Samsung unveils Galaxy S22 Ultra: Blends Note with flagship S Ultra

Is the new, top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S22 replacing the recently discontinued 'Note' series? Technically yes, as it gets the build-in S-Pen, minus the 'Note' branding. 

The South Korean technology company has finally taken the wraps off the first of its 2022 flagship smartphone -- Galaxy S22 Ultra with an upgraded premium camera setup, better processor, and its iconic built-in stylus. The company claims it to be the fastest, most responsive S Pen it has ever made with 70 per cent lower latency to write and draw more naturally. With the previous-gen Galaxy S21 Ultra, one could buy the stylus separately.

Sandwiched between the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus (protecting the front and the rear), Samsung has opted for a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a peak brightness of 1750 nits on the new Galaxy S22 Ultra. In addition, there is Vision Booster technology which Samsung claims enables Galaxy S22 Ultra's screen to intelligently adjust brightness throughout the day, to offer the best possible view of content even in bright sunlight.

Housing a set of similar camera specs, the S22 Ultra has a 108 MP main camera, 12 MP ultrawide camera, 10MP telephoto camera 3x optical zoom, 10MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom, and a 40MP front camera. 100X Space Zoom is still onboard. S22 Ultra is built with a 2.4um pixel sensor, Samsung's largest pixel sensor ever, for enabling its camera lenses to capture more light and data, optimising the lighting and detail of video clips. Besides, Samsung has added advanced nightography features for capturing crisp, clear videos on both the front and back cameras, during day or night. There is also a video auto framing.

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"As part of our commitment to giving users the best possible mobile performance and experience, the entire Galaxy S22 series will be supported by up to four generations of Android OS upgrades. Now millions of Galaxy users can take advantage of the latest security, productivity, and other exciting new features, for longer. Samsung will scale this effort across our product line-up to ensure you're fully supported across your Galaxy ecosystem," the company said in a release.

To handle the workload, Galaxy S22 Ultra is powered by 4nm processor, and is likely to be available in 12GB RAM + 1TB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage, 12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 128GB storage options. It also features Wi-Fi 6E, up to twice as fast as Wi-Fi 68. Packing in a 5,000 mAh battery, Samsung claims the device can give a full day battery backup. S22 Ultra also supports 45W super-fast charging, allowing recording of more than 50 minutes of video after a 10-minute charge.

"At Samsung, we constantly push ourselves to raise the bar on our most premium devices," said TM Roh, President and Head of Samsung Electronics' MX (Mobile eXperience) Business. "Galaxy S22 Ultra takes the beloved functionality of the Galaxy Note and the most celebrated aspects of the S series and merges them for a truly unique mobile experience. This is a leap forward for mobile technology, setting a new standard for what a smartphone can be."

Galaxy S22 Ultra has been launched in four colour options -- phantom black, phantom white, green, and burgundy. It will be available starting February 25, 2022, and is likely to be available for pre-booking starting today.

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