the level of details and the texture of subjects in the images taken in the lab as well as in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, particular attention is paid to the level of details in the bright and dark areas of the image. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken in various lighting conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The charts used are the proprietary DXOMARK chart (DMC) and the Dead Leaves chart.

The level of detail captured by the S22 Ultra is quite similar to the S21 Ultra. The iPhone 13 Pro remains slightly better, providing more natural rendering of fine details. In the example below, we can also see that the S22 Ultra sometimes locally loses details in dark areas.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), outdoor texture
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: local loss of detail
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), outdoor texture
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), crop: fairly good detail
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, outdoor texture
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: fairly good detail

In lab measurements, the S22 Ultra shows fairly good acutance in most tested conditions. However, when it comes to texture and fine detail as measured by our Texture AI metric, we detected a slight loss of detail compared to the iPhone 13 Pro. When mounted on the tripod the S22 Ultra texture values are close to the S21 Ultra across all light levels but lower than the iPhone 13 Pro in bright light. When the phone is handheld, there is a big drop in performance below 100 lux. In real-life scenes, we have seen some texture rendering instabilities at this light level.

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score vs lux levels for tripod and handheld conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with the level of lux, for two holding conditions. DMC detail preservation score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate texture and details rendering on a selection of crops of our DXOMARK chart.

Noise

83

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

117

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure on real-life images as well as images of charts taken in the lab. For natural images, particular attention is paid to the noise on faces, landscapes, but also on dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Noise on moving objects is also evaluated on natural images. Objective measurements are performed on images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart and the standardized measurement such as Visual Noise derived from ISO 15739.

In the lab, the S22 Ultra noise measurements are higher than the S21 Ultra above 20 lux.

Visual noise evolution with illuminance levels in handheld condition
This graph shows the evolution of visual noise metric with the level of lux in handheld condition. The visual noise metric is the mean of visual noise measurement on all patches of the Dead Leaves chart in the AFHDR setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.

In this outdoor scene, luminance noise is more intrusive than on the comparison devices.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), outdoor noise
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: fine luminance noise
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), outdoor noise
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), crop: luminance noise well controlled and hardly visible
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, outdoor noise
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: slightly less noise than S22 Ultra but more than S21 Ultra

In low light, noise reduction is sometimes not working effectively, resulting in coarse luminance noise.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), low light noise
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: coarse noise
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), low light noise
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), coarse and chromatic noise
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, low light noise
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: acceptable fine luminance noise

In terms of night shots, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has noticeably improved over its predecessor, the S21 Ultra, with a better texture/noise trade-off. However, the iPhone 13 Pro still records lower noise levels in comparison.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), flash-off
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: good detail, some noise
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), flash-off
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), crop: loss of fine detail, strong noise
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, flash-off
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: very good detail, barely any noise

Artifacts

66

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

82

Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G

The artifacts evaluation looks at lens shading, chromatic aberrations, geometrical distortion, edges ringing, halos, ghosting, quantization, unexpected color hue shifts, among others type of possible unnatural effects on photos. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction on the score. The main artifacts observed and corresponding point loss are listed below.

Main photo artifacts penalties

On the S22 Ultra, ringing is often visible on high-contrast edges. This is better under control on the S21 Ultra and also less intrusive on the iPhone.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), ringing
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: strong ringing on edges
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), ringing
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), crop: ringing well under control
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, ringing
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: slight ringing

Ghosting can be visible in scenes with motion, especially in low light.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), ghosting
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), motion blur and ghosting
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), ghosting
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), motion blur
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, ghosting
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: no ghosting

Bokeh

75

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

85

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

Bokeh is tested in one dedicated mode, usually portrait or aperture mode, and analyzed by visually inspecting all the images captured in the lab and in natural conditions. The goal is to reproduce portrait photography comparable to one taken with a DLSR and a wide aperture. The main image quality attributes paid attention to are depth estimation, artifacts, blur gradient, and the shape of the bokeh blur spotlights. Portrait image quality attributes (exposure, color, texture) are also taken into account.

In bokeh mode, the three comparison devices use different equivalent focal lengths. We measured an equivalent focal length of 66mm for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is fairly close to a typical portrait lens. The iPhone at 78mm is even better in this regard, but the S21 Ultra falls somewhat short at 43mm. The S22 Ultra delivers a natural-looking bokeh effect, with a nice blur gradient and good subject isolation from the background. Some segmentation artifacts can be visible, though.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), bokeh mode
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: nice bokeh shape, some segmentation artifacts on grid
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), bokeh mode
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), crop: lack of detail on subject, wider angle of view
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, bokeh mode
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: nice bokeh shape, only a few segmentation artifacts on the grid

Preview

69

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

93

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Preview tests analyze the image quality of the camera app's preview of the image, with particular attention paid to the difference between the capture and the preview, especially regarding dynamic range and the application of the bokeh effect. Also evaluated is the smoothness of the exposure, color and focus adaptation when zooming from the minimal to the maximal zoom factor available. The preview frame rate is measured using the LED Universal Timer.

Preview performance on the S22 Ultra is similar to its predecessor S21 Ultra, but the newer model achieves a higher score, thanks to delivering better photo quality.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), preview: similar target exposure to capture but differences in dynamic range.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), capture

Target exposure on portraits, when in the preview image, is acceptable in all tested conditions. This is a considerable improvement over the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which underexposes the subject in some light conditions, especially in low light (20 lux).

This graph shows measurements of the average lightness of the face in the preview of the camera app. Measurements are done on the face of the realistic mannequin in our Portrait HDR setup and are shot in different lighting conditions.
Lighting conditions are defined by different illuminance levels, and  by the differences in luminance between the forehead of the mannequin and the backlight panel (expressed in ΔEV).

 

Zoom

134

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

164

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra
About DXOMARK Camera Zoom tests

DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 400 test images in controlled lab environments and in outdoor, indoor, and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings and pinch zoom at various zoom factors from ultra wide to very long-range zoom. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting the images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements of chart mages captured in the lab under different conditions from 20 to 1000 lux and color temperatures from 2300K to 6500K.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) achieves a very good score for Zoom, which includes the tele and wide sub-scores. In this section, we take a closer look at how these sub-scores were achieved and compare zoom image quality against the competitors.

In terms of focal length, the S22 Ultra has a very similar camera setup to the S21 Ultra — a 13mm ultra-wide and two tele lenses at 70 and 230mm respectively, in addition to the primary camera. This is quite different to the Apple iPhone 13 Pro, which only uses a single 77mm tele module.

This hardware, combined with software that has been improved over the S21 Ultra, allows the S22 Ultra to capture good image quality — better than the iPhone — across all tested zoom settings and for all the zoom ratio tested. Low light pictures captured with the ultra-wide camera show good detail but also significant noise levels.

This said, compared to the best in class (marked by the orange dotted line in the graph below), there is still some margin for improvement across all image quality attributes (texture, noise, and especially highlight retention).

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) Zoom Scores vs Ultra-Premium
This graph illustrates the relative scores for the different zoom ranges evaluated. The x-axis is expressed in 35mm equivalent focal length. Zooming-in scores are displayed on the right and Zooming-out scores on the left.

Wide

99

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

122

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

When shooting with the ultra-wide camera target exposure is accurate in most conditions. White balance and skin tones are generally accurate as well.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), ultra-wide: accurate target exposure and white balance
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos) ultra-wide: accurate target exposure and white balance
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, ultra-wide: accurate target exposure and white balance

Tele

101

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

120

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 40 mm to 300 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and detail. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.

The detail preservation graph below confirms the results we have seen above and the S22 Ultra’s good performance at very long tele and ultra-wide settings. The graph plots the DMC Texture AI metric for different zoom factors. At around 90mm, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro captures a similar level of detail to the Samsung but cannot match it at closer and longer ranges. Low light tele performance is slightly below the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max at 20 and 5 lux, though. These measurements confirm what we can see in the low-light sample shots a bit further down the page.

In the lab tests, we can also see that the S22 Ultra has slightly improved over the S21 Ultra, delivering a slightly better resolution with a very similar texture/noise trade-off.

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions.The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality.Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.
DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions.The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality.Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.
DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions.The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality.Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.
DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation score per focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation score with respect to the full-frame equivalent focal length for different light conditions.The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance and the y-axis represents the maximum details preservation metric score: higher value means better quality.Large dots correspond to zoom ratio available in the user interface of the camera application.

At long-range tele (170mm for this sample) both the S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra capture good detail at the center of the frame. However, texture drops off significantly towards the edges. This is because the camera uses image fusion, capturing the center portion of the image with the 10x tele module (230mm equivalent) and filling the rest with the 3x module. The iPhone image shows less detail at the center of the frame.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), long-range tele
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: good detail at center but fusion artifacts
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), long-range tele
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), crop: good detail at center but fusion artifacts
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, long-range tele
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: lack of detail

When it comes to very long-range tele shots, the S22 Ultra does quite well, thanks to its 230mm equivalent 10x tele lens. Detail is even slightly better than on the class-leading Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), extra-long-range tele
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: fairly good detail
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), extra-long-range tele
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), crop: fairly good detail
Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra, extra-long-range tele
Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra, crop: slight lower detail than the Samsungs

At medium-range tele zoom (90mm equivalent focal length) and in low light, the S22 Ultra sometimes does not use its 3x tele module and uses the primary camera instead. This results in a fairly low texture/noise trade-off. The S21 Ultra does the same in this scene, but the iPhone 13 Pro captures higher levels of detail. The same behavior is also observed in the lab (see the Texture AI measurement at 5 lux).

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), medium-range tele
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), crop: strong structured noise, low detail
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), medium-range tele
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Exynos), strong structured noise, low detail
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, medium-range tele
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: good texture/noise trade-off

Video

131

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

159

Apple iPhone 16 Pro
About DXOMARK Camera Video tests

DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2.5 hours of video in controlled lab environments and in natural low-light, indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The evaluation consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken in various conditions and running objective measurements on videos of charts recorded in the lab under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) Video scores vs Ultra-Premium
Video tests analyze the same image quality attributes as for still images, such as exposure, color, texture, or noise, in addition to temporal aspects such as speed, and smoothness and stability of exposure, white balance, and autofocus transitions.

Exposure

102

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

116

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Exposure tests evaluate the brightness of the main subject and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Stability and temporal adaption of the exposure are also analyzed.

When recording, video target exposure is generally accurate with a wide dynamic range in most bright light and indoor scenes. In this outdoor portrait scene, both cameras do a good job in terms of target exposure and contrast in bright areas. However, if we focus on the subject’s beard, the iPhone preserves better detail in the shadows.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), good target exposure on face and wide dynamic range, especially in the highlights

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, good target exposure on face and wide dynamic range in both highlights and shadows

In low-light scenes, faces can be slightly underexposed, especially on dark skin tones. In this sample, target exposure on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is lower than on the iPhone 13 Pro, especially on the dark-skinned model. There is also an unexpected change in exposure. The iPhone’s auto exposure system performs in a more stable way in comparison.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), low exposure, shadow clipping, exposure change

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, good target exposure, dynamic range and auto exposure

Color

96

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

120

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Image-quality color analysis looks at color rendering, skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, stability of the white balance and its adaption when light is changing.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra renders skin tones nicely and delivers a pleasant white balance in video.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), nice skin tones

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, nice skin tones

Autofocus

112

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

120

Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

Video autofocus is one of the main strengths of S22 Ultra. In this difficult low light scene, the Samsung always maintains the subject’s face in focus, without any autofocus breathing. The iPhone 13 Pro does equally well.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), subject’s face always in focus

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, subject’s face always in focus

Texture

103

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

118

Oppo Find X6 Pro

Texture tests analyze the level of details and texture of the real-life videos as well as the videos of charts recorded in the lab. Natural videos recordings are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the level of details in the bright and areas as well as in the dark. Objective measurements are performed of images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The charts used are the DXOMARK chart (DMC) and Dead Leaves chart.

DXOMARK CHART (DMC) detail preservation video score vs lux levels
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail preservation video score with the level of lux in video. DMC detail preservation score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate texture and details rendering on a selection of crops of our DXOMARK chart.

Generally, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra delivers high levels of detail in video mode, but in this outdoor scene, we can see that the Apple iPhone 13 Pro does better.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), fairly good detail

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slightly better detail

In high-contrast scenes, texture artifacts can be visible. In this indoor scene, we can see some scene integrity artifacts in the shape of face deformation.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), face deformation

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, no face deformation

Noise

105

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

120

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real-life video recording as well as videos of charts taken in the lab. Natural videos are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the noise in the dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on the videos of charts recorded in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The chart used is the DXOMARK visual noise chart.

Spatial visual noise evolution with the illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Temporal visual noise evolution with the illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with the level of lux. Temporal visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup.

Noise is overall well controlled in the S22 Ultra’s video output. In most lighting conditions, noise levels are slightly higher compared to the iPhone 13 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), some noise visible, especially on moving subjects

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slightly lower noise

Artifacts

79

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

86

Xiaomi 12S Ultra

Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR chart in the lab as well as frame-rate measurements using the LED Universal Timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated by paying particular attention to artifacts such as aliasing, quantization, blocking, and hue shift, among others. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts and corresponding point loss are listed below.

Main video artifacts penalties

In S22 Ultra video clips, aliasing artifacts can be visible on areas of high-frequency detail. In this high-contrast lab scene, aliasing is more noticeable on the S22 Ultra than on the iPhone 13 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), strong aliasing

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slight aliasing

Stabilization

108

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)

119

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Stabilization evaluation tests the ability of the device to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS, or any others means. The evaluation looks at residual motion, smoothness, jellow artifacts and residual motion blur on walk and run use cases in various lighting conditions. The video below is an extract from one of the tested scenes.

Video stabilization works effectively when walking while recording. In this outdoor scene, the S22 Ultra stabilization does a good job. The same is true for the iPhone 13 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), strong residual motion when running

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slight residual motion when running

Sharpness differences between frames can be noticeable, especially when recording in low light. In this sample, the effect is more visible on the S22 Ultra than on the iPhone 13 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos), strong residual motion when running

Apple iPhone 13 Pro, slight residual motion when running

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