Remember the Samsung Galaxy Note? Yeah, the one that we predicted was completely dead? Yeah, well, it’s back. At least in spirit. This evening, Samsung lifted the veil on its latest flagship mobile devices that form part of its Galaxy range.
It includes three devices. There’s the base S22, the slightly bulkier S22+ and the largest S22 Ultra. That last one’s design is heavily influenced by one of the brand’s previous ranges: the much-loved Note. All of them are equipped with the latest in mobile components, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Samsung’s Exynos 2200 SoC. Which one you get depends on your region, as always.
According to the South African press information, we’re getting devices equipped with an ‘advanced 4nm processing’ chip. Not much detail there. Stuff did speak to Samsung South Africa at a recent media event where it was confirmed that local devices will feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. That’s subject to change, however.
That’s the dirt on the chip debacle. On to the other juicy details.
Meet the S22 and S22+
In addition to some kind of processor, the base S22 model offers exactly what you’d expect from a flagship Samsung phone in 2022. This marks the brand’s first traditional smartphone launch since early 2021. In-between, we saw mainly foldables, so this is quite exciting.
The S22 comes equipped with a 6.1in FHD+ AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. It (and all the other models in the range) features a 240Hz touch-sampling rate when Game Mode is active. The S22+ comes with a slightly larger 6.6in display.
Both feature in-display fingerprint readers, 5G and will leave the box with Android 12.
They also share the same camera array. Here you’ll get three camera sensors around the back. This includes a 50MP wide-angle, 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP telephoto lens – these offer up to 3x optical zoom. Up front you’ll have access to a 10MP selfie cam. It’s interesting to see Samsung drop camera spec on its flagship range with decreased focus on high-spec photography. Now it’s all about software.
And that software will allow for brighter, clearer pictures in dark settings thanks to improved night mode. Expect a host of fancy camera features in tow.
Supporting the unnamed chip that powers everything, you’ll get either an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variation or an 8GB RAM and 256GB storage option.
The difference in size means you’re getting a larger 4,500mAh battery on the Plus, while the base S22 sports a 3,700mAh battery. That S22+ also offers 45W fast-charging, while the S22 caps out at 25W.
Meet the S22 Ultra
We know you’re here to read more about the statement device – that nostalgia-fuelled Galaxy S22 Ultra, complete with an in-body S-Pen.
It features a wonderfully bright 6.8in QHD+ AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. You also get the fancy touch sampling in Game Mode here. As well as the fingerprint sensor for the unlocking capabilities.
Here the camera spec gets some attention. There’s a 108MP wide-angle seen in previous flagships, a 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) and another 10MP telephoto (10x optical zoom). The selfie camera is a whopping 40MP.
It also offers the 100x Space Zoom found on previous Ultra’s, but that’s digital zoom and it’s not great. Samsung’s talking up its photo and video processing software, which could improve the clarity and brightness of zoomed images. But we’ll have to test that come review time.
This model will come with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, including storage options up to a whopping 1TB – which is welcome. We don’t know whether the 1TB version will make its way to SA yet, and we’ll let you know once we know.
Keeping things running, you get a lekker 5,000mAh battery, as well as 45W fast-charging capability. As expected, there is no charging block in any of the boxes, so don’t expect one with your new S22 (or Tab S8) devices. There’s a USB-C to USB-C cable though. Maybe some accessories if you pre-order. But no charging adaptor.
Then there’s the S-Pen, that’s housed inside the S22 Ultra and can be used for all manner of productivity shenanigans. This includes quick note-taking, sketching, remote control in certain apps and a bunch of other stuff.
S22 range pricing
It’s nice to see Samsung seamlessly marry two of its best-performing flagship ranges. The base S22 models seem more than capable to handle anything a daily user can throw at it, while the S22 Ultra brings some S-Pen swag along with its powerful hardware to offer something unique. We can’t wait to get our hands on the review units.
The Galaxy S22 range is available for pre-order on the Samsung South Africa website. You’ll be able to grab the base S22 from R20,000, the S22+ from R23,000 and the S22 Ultra from R29,000. They’ll ship from 11 March 2022.
