It is true that Samsung Electronics Co. announced the latest generation of its flagship smartphone family and its largest tablet yet, upgrading its hardware lineup with new screen sizes, better cameras and more storage to better compete with Apple Inc.
The Suwon-based company announced its Android-powered Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra phones at a virtual Unpacked event, maintaining starting prices of $799 to $1,199, depending on the model. Pre-orders start immediately ahead of a February 25 release.
In the UAE, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is available for pre-order at Dh196.00 per month with 0 per cent interest or Dh4,699, Samsung said on its website.
The S22 can be pre-ordered for Dh133 per month or Dh3,199 in total, while the S22 Plus is available for Dh158 per month or Dh3,799 in total.
The 6.8-inch Ultra edition adds an integrated stylus, a more advanced chip and up to 1TB of onboard storage, matching the iPhone 13 Pro’s maximum storage spec. With a large display and stylus capabilities, the S22 Ultra effectively takes over the role of Samsung’s former Galaxy Note line, which is being discontinued, Samsung mobile chief TM Roh said in an interview.
“We’re integrating the most beloved Note features into more device categories, including the S Series, tablets, Z Fold, Galaxy Book and beyond,” Roh said as part of the announcement. “This enables everyone to get more from their mobile experience and marks the next chapter of the Note legacy.”
Samsung consolidated its mobile and consumer electronics businesses into a single division late last year as part of a companywide reorganization. It did so in order to create a more cohesive ecosystem of products, the company said.
Making its devices work seamlessly together is aimed at helping Samsung fend off competition from Chinese rivals like Xiaomi Corp. and Oppo while also addressing the challenge of Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa voice assistant, which now spans everything from smart speakers to thermostats. Samsung will take an approach closer to Amazon’s than Apple’s by opening its ecosystem to external partners and hardware makers.
The new Galaxy phones each have several camera upgrades, including improvements to auto framing, video stability, night mode and high-dynamic-range photography. There’s also a new 50-megapixel wide camera on the S22 and S22+. These handsets mark the retail debut of Samsung’s Exynos 2200 processor, which includes Advanced Micro Devices Inc. graphics and is built at a 4nm process, an improvement on the 5nm technology used in flagship smartphones today, including those from Apple.
Alongside the new devices, Samsung is touting a feature called Google Duo Live Sharing, which is similar to Apple’s recently introduced SharePlay and will let two Samsung device users watch video content together remotely. The new phones also include an updated version of Samsung’s OneUI interface, which customizes the Android user experience.
Surprisingly, Samsung also rolled out three new tablets: the Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra in 11-inch, 12.4-inch and 14.6-inch screen sizes. The S8 Ultra means Samsung now has one of the biggest tablets on the market. Apple’s largest iPad measures in at 12.9 inches, though the company is exploring larger models, Bloomberg News has reported. The new Tab devices have faster processors, improved front-facing cameras and more memory. Storage capacities – 128GB, 256GB and 512GB – remain the same.
