As expected, Samsung has launched its latest flagship smartphones with the Galaxy S22 series during its virtual Galaxy Unpacked event that just concluded. There are three models in the new S22 series with 6.1-inch S22, 6.6-inch S22+ and the 6.8-inch S22 Ultra.
In Singapore, all the S22 models will be powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. This is the first in many years, as we always get Samsung flagship smartphones with the less-superior Exynos chips.
| Samsung | Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G | Galaxy S22+ 5G | Galaxy S22 5G |
| Pricing | From S$1,718, available Mar 4 | From S$1,468, available Mar 4 | From S$1,178, available Mar 4 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
| Display | 6.8 inches (3,088 x 1,440 pixels) | 6.6 inches (2,340 x 1,080 pixels) | 6.1 inches (2,340 x 1,080 pixels) |
| Camera | Front camera – 40MP Rear cameras – 12MP ultra-wide-angle, 108MP main wide-angle, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom), 10MP telephoto (10x optical zoom) | Front camera – 10MP Rear cameras – 12MP ultra-wide-angle, 50MP main wide-angle, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) | Front camera – 10MP Rear cameras – 12MP ultra-wide-angle, 50MP main wide-angle, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) |
| Operating system | Android 12, One UI 4.1 | Android 12, One UI 4.1 | Android 12, One UI 4.1 |
| Built-in S Pen | Yes | No | No |
| Memory | 128GB; 8GB RAM/ 256GB; 12GB RAM/ 512GB; 12GB RAM | 128GB, 256GB; 8GB RAM | 128GB, 256GB; 8GB RAM |
| Battery capacity | 5,000mAh | 4,500mAh | 3,700mAh |
| Weight | 229g | 196g | 168g |
Plus, all the displays of the S22 series have a smooth refresh rate of up to 120Hz with 240Hz touch sampling rate in game mode. However, the peak brightness of the S22’s display is 1,300nit while both S22+ and S22 Ultra features peak brightness of 1,750nit. So, you should be able to see better with these two smartphones under bright sunlight.
All the S22 models come with an IP68 water resistance rating, meaning they can be submerged under water to depths of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes.
The S22 and S22+ look similar to each other and its predecessors. Apart from screen size, weight and battery capacity, both S22 and S22+ shares similar specifications including the same rear triple-camera system consisting of a 50-megapixel (MP) main wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 10MP telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The two smartphones’ image sensor is said to 23% bigger than S21 and S21+ for better night photography. Both smartphones also feature a 10MP front-facing hole-punch camera.
Found in both smartphones, the new Auto framing feature is said to be able to track up to 10 people and automatically adjust the focus during video capture. In addition, the Portrait mode not only works on human, it also works on your furry friends.
Both S22 and S22+ will be offered in four colours of green, pink, black and white. The Samsung Online Store will have exclusive colours of graphite, cream, violet and sky blue.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 (from S$1,178) and S22+ (from S$1,468) will be available start from Mar 4 with pre-orders starting from Feb 9, 11pm, at Samsung Online Store and online stores like Lazada and Shopee.
THE NOTE20 ULTRA SUCCESSOR
However, the star of the S22 series is undoubtedly the S22 Ultra. It looks vastly different from the S22 and S22+. It is essentially a doppelgänger of the Note 20 Ultra. In fact, the S22 Ultra comes with a built-in S Pen stylus like the Note series. And it is the first S series smartphone to have one.
The S22 Ultra’s S Pen is said to have a lower latency of 2.6 milliseconds, compared to 9 milliseconds previously. This S Pen also plenty of features including air gestures like swinging the S Pen like a wand to move slides, quick jotting down of Notes on an unlocked screen and translation of text by highlighting them with the S Pen.
Not to mention, the S22 Ultra features the almost same front and rear camera systems as S21 Ultra. In other words, it has the same front-facing hole-punch 40MP camera and the rear quad-camera system of a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 108MP main wide-angle camera, 10MP telephoto camera (3x optical zoom) and 10MP telephoto camera (10x optical zoom).
The biggest difference is that the S22 Ultra’s main 108MP camera has a bigger pixel sensor that allows more light and data to be captured. Thus, it should offer better details and clearer pictures, especially for night photography. Similar to the S22 and S22+, the S22 Ultra has the ability to save photos in RAW format of up to 16 bits. RAW format allows you to have more latitude and control when editing the photos to get them how you like your images to look.
But unlike the big protruding rectangular module found in Note20 Ultra, the S22 Ultra has none. It basically only has lenses protruding out of its rear. This is probably the thinnest camera module you ever see on a flagship smartphone.
The rear of the S22 Ultra also has a nice matte finish that makes it less susceptible to fingerprints and smudges. The S22 Ultra will come in four colours of burgundy, green, black and white. Samsung Online Store will have additional exclusive colours of graphite, sky blue and red.
Like its cousins, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will be available from Mar 4 with pre-orders starting on Feb 9, 11pm, at Samsung Online Store and online stores like Lazada and Shopee.
SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S8 SERIES
At the same time, Samsung also launches the Galaxy Tab S8 Android tablet series. The line-up consists of the 11-inch Tab S8 (from S$1,188), 12.4-inch Tab S8+ (from S$1,538) and the whopping 14.6-inch Tab S8 Ultra (S$2,188).
The Tab S8 Ultra has a display notch – not too different from Apple MacBook Pro 14 – that houses the front-facing 12MP wide-angle and 12MP ultra-wide-angle cameras.
In addition, the Tab S8 series tablets are supposed to work seamlessly with the S22 series smartphones. For instance, if you start drawing in Samsung Notes on your Tab S8 with an S Pen, you can connect to your S22 Ultra and change the S Pen’s tips and colours on the smartphone without a hitch.
The Tab S8 tablets will be available in Singapore from Mar 4 as well with pre-order starting from Feb 9, 11pm, through Samsung official stores in Lazada and Shopee.
Those who pre-order any of the above new smartphone or tablet from the Samsung Online Store can expect to receive their devices from Feb 25 via delivery or self-collection.
