INTRODUCTION
The Galaxy S22 family is here! Samsung's non-foldable top-shelf lineup for 2022 contains three phones - usual procedure in recent years - but one of them is a Note in disguise for the first time.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is building up to be the one phone to rule them all, combining the best camera technology with the productivity of the S Pen in one phone. The most advanced Galaxy that doesn't fold in half (and it's superior to those in many ways, but we'll get to that later) will get you a super-bright 6.8-inch OLED display, an improved main camera and more telephotos than most (two is more than the usual one), the latest Qualcomm or Samsung chipsets, and the versatility of the stylus for both work and play.
However, we've heard concerns from both sides, and that's just within our office's four walls. It contains much too many cameras, which are unneeded for Note users. The S Pen is also taking up important space that could have been used for a battery, according to the opposing viewpoint. Note enthusiasts will like the form more than S fans, we believe - it's more Note20 Ultra than S21 Ultra.
The non-Ultra Galaxy S22s are less divisive since they are not as radical and cater to a more broad audience. A handful of wise decisions on Samsung's side undoubtedly assist, especially with the S22 proper - it's got a glass back this year, so it doesn't lose that premium feel, and it's also a touch smaller to entice the apparently ever-growing number of customers looking for a more budget-friendly alternative.
The Galaxy S22 and S22+ are both new and yet so familiar. Following on from last year's Contour cut design, the 2022 models use the same fundamental approach for the camera island - the one spot left where phones may have any individuality, but with a little less emphasis on it.
Phantom Violet, last year's hero colour with contrasting hues for the frame and rear panel, is no longer available. Only the Phantom White has signs of contrast between frame and panel this year, the silver-ish gloss of the metal sticking out against the matte white back - it's more or less the same as previous year's white edition. Phantom Black, Green, and Pink Gold are the additional hues available at launch, and all feature frames that match the colour of the handset's back panel.
Speaking of the rear, it's worth noting that the standard S22 now has glass covering its internals, replacing the plastic of last year. We moaned a lot about the 'flagship' S21 having plastic contacting your hands, more out of principle than a genuine distaste for the material. Other media sources, too, voiced dissatisfaction with Samsung's decision. Whether the public outrage was completely to blame or whether there were other factors at play, all three phones now feature Gorilla Glass Victus+ front and back.
The way the camera surround touches the frame is another small alteration for this generation. It's less flowing, less 'contour'-y, but more crisp and sculpted. The camera island still appears to be part of the frame, but there is less consistency between the two pieces than on prior versions.
The island itself is virtually identical and protrudes a bit - not too much, nor too little.
Isn't this clearly the Galaxy Note21 Ultra that never was? Naturally, with a last-minute upgrade to 2022-appropriate chipsets. Of course, this is just guesswork on our side, given the device in front of you is unmistakably the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
However, for a Galaxy S, it seems to be a Galaxy N. It has the same blocky rectangular form as the newest (last?) Note, the 20 Ultra, and is around the same size. It dimensions 163.3x77.9x8.9mm, thus it's just 1.5mm shorter, 0.7mm broader, and 0.8mm thicker than the previous Note model. To be honest, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is taller than the next generation device, which is 2mm shorter but 2.3mm broader. So it's the size of a Note, and it's also shaped like one.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is available in four retail-exclusive colours and three additional online-only variants. The basic colours are Burgundy, Green, Phantom White, and Phantom Black, whereas Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red are exclusively available on Samsung.com.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra's display spans 6.8 inches diagonally, and while it's ostensibly smaller than the S21 Ultra's, it's really somewhat larger in area due to the more squarish aspect.
We've reached a stage where Samsung has abandoned curved displays on more mainstream handsets, with just the Ultra receiving this divisive design this year, as it will in 2021. It has advantages and disadvantages, with the former being mostly tied to appearance and premium-ness, and the latter being related to handling and perhaps palm rejection incidents.
It's the only one of the three with QHD+ resolution (the others are FullHD+), and it's also the only one with the most sophisticated adaptive refresh rate behaviour, which allows it to dip down to 1Hz from its maximum of 120Hz. The peak brightness of 1750nits (for smaller areas in HDR settings) and 1200nits in high brightness mode (for larger illuminated areas with bright ambient light) are also industry-leading figures.
Chipsets
In yet another episode of the Great Processor Divide, the Galaxy S22 versions will be available with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the Exynos 2200 chipset, depending on where you buy the phone, and it's unclear which market gets which SoC this year.
Both chipsets are manufactured using a 4nm technology for maximum performance and power efficiency. The CPU arrangement is likewise comparable, with both Qualcomm and Samsung choosing for a 1+3+4 architecture, with small changes in peak clock speeds.
In the past, debates have erupted over the primarily academic benefits of the Snapdragon over the Exynos in direct comparisons, but this year, the Samsung in-house silicon may garner more positive attention. The Xclipse GPU in the Exynos 2200 is the result of a cooperation between Samsung and AMD, and it is the first mobile GPU to provide ray tracing for the most lifelike rendering of light in your games, as well as variable rate shading (VRS).
Battery
For optimal performance and power efficiency, both chipsets are produced on 4nm technology. The CPU configuration is also comparable, with both Qualcomm and Samsung opting for a 1+3+4 architecture with minor differences in peak clock rates.
In the past, discussions raged over the largely academic advantages of the Snapdragon over the Exynos in direct comparisons, but this year, the Samsung in-house silicon may receive more favourable attention. The Xclipse GPU in the Exynos 2200 is the result of a collaboration between Samsung and AMD, and it is the first mobile GPU to provide ray tracing for the most realistic light rendering in your games, as well as variable rate shading (VRS).
Another semi-related aspect of the S22's specifications that irritates us is its 25W charging capabilities, when the two larger phones can take up to 45W. Having said that, based on recent experience with Samsung charging, we can safely assume that the Plus and Ultra will not charge significantly faster than the vanilla model or the corresponding previous-generation models. However, we remain open to being pleasantly surprised. All three phones feature wireless charging and can charge other devices as well.
OneUI 4.1 and Android 12
The three new phones are powered by OneUI 4.1 on top of Android 12. It's a newer version than the OneUI 4.0 that's been operating for at least a month on the S21 generation and foldables, but the (relatively) substantial improvements occurred from 3 to 4, and the upgrade after the decimal point isn't making much of a difference.OneUI 4's core phrases, according to Samsung, are customisation and privacy. Theming, colour palettes to match your background (a native Android 12 feature), and a large selection of GIFs and stickers in the keyboard were all highlighted. Under terms of privacy, you'd receive a privacy dashboard in settings that shows you which applications are using sensitive permissions. In addition, when an app is using the camera or listening in on the microphone, an icon indicator will appear in the upper right corner of the screen. These are already included in OneUI 4.0.
Camera Samples
Early Verdict
The Galaxy S22s are, by definition, going to be fantastic smartphones as part of Samsung's top-tier three for 2022 (foldables excepted). The level to which they thrive (or fall somewhat short) in this or that area will remain a mystery for a few weeks until evaluation units arrive, but a few things are already obvious.
For starters, the Galaxy S22 is being positioned as a genuine compact flagship, owing to its smaller size than last year and the same build quality as the other two. On the other hand, the reduced battery capacity may be its most important disadvantage.
The Galaxy S22+ offers a simple trade-off, delivering longer battery life and a bigger screen area at the price of taking up more room in your pocket (though it will 'help' by freeing up an additional €/$200 in contents).
A further €/$200 will bring you the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which tries to be everything to everyone. Whether you consider it an S21 Ultra successor or a rebirth of the Note series in everything but name, it's loaded with hardware. We'd like to believe that Note enthusiasts would love it for being a Note, while S-series fans will appreciate that not much was sacrificed for the sake of the stylus. We'll see how it all plays out over the next few weeks.
