Samsung Galaxy S22, S22 Plus & S22 Ultra launched in Europe: Price, release date and more

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Samsung Galaxy S22 series is now official. At the virtual Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra. The three smartphones arrive as the successors to last year’s Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra, respectively.

With the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung is finally embracing a flat edge design similar to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series. The Korean consumer electronics giant is also introducing a spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. With the three new devices, Samsung is not only competing against Apple in the premium smartphone segment but also trying to set itself apart from the likes of OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, and other Android smartphone makers.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: A Galaxy Note with Galaxy S branding

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with S Pen
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a dedicated S Pen slot | Image credit: Samsung

The biggest announcement from Galaxy Unpacked this evening is the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, introduced last year, is still one of the best all-round Android flagship that money can buy. For Samsung, it was a tall order to match that device and to do so, Samsung just turned the Galaxy S22 Ultra into a Note. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the first proper Galaxy S flagship to support S Pen with a dedicated storage slot.

Last year, Samsung decided to cancel the launch of Galaxy Note 21 Ultra due to chip shortage. Now, the Galaxy S22 Ultra debuts with a dedicated slot for S Pen and a boxy form factor paying homage to the Note lineup. Samsung is offering the Galaxy S22 Ultra in burgundy, phantom white and phantom black colours. On the back, each camera module now has its own cutout which could mean that the smartphone will rock less when placed face up on a flat surface.

On the hardware front, the Galaxy S22 Ultra sports a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with variable refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz. There is also support for 240Hz touch sampling rate in game mode. Samsung says the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display achieves peak brightness of 1750 nits and produces a contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1. Like clockwork, Samsung has produced another excellent panel for its flagship Galaxy S22 smartphone.

Under the hood, the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes equipped with Samsung’s own Exynos 2200 processor. The Exynos 2200 processor is based on Samsung’s own 4nm process and is notable for its use of AMD Graphics. It is not immediately clear whether Samsung’s own chipset has any performance differential compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powering the Galaxy S22 Ultra in markets like the US and select Asian countries.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Ultra has a 6.8-inch display | Image credit: Samsung

For smartphone photography, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra features a total of four camera modules on the back. The main camera is a 108MP shooter with dual-pixel autofocus, f/1.8 aperture and 85-degree field-of-view. It is paired with a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera offering a 120-degree field-of-view, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and another 10MP periscope lens for 10x optical zoom. At the front, there is a 40MP selfie shooter with 80-degree field-of-view and f/2.2 aperture.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will be available in Europe in three storage options: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and a 12GB RAM variant with option for either 256GB or 512GB storage. The 8GB RAM variant will set you back by €1,249 while the 256GB and 512GB storage options will cost €1,349 and €1,449 respectively.

It packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. Unfortunately, the 45W power adapter and data cable is not included in the box. It has an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor underneath the display, runs OneUI 4.1 based on Android 12 and is IP68 water and dust resistant.

Samsung enjoys a loyal fanbase for its Galaxy Note lineup and when the company decided to skip Note launch last year, they were anxious about its future. However, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a happy medium between the flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note models. If you ever wanted the best of the both the series, Samsung seems to have found the perfect recipe here.

Samsung Galaxy S22, S22 Plus: Redesigned for mass market experience

Samsung Galaxy S22 S22 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S22 in Pink and Galaxy S22 Plus in Green | Image credit: Samsung

While the Galaxy S22 Ultra hogs the limelight, the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are the practical flagships of 2022. The first big change is the flat edges on the S22 and S22 Plus that mimic the design of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series. They are available in phantom white and phantom black colours, and customers can also choose Galaxy S22 or Galaxy S22 Plus in pink gold and green colours, respectively.

The Galaxy S22 is compact with a 6.1-inch display, measures 7.6mm thick and weighs only 168 grams. The Galaxy S22 Plus has a larger 6.6-inch display but thickness remains the same at 7.6mm while it weighs 196 grams. Both devices use Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with variable refresh rate between 10 and 120Hz. They also feature an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the display.

Like their premium sibling, both Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus rely on Exynos 2200 mobile processor and are offered with 8GB RAM and option for either 128GB or 256GB storage. The Galaxy S22 with 8GB RAM and 128GB is priced at €849 while you can double the storage by shelling out an extra €50. The Galaxy S22 Plus with 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage will retail for €1,049 and €1,099 respectively.

The triple camera setup is stacked horizontally and continues to blend with the frame of the device. In terms of numbers:

Primary camera – 50MP with f/1.8 aperture, dual pixel AF and 85-degree field-of-view

Secondary camera – 12MP with 120-degree field-of-view and f/2.2 aperture

Telephoto camera – 10MP with 3x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation

Selfie camera – 10MP with f/2.2 aperture and 80-degree field-of-view

The Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus run OneUI 4.1 based on Android 12 out of the box and are IP68 certified. The Galaxy S22 gets a 3,700mAh battery while the S22 Plus houses a 4,500mAh battery. The wired charging tops out at 25W while wireless charging is capped at 15W. Both the devices lack a bundled power adapter or data cable. The 5G connectivity and Samsung Pay support makes them a solid alternative to iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.

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