It’s one of the biggest announcements of the year in tech, and for Samsung, the launch of the S series Galaxy smartphones sets them up for the entire year ahead. This week I got hands-on with the three models in the all-new Samsung Galaxy S22 range.
While all the headlines (this blog included) will be about the return of fan-favourite “note” features, the S22 range is solid from top to bottom.
Kicking off with the Samsung Galaxy S22, there is a strong air of familiarity to the design. The four colour options are very slick this year with single tone to the back and both the camera area and main backing sharing the same colour. For me, the green is the pick of the bunch.
A 6.1-inch screen with 120Hz refresh rate and under-screen fingerprint reader are the core features of the phone you’ll see and use each day. The 3700mAh battery will make the S22 an easy, all-day offering, and under the hood is a powerful 4nm chip, so performance won’t leave you wanting.
Step it up a gear with the 6.6 inch and this is probably the best choice for most people with a good-sized screen and a larger 4500mAh battery, which together weighs in at just 196grams.
Of course, 5G is a centrepiece of the Samsung Galaxy S22 line up, continuing Samsung’s solid 5G range from top to bottom.
Samsung Galaxy Note loyalists though are the ones who’ll benefit most from the S22 range with the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra featuring more than a hint of “note” in its DNA.
It’s been two, nearly three years since a flagship “Galaxy Note” device was released, but with Samsung’s range now featuring the Z Fold and these larger screen Galaxy S devices (both with support for the famous S-Pen), it really was a device that sat out on its own for no real reason.
This year though, the biggest fans of the Note series devices will find much joy in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The S-Pen now fits inside the device, exactly as it did with the Galaxy Note, with the latency between pen and "ink" on screen reduced even further.
This device features a stunning 6.8-inch screen, it looks and feels like a Note in the hand, and on the back Samsung has distinguished the Ultra with camera lenses not isolated on an island. Instead, these are set out individually which I can imagine will look great with new cases made to fit right around those circles.
The camera features a Wide, Ultra Wide, as well as 3x and 10x telephoto cameras. Capable of 100x hybrid zoom, it’s getting better and better every year with advances in the AI processing of photos.
S22 Ultra users who are photographers can also take advantage of RAW photography for great post-shot editing capabilities.
But it’s at night you’ll get the most benefit from all three devices. Samsung has coined the phrase “nightography” to really push its lowlight credentials. A lot of effort here includes a 23 per cent larger sensor and more advanced AI processing. Expect night-shots to be the new bragging zone for S22 owners without doubt.
This is a sponsored guest post from EFTM.com editor, Trevor Long.