Samsung revealed its Galaxy S22 series smartphones at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 9, promising big performance and camera improvements. The new lineup consists of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, S22+, and the S22. As promised earlier this week, Samsung will be providing four years of OS upgrades and five years of security updates for these devices.
Samsung Galaxy S22 series specs
| Device | Samsung Galaxy S22 | Samsung Galaxy S22+ | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra |
| Display | 6.1-inch, 2340×1080, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1,300nit peak | 6.6-inch, 2340×1080, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1,750nit peak | 6.8-inch, 3088 x 1440p, edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1,750nit peak |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB/12GB |
| Storage | Up to 256GB | Up to 256GB | Up to 1TB |
| Rear camera | Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/ 2.2 1.4µm
Main: 50MP, f/ 1.8, 1.0µm, OIS Telephoto 3x: 10MP, f/ 2.4, 1.0µm |
Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/ 2.2 1.4µm
Main: 50MP, f/ 1.8, 1.0µm, OIS Telephoto 3x: 10MP, f/ 2.4, 1.0µm |
Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/ 2.2 1.4µm
Main: 108MP, f/ 1.8, 0.8µm (2.4µm binned), OIS Telephoto 3x: 10MP, f/ 2.4, 1.12µm Telephoto 10x: 10MP, f/ 4.9, 1.12µm, OIS |
| Front camera | 10MP | 10MP | 40MP |
| Battery | 3,700mAh | 4,500mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Biometrics | Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor | Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor | Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor |
| Durability | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Weight | 167g | 195g | 228g |
| Pricing and availability | Starting at C$1,100 (8GB+128GB), pre-order starts now and ships on Feb. 25. | Starting at C$1,400 (8GB+128GB), pre-order now and ships on Feb. 25. | Starting at C$1,650 (8GB+128GB), pre-order starts now and ships on Feb. 25. |
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Succeeding the Galaxy Note series, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the biggest and most robust device of the three. Its massive 6.8-inch AMOLED Infinity-O display supports a 120Hz refresh rate and an impressive peak brightness of 1,750 nits. The display is covered by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus+, the improved iteration of the already tough Victus glass used for the Galaxy S21 series.
Powering the device is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 system-on-chip (SoC) built using 4nm transistors. It carries one Cortex-X2 performance core, three Coretex-A710 general cores, and four Cortex-A510 efficiency cores. The processor is paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 memory and 1TB of storage.
The S22 has four cameras. The main sensor, a 108MP shooter, features 0.8um pixels that are binned together to act as 2.4um pixels. Generally, larger pixels can capture more data and perform better in low-light situations. Moreover, its Super Clear Glass lens helps create clearer nighttime photos. Next to the main camera is a 10MP periscope telephoto camera with up to 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. On the front is a 40MP pinhole selfie camera.
Samsung also injected a bunch of AI smarts to spice up the photos. In addition to advanced AI shooting modes such as Portrait Mode and Night Mode, the device can also capture 16bit RAW images to deliver a professional DSLR experience.
Powering all this is a massive 5,000mAh battery. The device also supports 45W fast charging; it can record 50 minutes of video on a 10-minute charge.
Not only did the Galaxy S22 Ultra inherit the S Pen of the now discontinued Note series, but also adopted its looks, carrying sharper corners than the rest of the Galaxy S22 family.
The S Pen is an active Bluetooth-enabled stylus just like the ones used for the Note series. It supports 4096 pressure levels and can be used to control the phone through Air Actions. The Galaxy S22 Ultra also supports handwriting translation in 88 languages.
The device comes in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Burgundy. Pricing starts at C$1,650. Preorder is available now in the Samsung Store and various Canadian carriers. The device will become available on Feb. 25, 2022. The model with 12GB of memory and 1TB of storage is a Samsung Store exclusive, and so are the colours Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.
Galaxy S22 and S22+
For those who don’t need the S Pen, Samsung offers the Galaxy S22+ and the S22. Aesthetically, they feature rounded corners and use flat displays. The S22 Ultra features curved edges.
Although it’s a tad smaller than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the S22+ still comes with a spacious 6.6-inch display. The S22 measures 6.1-inches as the most compact of the three. The S22+ is rated for a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, just like the S22 Ultra, while the S22 is rated for 1,300 nits. Both devices support 120Hz high refresh rate for smoother animation.
As a part of Samsung’s flagship series, the S22 and S22+ of course get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC as well. Their memory and storage capacities are capped at 8GB and 256GB respectively.
Both the S22 and the S22+ feature the same triple camera array that includes a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom. They also only have a 10MP selfie camera in contrast to the 40MP one on the S22 Ultra.
For power, the Galaxy S22 uses a 3700mAh battery. The S22+ on the other hand bumps that up to 4500mAh. Both devices support 45W fast charging and 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.
The S22 and S22+ come in Phantom White, Green, Pink Gold, and Phantom Black. Samsung also offers Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue and Violet exclusively through the Samsung Store.
The devices are available for pre-order starting Feb. 9 and ship on Feb. 25. The Samsung Galaxy S22 starts at C$1,100 and the S22+ at C$1,400.
All S22 series devices will receive four generations of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates. Samsung currently holds the crown for the longest feature and security upgrades of any smartphone manufacturer, even Google. The Google Pixel 6 also receives five years of security upgrades but only three years of OS updates.
