After months of leaks, Samsung has finally unpacked the new Galaxy S22 series. Given the many, many leaks we’ve seen of the new devices, there weren’t many surprises left. But it’s good to have them confirmed and available to pre-order. Yes, pre-orders for all three models start today. They will all start shipping on February 25.
As expected, Samsung announced the Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra. We’ll start with the Galaxy S22 and S22+ here.
Samsung wants to make “your everyday epic” with Galaxy S22 & S22+
With the Galaxy S22 and S22+, Samsung is keeping the same design language that it debuted with the Galaxy S21 series last year. So there’s the same Contour Cut camera design that looked really great on the S21.
The cameras are pretty much the same as last year, with a 50-megapixel camera as the main sensor. There’s a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera. While the front has a 10-megapixel sensor. The rear is capable of 8K video at 24fps. If you don’t quite need 8K, there is also support for 4K at 60fps.
Basically, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are slightly updated models of their predecessors, with a new processor – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The real changes come to the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The Galaxy Note S22 Ultra is the new epic standard
Last year, Samsung added the S Pen to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it did not have the silo inside the smartphone. So you needed a case to carry it around. That also meant that it lacked the Bluetooth features that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra had. This year, it does have a silo, and the design is more similar to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra than the Galaxy S22 series. Which is a bit surprising, since it bares the S22 naming.
Samsung added the iconic note-style angles to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. That includes the flat bottom and top. It also has a different camera bump. Instead of a Contour cut design like the Galaxy S22, there are individual bumps for each camera lens.
The camera is a big part of the Galaxy S22 Ultra this year. It sports the same sensors as last year. That includes a 108-megapixel main sensor. Along with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and two 10-megapixel telephoto sensors. One that is capable of 3x Optical Zoom and the other does 10X.
What’s new this year, is the software for the camera. Samsung is debuting the new Adaptive Pixel technology with the Galaxy S22 series. This technology is actually pretty simple. It uses nona binning to combine 9 pixels into a single pixel. That’s nothing new, we’ve seen that on smartphones for the past few years. But what is new here is, it is combining nona binning with the full resolution image.
So on the 108-megapixel sensor, you’re getting a high-resolution 108-megapixel image plus the 12-megapixel images that were taken at the same time. They are layered on top of each other, leaving you with a really crisp image. This is particularly useful at night. Which Samsung is coining the term Nightography with the S22 Ultra this year. Thanks to the 23% larger pixel sensor, enhanced AI high resolution processing, it is able to sharpen images by capturing 4x more data.
Samsung has also added a dedicated Expert Raw camera app to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. This gives you pro level creative control, with a wide dynamic range through multi-frame synthesis. It also produces high-quality 16-bit RAW files and support for all four cameras.
Galaxy S22 series specifications
Galaxy S22 | Galaxy S22+ | Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
Display | 6.1-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Adaptive 120Hz |
6.6-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Adaptive 120Hz |
6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Adaptive 120Hz |
Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB/12GB/16GB |
Storage | 128/256GB/512GB | 128/256GB/512GB | 128/256/512GB/1TB |
Battery Capacity | 3,700mAh | 4,500mAh | 5,000mAh |
Charging Speeds | Wireless Powershare, Super Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging |
Wireless Powershare, Super Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging |
Wireless Powershare, Super Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging |
Software | Android 12, OneUI 4.1 | Android 12, OneUI 4.1 | Android 12, OneUI 4.1 |
Rear Cameras | 50MP wide 10MP telephoto 12MP ultrawide |
50MP wide 10MP telephoto 12MP ultrawide |
108MP wide 10MP telephoto1 10MP telephoto2 12MP ultrawide |
Front Camera | 10MP | 10MP | 40MP |
Dimensions | 70.6x146x7.6mm | 75.8×157.4×7.6mm | 77.9×163.3×8.9mm |
Weight | 168g | 196g | 229g |
Price | $799 | $999 | $1199 |
Colors | phantom black phantom white pink gold green |
phantom black phantom white pink gold green |
phantom white phantom black green burgundy |
Available | February 25 | February 25 | February 25 |
Pricing & Availability
You’ve probably heard enough about the Galaxy S22 series, so when can you the new Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra? Well, good news. Pre-orders are now open. And they will be shipping on February 25.
The Galaxy S22 is available for $799, available in phantom black, phantom white, pink gold, and green.
The Galaxy S22+ is going to cost you $999 and is available in the same colors as the Galaxy S22.
Finally, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is available for $1,199. It is available in phantom black, phantom white, green, and burgundy.
Samsung does have some pretty cool pre-order gifts too this time. Depending on what phone you pre-order, you can get up to $200 in a Samsung.com gift card. But you will also get a free memory upgrade. So if you got the 128GB model, you’ll get upgraded to 256GB. The 256GB will get upgraded to the 512GB model, and so on. Which is really impressive.