After months of unofficial leaks, Samsung finally unveiled its new Galaxy S22 series of flagship smartphones during its Unpacked event on February 9th. Consisting of the Galaxy S22 and S22+ which share the same design language, and the rather Note-esque Galaxy S22 Ultra with its built-in S Pen, the series is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor or the Exynos 2200 chipset depending on your region. Pricing for the Galaxy S22 series starts from $799 for the base model with the 1TB Galaxy S22 Ultra reaching the heady heights of $1,599.
Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+
If you aren't fussed about the inclusion of the S Pen, then you might be focused on the Galaxy S22 and S22+ which are more reasonably priced whilst still packing in the features and what Samsung calls a Contour Cut design. The two phones are made with Armor Aluminum which is the strongest aluminum frame that Samsung makes, with the glass display protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus.
Both models are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset (or Exynos 2200 if you aren't in a selected region) and available with either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The Galaxy S22 is only available with 8GB of RAM while the 256GB variant of the Galaxy S22+ also comes in the 12/256GB configuration.
Both phones feature 120HZ AMOLED panels with FHD+ resolution, with the Galaxy S22 having a 6.1-inch display and the Galaxy S22+ a 6.6-inch screen. The smaller sibling makes do with a 3,700mAh battery and 25W fast-charging in comparison with the Galaxy S22+ sporting a bigger 4,500mAh battery with a much quicker 45W charging speed. 15W wireless charging is present on both devices as is Wireless PowerShare. You'll also find Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, WiFi 6 support on both the Galaxy S22 and S22+, along with an IP68 rating,
Both models sport the same trio of rear cameras consisting of a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom. The phones offer an improved Portrait mode, Nightography, and a new Auto Framing feature that can track up to 10 people in a shot and adjust its focus accordingly.
If the regular Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, or Pink Gold aren't the colorways for you, you can also choose from the custom Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, and Violet options (shown above) if you don't mind waiting for an additional 3-4 weeks for delivery. The Galaxy S22 and S22+ will go on sale in-store from February 25th with prices starting from $799 and $999 respectively, although you can already place your pre-order online on Samsung's storefront.
Galaxy S22 Ultra
It's fair to say that for Note users, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the more alluring model in the line-up thanks to its Galaxy Note-esque design and the inclusion of a built-in S Pen. The squarer aesthetic sets it apart from the rest of the Galaxy S22 series, as does its larger Dynamic AMOLED display that measures up at 6.8-inches and boasts a higher resolution of QHD+ (3088 x 1440) and an adaptive refresh rate of 6-120Hz.
Once again powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 chipsets, the S22 Ultra can be had with 8/12GB of RAM and 128/256/512GB of storage. If that isn't quite enough, you can also get the S22 Ultra with a whopping 1TB of storage.
A larger 5,000mAh battery keeps the lights on with 45W wired charging (you'll need to buy a compatible charger separately) and 15W wireless charging. There's IP68 certification, and while you won't find an audio jack or MicroSD slot present, there is an S Pen that is stored internally. A quartet of rear cameras includes the same sensors seen on the Galaxy S22 and S22+ but with the addition of a 108MP main sensor and a 40MP selfie camera instead of the 10MP sensor.
That's all great, but the big deal here is the inclusion of a built-in S Pen for the very first time on a Galaxy S series smartphone. There's no need for Note fans to worry because it seems that Samsung has bundled in all the usual S Pen tricks and features that you would have had on an actual Galaxy Note phone such as AirCommand and AirView, plus a couple more.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is available to pre-order online in the Burgundy, Phantom Black, Phantom White, and Green colorways with orders shipping from February 25th. If you don't mind waiting an additional 3-4 weeks, you can also choose from the custom Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red colorways, as shown above.
