The Galaxy S22 Lineup: First Impressions, Software Support and More

Galaxy S22 Ultra: The New Chapter for Galaxy Note

With the Galaxy Note series skipping a new release last year, the future of the Galaxy smartphone with an S Pen was questionable. From an operational and structural perspective terminating the Note lineup makes a lot of sense. Given the chip shortages, condensing the flagship lineup will play in Samsung’s favour and to be fair Samsung was struggling to keep even the most notorious Note fans interested in all the variations of the Note 20 models.

Image: Samsung

Galaxy S22 Ultra Display

The newly announced S22 Ultra marks a new chapter for the stylus-equipped Galaxy flagship. The Galaxy S22 Ultra takes the shape, characteristics and the overall look of the well-known Galaxy Note. It has a large 6.8-inch display with all the Samsung’s bells and whistles and a dynamic refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz peaking at 1,750 nits of brightness. Astonishing displays are synonymous with Samsung, but this time around Samsung have outdone themselves.

Image: Samsung Unpacked Event 2022 / YouTube

Galaxy S22 Ultra Camera

Talking about the camera, Samsung decided to keep last year’s hardware and enhance its performance with the update neural processing unit for advanced AI features. That being said the main lens is the same as on the S21 Ultra at 108MP coupled with a 12MP ultrawide sensor, 10MP telephoto and 10MP periscope lenses. Selfies will be taken by a 40 MP camera. The most significant improvement is optical image stabilisation which now has 58 degree wider angle correction. Samsung have added optional camera features like shot framing, light corrections, improved portrait and night modes.

Galaxy S22 Ultra Price and Performance

Thanks to Samsung's enhanced software support, Galaxy S22 Ultra is going to receive Android 16. Four years of Android support is undoubtedly one of the most important features as it means you will be able to use the S22 Ultra for longer. Under the hood, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the first one to be running on the new Exynos 2200 chipset with generous memory configurations. The 128 storage model comes with 8GB of RAM priced at £1,149, higher storage variants start from £1,249 and feature 12GB of RAM. If you’re upgrading, take a look at prices to sell your current Samsung phone, this way you will be able to chip away at that hefty price tag.

Galaxy S22 and S22+: Refreshed, But Very Similar to Galaxy S21

Image: Samsung

In regards to the design, these new Galaxy S22 models aren't really different from the S21 and feature a similar camera layout. However, the lineup is first to feature Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus, so the screens, measuring at 6.1 and 6.6 inches, are better equipped to survive drops and offer a better scratch resistance.

Galaxy S22 and S22+ Cameras

Triple rear cameras include a 12MP ultra wide, 50MP wide-angle and 10MP telephoto sensors with 3x optical zoom. On the front, you will find a 10MP selfie camera. Recorded videos with the Galaxy S22 and S22+ cameras will be smooth even in motion which has been possible due the improvement of 58% in the OIS correction angle. That's something Samsung produly highlighted at the laucnh event. The Adaptive Pixel feature is powered by AI and switches between 50MP high-resolution mode and 12MP high-sensitivity mode according to the lighting. Additionally, Detail Enhancer utilises deep-learning AI making your photos more rich with details and depth.

Galaxy S22 and S22+ Performance

Image: Samsung

For the European market, the S22 and S22+ will be powered by Samsung's own Exynos 2200 (same as the S22 Ultra). Users will be able to get 8GB of RAM and a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage. Both flagships will be receiving 4 years of Android upgrades as Samsung moves to prolong the lifecycle of its new flagships in the hands of its users. We've compiled the most crucial speicifications in the table below for easier comparison:

Essentially, the non-ultra S22 offer a choice of a larger battery and bigger and brighter display. Apart from that, both S22 are like twins, with the Plus model costing you £180 more.

If you're considering one of these to be your next phone, upgrade with bigger savings and kinder to the environment by selling your used Galaxy to be reused.