Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra charging speed tested — here's how fast it is

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The S22 Ultra charges quickly at 45W but it's not a huge difference

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with 45W charger
(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra packs a pretty huge 5,000 mAh battery, so getting juiced up quickly when you reach 0% is very much in your best interest. The good news is that the Galaxy S22 Ultra supports a 45W charger. The bad news is that this charging brick costs $49 ($65 if you need a cable). And that's on top of a $1,199 smartphone.

So what kind of speed can you expect? Samsung claims that you can record more than 50 minutes of video after a 10-minute charge. And the company has also said that you can reach 50% charge in just 20 minutes. 

Galaxy S22 Ultra charging results

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 - Cell 0 Galaxy S22 Ultra 25W chargingGalaxy S22 Ultra 45W charging
After 15 minutes 29%36%
After 30 minutes 58%67%

The Galaxy S22 Ultra does indeed charge faster with a 45W charger. After 15 minutes, the S22 Ultra had 36% battery capacity. That's better than the 29% we got using a Samsung 25W charger but it's not a huge difference.

After 30 minutes, the Galaxy S22 Ultra reached 67% battery with a 45W charger. That's 9% higher than the 58% percent we saw from a 25W charger, so the gap did widen as time went on. Unfortunately, the S22 Ultra fell short of the 50% mark at 20 minutes, as it hit 46% during that time with the 45W charger. 

So how does the Galaxy S22 Ultra stack up to other phones? It's faster than the iPhone 13 Pro. With its 20W charger, the iPhone 13 Pro Max reaches only 50% after 30 minutes. With a 30W charger, the Google Pixel 6 Pro hit 20% at 15 minutes and 40% at 30 minutes. 

On the other hand, the OnePlus 9 Pro went from completely empty to 50% in 15 minutes in our testing and to 99% in 30 minutes on the 65W charger.

So it's clear that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is not the fastest charging phone around. But the 45W charger does provide a speed boost over the 25W charger. It's up to you if it's worth the extra money for that power bump. 

Mark Spoonauer
Mark Spoonauer

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.