Samsung thinks outside the box with new Galaxy S22

Ahead of the event, Samsung promoted the Galaxy range on 3-D billboards in cities around the world. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

The Samsung Galaxy S22, the latest smartphone unveiled earlier this month, is sure to take Samsung Electronics to new heights and prove an immediate hit with the tech giant’s eager fans around the world.

During the virtual Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event, Samsung unveiled the sophisticated S22 series with its new contour-cut design for the very first time. The Galaxy S22 series contains three smartphones: The 6.1-inch Galaxy S22, the 6.6-inch Galaxy S22 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The S22 Ultra is a combination of the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S, series with a 6.8-inch display, presenting a new standard for premium smartphones.

The Galaxy S22 series comes with an improved camera array. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

All three phones in the new series come with image sensors that are 23 percent bigger than their predecessors, along with significantly enhanced NPU performance. The new series mainly focused on camera enhancement for better nighttime photography and an upgrade in processors.

“Our smartphone cameras have transformed the way we create, share, and communicate,” said Roh Tae-moon, president and head of Samsung Electronics’ mobile communications business.

When it comes to the display, the Galaxy S22 series is equipped with an intelligent Dynamic Amoled 2X display that automatically adjusts the refresh rate of up to 120Hz depending on the content. The panel has FHD+ resolution and 240Hz touch input rate.

Vision Booster technology that automatically adjusts the brightness in pixel units of the display depending on ambient illumination is also included for the first time, providing the best viewing experience indoors and outdoors.

Among the three types of phones, Samsung Electronics put a special focus on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Ultra is the most powerful S-series model ever, combining the strengths of the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S, in terms of experience, camera and performance.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, Samsung’s largest tablet PC ever, provides a different level of immersion with a thinner bezel and slimmer design. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

The Ultra is the first in the S series to have a built-in S Pen, a feature previously exclusive to the Galaxy Note line. Users can take notes quickly and accurately with the S Pen, as the reaction speed of the pen is now 70 percent faster than previous models. The pen provides a smooth experience as if writing on paper and recognizes over 80 languages.

The 6.8-inch Galaxy S22 Ultra was designed to ease the process of note-taking, drawing, and searching applications. On top of that, the Ultra and the S22 Plus support Wifi 6E, which guarantees faster and dependable connections using a 6GHz band.

In addition to ultra-wideband (UWB) technology that able users to share files between devices, Samsung Electronics is also planning to include Samsung Wallet, that has the capacity to allow users to secure digital IDs and even a digital car key within their smartphone.

The key feature of the Galaxy S22 series is its innovative camera.

The Ultra features advanced AI-powered photo editing software and provides a “nightography” function with bigger image sensors. The device’s super-clear glass also allows for smoother and clearer shooting without lens flare.

The Ultra has a quad-camera setup at the rear, with a 108-megapixel wide-angle main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera with autofocus and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera, as well as a 40-megapixel front-facing camera.

The S22 and S22 Plus have a triple-camera setup at the rear, with a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with autofocus and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera, as well as a 10-megapixel front-facing camera.

The S22 series supports improved video digital image stabilization (VDIS), allowing users to shoot stable videos while moving around. The camera also includes auto framing, which automatically adjusts the shooting range by recognizing people’s movements. The auto framing system can recognize up to 10 people and automatically focus the camera so that they can all be filmed in focus.

A more complete portrait mode is currently available backed by AI technology. Along with AI high-resolution processing, AI stereo depth mapping technology helps users take good shots of people as it distinguishes subjects from their backgrounds in more detail.

The S22 series is also the first to include “Expert RAW” image rendering. Similar to using a DSLR camera, users can modify the ISO, shutter speed and white balance to shoot, store and edit RAW files.

The S22 series boasts the best performance of any Galaxy S device based on the new 4-nanometer processor. The outstanding NPU performance with a step forward in AI and machine learning processing will provide users with a seamless mobile experience.

The phone is also equipped with high-capacity batteries that can use high-performance processors all day long. In particular, the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Plus support 45W high-speed charging, which takes less than an hour to fully charge the phone.

For the first time in the Galaxy S series, high-endurance “Armor Aluminum” was used in the production of the phone. Corning Gorilla Glass Victor+ was also used for both the front and rear of the smartphone, making it the most robust phone that Samsung has ever made.

But alongside all those bells and whistles, the company’s top priority has always been on enhancing the user experience.

The S22 series comes with the first network behavior analysis function that monitors all apps used by users and optimizes the performance of smartphones, making it easier for them to stream videos, surf the internet and navigate the device.

In addition, the S22 series offers a concise and intuitive user experience with Samsung’s own One UI interface. Customizable home screens, icons, notifications and widgets can be freely changed according to the user's taste.

Emoticons, GIFs and stickers can be used directly on the keyboard, making it easy to convey thoughts or feelings without entering text. To continue to improve the service, Samsung Electronics is also planning to support up to four upgrades of the One UI and Android operating system for the latest series.

The company is expecting to expand support for other Galaxy devices such as the Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Wearable and Galaxy Book along with smartphones so that users can enjoy a seamlessly connected galaxy ecosystem.

The new Galaxy Tab S8 series, which was released in line with its usability for daily telecommuting and online classes, uses a 120-degree front ultra-wide-angle camera optimized for video calls, automatic framing that automatically adjusts composition, and three microphones that reduce ambient noise.

To show just how useful this is, Samsung Electronics has introduced the real marketing show “Production 522” based on the stories of actual users. This content is expected to show Galaxy connectivity providing new value to real people’s daily lives.

The eco-friendly S22 series also shows Samsung’s shift toward “Galaxy for the planet,” the company’s green vision.

The company has focused on limiting environmental pollution caused by plastic, especially to marine organisms that are threatened by disused fishing nets. To tackle the problem, about 20 percent of the plastic used in the S Pen provided with the Galaxy S22 series comes from disused to fishing nets.

Plastic recycled from post-consumer materials (PCM) was also used inside the speaker module, power and volume keys. In addition, packaging materials for the devices are made from 100-percent recycled paper, and all the cases for the S22 series use eco-friendly materials certified by UL, an international safety certification body.

Buyers flocked to put their name down for a new Galaxy S22 device when preorders opened on Monday, with a Samsung representative projecting that sales will break previous records.

Consumers can experience the Galaxy S22 series at the Galaxy Studios that can be found at more than 20 major Samsung Digital Plazas nationwide.

BY HAJIN KIM (kim.hajin@joongang.co.kr)

korea joongAng daily

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Samsung thinks outside the box with new Galaxy S22

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