Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra S Pen tipped to get a major upgrade

Who needs the Note anyway?

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The input delay on the Galaxy S22’s S Pen stylus will come in at 2.8 milliseconds, according toXEETECHCARE– not bad at all when you consider the figure for the previous version of the accessory was 9 milliseconds.

And if you’re thinking that theSamsung Galaxy S22rumors and leaks  might slow down between now and the expected February launch, forget about  it. This is just the latest tidbit to reach us concerning the Ultra model and the S Pen stylus that’s coming with it.

That improvement of more than two-thirds in responsiveness should make for a more fluid and natural experience for S Pen users, and could be another reason to pick up the Galaxy S22 Ultra over the other models that are coming in the range.

The S Pen is mightier

The S Pen with 9 ms latency was the model that accompanied theGalaxy Note 20, theGalaxy Note 20 Ultra, and theGalaxy S21 Ultra. A slightly different stylus is available with theGalaxy Z Fold 3, but there’s no official information about its input delay, and that’s also true for the more expensiveS Pen Pro.

There have been previous rumblings about improvementscoming to the S Pen in 2022, including some tweaks and optimizations on the software side, and this time around it looks as though there’sgoing to be an integrated slotfor the stylus too.

The sameYouTubesource also reiterated some of the other rumors we’ve heard so far about the high-end S22 model for this year, includingthe 108MP main sensorthat’s expected to be fitted in the rear camera – and it is apparently going to be the first camera in a Samsung phone to support 12-bit HDR for even more colors.

Analysis: leaving the Note behind

The news thatSamsungis rumored to be improving the S Pen that will accompany the S22 Ultra is another sign that the company is leaving the revered old Note series behind this year – we didn’t get aGalaxy Note 21last year and it looks unlikely that we’ll get a Galaxy Note 22 during the course of the next 12 months.

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• Announcement in Jan or Feb- A Note-like design for S22 Ultra- A glass back for all models- An S-Pen slot for the S22 Ultra- Slightly different screen sizes- Big camera changes planned- Smaller batteries (not the Ultra)- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 / Exynos 2200- 1TB internal storage (Ultra)

Full details:the Galaxy S22 range

The good news is that other Samsung phones are filling the gap. As well as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, theGalaxy Z Fold 4is also expected to arrive with S Pen support later in the year, although the different types of screens on foldable phones might mean that an alternative stylus is needed again.

Samsung itself has made it clear that S Pen support is going to cometo more of its devicesin the future – although it’s disappointing that no other phone has yet offered an integrated S Pen dock like the Note had. That’s something that we hope changes.

By all accounts the Galaxy S22 Ultra is going to be a Note replacement, and may evenget a name changeto reflect this evolution. The design is said to be significantly different to the S22 and the S22 Plus, and the cameras are apparently more advanced too. All should be revealed at the official unveiling sometime next month.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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