[Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra] IT_Architect:
As someone about to be living in multiple countries with orphans, I need some phone purchasing advice. Call recording and a stylus are capabilities I've had since the Note 3 and a phone without them is right up there with a flip-phone. I currently have a Note 9 that I flashed from U to U1 and then froze it in ODIN and contributed a thread here which thoroughly documented the process for people. The problem is I need to hide it from Wi-Fi connections either directly or through a PC and USB and side-load apps to protect it from the play store snake pit to keep it that way. Thus, all browsing is done using the data plan. Call recording is done with ACR Pro and it works perfectly.

I don't have the time to become the expert again this time. What I need is:

1. Call recording. It doesn't need to be native.

2. The ability to use it worldwide with credit cards.

3. I can use it in the US (Verizon) and abroad, starting with Colombia, S.A.

4. I can use it with Wi-Fi without the fear of it getting attacked by the play store or a wireless provider's malware that disables call recording. I don't mind if I have to side-load everything.

5. A stylus. I'm fine with a Note 20 Ultra, S22 Ultra, and if I absolutely have to spend that much, the S23 Ultra. (The S21 Ultra with wandering stylus is untenable.)

I've read here the E is good on the 22 Ultra, and its gone on the 23 Ultra and now seems to be the rolled into the N and to what effect I don't know. For my use, there is no difference between the Note 20 Ultra, S22 Ultra, and S23 Ultra other than price. God is re-engineering my life and I need something that just works for these requirements. I like the Samsung Note hardware like the 20, 22, and 23, but I despise KNOX and I don't want to go back to "flip-phone" technology like the iPhone 14 Pro Max or even sink to Google Pixel 7 Pro unless I have to. To me they would be like going from a Boeing 777 to a donkey to get where I need to go.

Thanks in advance to those who are the current experts in this area to help me determine the best phone to buy to suit these requirements.

PS: Battery life automated tests from gsmarena indicate:

- The S23 Ultra is substantially better than the S22 Ultra (126 vs 108)

- My Note 9 easily beats the Note 20 Ultra (97 vs 88)

- The S22 beats my Note 9 by about the same amount as my Note 9 beats the Note 20 Ultra

*I don't like how this is stacking up from a cost perspective but it is what it is. The Note 20 Ultra is out of the running, which is unfortunate because it has all of the capabilities I need with the best price. I would be going forward from the Note 9 with the S22 Ultra, and while the S23 doesn't bring anything else significant to the table, it definitely brings a battery life advantage.

PS: Rooting: With regard to financial apps, root and a tripped KNOX are killers of many of the most-used apps. As I see it my remaining choices are:

- Get call recording to work through an app

- Set up my own PBX on our existing bare-metal data center computer.

- Use a VOIP service that records that is not expensive to use.

*The advantages of the last two are they work even when using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi calling, and they are secure to where the wireless provider are powerless to ever prevent it or even monitor conversations.

Thanks all!