In this article, we compare the best that Google and Samsung currently have to offer. The Pixel 7 Pro launched earlier this month, and we’re going to pit you against Samsung’s flagship. We compare the Google Pixel 7 Pro with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S22 Ultra was launched back in February, but it’s still the company’s most powerful smartphone, not counting the foldable devices.
These two phones are very different in many ways. Their insides aren’t that similar and they certainly look different. The hand feel is also significantly different and so on. It will be interesting to see how they compare and hopefully this article will help you make a purchasing decision. We first compare their spec sheets, then move on to the Design, Display, Performance, Battery, Cameras, and Audio categories.
specifications
| Google Pixel 7 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
| screen size | 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED LTPO curved display (120 Hz refresh rate) | 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (120 Hz adaptive refresh rate, LTPO, up to 1 Hz) |
| screen resolution | 3120×1440 | 3080×1440 |
| SoC | Google Tensor G2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Samsung Exynos 2200 |
| R.A.M. | 12GB (LPDDR5) | 8GB/12GB (LPDDR5) |
| storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) |
| reversing cameras | 50 MP (Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor, 1.2 µm pixel size, f/1.85 aperture, 82 degrees FoV) 12 MP (ultrawide, 1.25 µm pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 125.8 degree field of view, lens correction) 48 MP (telephoto, 0.7 µm pixel size, f/3.5 aperture, 20.6 degree field of view, 5x optical zoom, Super Res zoom up to 30x) |
108 MP (f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 0.8 µm pixel size. Generates 12 MP images with 2.4 µm pixel size) 12 MP (Ultrawide, Dual Pixel AF, 120 degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 1.4 µm pixel size) 10 MP (telephoto, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/2.4 aperture, 1.12 µm pixel size, 70 mm lens, 3x optical zoom) 10MP (telephoto, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/4.9 aperture, 1.22µm pixel size, 230mm lens, 10x optical zoom, 100x space zoom) |
| front cameras | 10.8 MP (1.22 µm pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 92.8 degree field of view, fixed focus) | 40 MP (f/2.2 aperture, 80 degrees FoV, 0.7 µm pixel size, PDAF) |
| battery | 5,000mAh Non-Removable 23W Wired Charging 23W Wireless Charging Reverse Wireless Charger Charger not included |
5,000 mAh 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) |
| operating system | Android 13 | Android 12 A user interface 4.1 |
| Price | $899/$999/$1,099 | $1,199.99 |
| Obtain | Samsung |
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Design
Both the Pixel 7 Pro and the Galaxy S22 Ultra are made of metal and glass. In fact, they both use 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 are curved forwards and backwards. The Galaxy S22 Ultra also comes with less curved corners.
The two phones are similar in terms of dimensions. The Pixel 7 Pro is a bit shorter and narrower, but they’re the same thickness. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is slightly heavier (by 16 grams). Both devices offer IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Because of the way they’re built, they feel different in the hand, significantly different. They’re both pretty slippery. The Pixel 7 Pro is perhaps even a bit slippery due to its design, but it cuts a little less into the hand. Using a case is certainly recommended with both, and both feel like really high-end devices.
Both phones have a centered display camera hole and very thin bezels. This includes curved displays, although the curvature is different, it’s more pronounced on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. If we turn them over, we see even more differences. The Pixel 7 Pro has a camera visor on the back that is covered in metal. It goes from one side of the phone to the other and sticks out quite a bit. It can actually help you balance the phone if your hands are big enough. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single camera island. Each of its cameras protrudes directly from the backplate.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Ad
Both phones have a really big display, but they are different. The Pixel 7 Pro features a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED panel. That’s a curved display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10+ content and gets pretty bright with 1,500 nits of peak brightness. We’re looking at a 19.5:9 aspect ratio here, and that panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, features a 6.8-inch QHD+ (3088 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. This panel is also curved and offers a 120Hz refresh rate too. HDR10+ content is supported, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display gets even brighter than the Pixel 7 Pro’s. In auto mode, it reaches a maximum brightness of 1,750 nits. This panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+ in case you were wondering.
Both displays are really excellent. They offer vivid colors, excellent viewing angles and deep blacks. The touch response is flagship quality and they’re well optimized all around. They are also more than sharp enough. The content looks great on both. The Galaxy S22 Ultra panel does get brighter outdoors, but the difference isn’t that big. You’ll be happy with any of these displays in direct sunlight, that’s for sure.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Performance
First and foremost, it should be noted that the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes in two different variants. Most phones are powered 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 aren’t monumental, but they’re noticeable it seems. We used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 model, so we’ll talk about this one.
In addition to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Galaxy S22 Ultra packs 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. Well, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is technically a more powerful chip, but the Tensor G2 is specifically optimized for the Pixel 7 series and is very “smart”. Don’t get us wrong, it’s also technically pretty fast.
How is the performance? Well, excellent, on both counts. They are very smooth in normal tasks and even in gaming. We’ve found that the Galaxy S22 Ultra handles really demanding games like Genshin Impact a bit better. They both heat up quite a bit, but that shouldn’t worry you, especially considering it doesn’t affect performance. Just note that the Pixel 7 Pro isn’t the best phone for gaming right now. We’ve found the Pixel 7 Pro to be generally smoother in day-to-day use. The Galaxy S22 Ultra tends to drop frames at times and feels a bit choppy in comparison. Once again, the difference isn’t huge, but it’s worth noting. The Pixel 7 Pro is actually one of the most powerful devices we’ve ever used.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Battery
Both phones pack a 5,000mAh battery. Battery life is really good on both, but not the best we’ve seen anywhere near. We were able to get around 6-7 hours of screen time on these two phones. It’s still pretty early for the Pixel 7 Pro, however, as battery life could improve once Google irons out the software. Either way, battery life is still solid even now.
Note that we base this conclusion on very light gaming and otherwise regular usage with surfing, consuming multimedia, email, photography, etc. Your mileage may differ significantly as your usage will be different, as well as your cellular service, installed apps and so on. So always take battery life information with a grain of salt, you never know how your usage will affect it.
But what about charging? Well, the Pixel 7 Pro supports 23W wired, 23W wireless and also reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy S22 Ultra supports 45W wired, 15W wireless and 4.5W wireless reverse charging. Note that neither of these two phones comes with a charging brick in the box.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Cameras
The Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 50MP main camera supported by a 48MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The Galaxy S22 Ultra features a 108-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens unit, and a 10-megapixel periscope telephoto camera. These two devices are among the best camera smartphones on the market, but they offer significantly different results.
The Pixel 7 Pro tends to deliver 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 more vibrant in most situations, but adds some saturation to the images. In low light, the Galaxy S22 Ultra tends to keep images a bit darker and more vibrant. The Pixel 7 Pro brightens up the scene, which ends up looking great but isn’t really lifelike. In low light, the Pixel 7 Pro usually gets away with more detail.
Google’s flagship shines in HDR situations, although the Galaxy S22 Ultra doesn’t really cut a bad figure either. We found the Pixel 7 Pro camera to be a bit more consistent, but the Galaxy S22 Ultra does a great job too. If you’re capturing something really far away, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is still the camera of choice. Ultrawide cameras are good, but they perform significantly worse in low light when compared to main sensors. The two phones are basically trading punches from one scene to the next, and the same goes for video capture.
Audio
Both phones have stereo speakers and no audio jack. Those speakers are really good on both phones, although we did notice a bit more detail in the Galaxy S22 Ultra edition. The soundstage also seems to be a bit wider. This may be due to AKG’s input and speaker matching.
To connect your headphones with a cable, you need to use a Type-C port on the bottom. Wireless connections are made via Bluetooth 5.2, which is available on both smartphones.
