As always, Samsung is always first off the ranks each year with their flagship phone series announcement and this one has not disappointed.
Samsung has announced the next generation in their Galaxy series with the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra all announced earlier this morning (AUD time). All this took place during the hour-long Galaxy Unpacked event that served as our official introduction to the new products. Of course, if you’ve been keeping tabs on rumors surrounding the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8, Unpacked didn’t reveal many surprises, though it’s still good to get the official word straight from Samsung.
If you feel like sitting through the entire Unpacked event, here it is for your viewing pleasure
So here is a quick overview of what was announced at the event this morning.
Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus: The Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus ushered camera improvements, including a beefier main sensor and better optical zoom on their respective telephoto lenses. The phones feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset in the U.S. and come with slightly smaller screens than their Galaxy S21 predecessors; prices haven’t changed from the S21, however.
Galaxy S22 Ultra: The highlight of the lineup is the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which adopted many Galaxy Note features, as had been anticipated. There are camera improvements here, too, such as a clear lens that cuts down on glare and lens flare and 45W charging.
Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab S8 Plus: The Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab S8 Plus both include an S Pen. The Tab S8 offers an 11-inch LCD with 120Hz refresh rate, while the Tab S8 Plus ups that to a 12.4-inch OLED. Both are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip.
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the crown jewel of Samsung’s tablet lineup, and it could finally give Samsung a formidable competitor for Apple’s iPad Pro. You get a 14.6-inch screen, included S Pen and dual front cameras for video calls. People who’ve invested in other Samsung devices will appreciate the interoperability of the Tab S8 Ultra.
All three phones have glass back and front for improved durability, 5G compatibility, and screens with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz and greater peak brightness than before. Samsung is guaranteeing the S22 phones will support at least four generations of Android software updates, and as part of a partnership with Google is including a custom version of the Duo video calling app that will allow screen sharing and synchronised media playback akin to Apple’s SharePlay.
As last year, the Galaxy S22 line is aggressively priced, with every model matching or undercutting the equivalent iPhone if you compare the S22 with the iPhone 13, the S22+ with the iPhone 13 Pro, and the S22 Ultra with the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Looking at the least expensive 128GB models of each, for example, the S22 comes in at $1249 versus the 13’s $1349, and the S22+ hits $1549 versus the 13 Pro’s $1699. The 128GB S22 Ultra and 13 Pro Max are both $1849, but Samsung makes savings at the high end with the most expensive 1TB model coming in at $2569 versus Apple’s $2719 for the equivalent iPhone.
The new Samsung range is due to hit Australian stores on March 4th while pre-orders are open now via Samsung Australia’s website if you feel like buying one outright.
Let us know what you think about the new range? Is it an improvement overall the previous generation?
