Samsung Galaxy S22 range kills off Note at Galaxy Unpacked

Officially signing the Galaxy Note’s death warrant at Galaxy Unpacked, the new Samsung Galaxy S22 range delivers a revamped “Nightography” camera, more grunt and smarter AI under the bonnet.

After months of speculation, the Samsung Galaxy Note is officially dead and buried. It is succeeded by the new 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, unveiled overnight at Galaxy Unpacked alongside the new 6.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S22 and 6.6-inch S22+. Samsung also announced the new Tab S8 family of devices.

The new Samsung Galaxy S22 range of handsets don’t deviate too far from last year’s design, with the biggest overhaul reserved for the camera.

Both the Galaxy S22 and S22+ are equipped with a 50MP main camera, 10MP tele-lens and 12MP ultra-wide lens. With a larger image sensor than the S21 and S21+, the handsets offer new Nightography features – designed to improve low-light performance by letting in more light, drawing out details and better capturing colours. 

Adaptive Pixel technology combines the images from multiple lenses to create a 12-bit photo. Portrait Mode takes advantage of a new AI Stereo Depth Map, to ensure the smallest details appear crisp when photographing people and even pets.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra features Samsung’s largest pixel sensor ever. The 2.4um pixel sensor is combined with 100x zoom. Like the S22 and S22+, the Ultra features the Expert RAW app, with a comprehensive suite of in-camera editing tools that deliver a DSLR-like experience.

This includes the ability to save photos in RAW format up to 16-bit, as well as brighten or darken photos with ISO settings, shutter speed, white balance and manually focus.

When capturing video, the new Auto Framing feature is designed to detect and track up to 10 people and can automatically adjust the camera’s focus. The handsets also take advantage of advanced VDIS technology which helps minimise vibrations to ensure smooth, sharp footage.

Unpacking the Samsung Galaxy S22 range

The Samsung Galaxy S22, 22+ and Ultra all feature a Dynamic AMOLED6 2x adaptive 120Hz display. It utilises intelligent Vision Booster technology to automatically adjust the display according to the ambient lighting.

The S22 offers a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, while the S22+ and Ultra bump this up to 1,750 nits. Backing the bright screen, all of the handsets support fast charging and an all-day battery life.

Under the bonnet, the new Samsung Galaxy S22 handsets are the first Galaxy smartphones to rely on a 4 nm processor. The S22 and 22+ pack 8 GB of RAM, accompanied by 128 or 256 GB of onboard storage. Meanwhile, the Ultra goes as high as 12 GB or RAM, with up to 1 TB of storage.

All three handsets support 5G and Wi-Fi 6E. They run Android 12 and will be supported by up to four generations of Android OS upgrades.

Take note

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is Samsung’s first S series handset to come with the Note’s S Pen. Faster and more responsive, the new S Pen offers lower latency to make writing and drawing on the screen more natural.

Samsung Unpacked also revealed the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series supporting the S Pen, including the Galaxy Tab S8, S8+ and the first-ever Tab S8 Ultra tablet. They feature 11, 12.4 and 14.6-inch displays respectively.

The Galaxy Tab S8 series tablets feature Samsung’s new 4 nm processor, accompanied by up to 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of onboard storage and a microSD card slot supporting up to 1 TB.

The tablets offer improved video conferencing thanks to ultra-wide front cameras, a three-microphone setup and intelligent auto-framing. Multitasking capabilities include Multi-active Windows and Samsung DeX, along with file sharing with password-protected Quick Share.

Colours and pricing

The new Samsung Galaxy S22 and Tab S8 family of devices go on sale March 4.

Both the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ are available in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Pink Gold. The Ultra comes in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Burgundy.

Samsung will also launch a range of limited-edition custom colours for the Galaxy S22 range, which will be available exclusively on its eStore. These devices are made-to-order with an approximate 3-4-week lead time for delivery. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+ are available in Graphite, Silver, Pink Gold, while the S8 Ultra is only available in Graphite.

Samsung’s official S22 range pricing is as follows:

DeviceMemoryChannelRRP (AUD)
Galaxy S228GB + 128GBAll$1249
8GB + 256GBAll$1349
Galaxy S22+8GB + 128GBAll$1549
8GB + 256GBAll$1649
Galaxy S22
Ultra
8GB + 128GBAll$1849
12GB + 256GBAll$1999
12GB + 512GBAll$2149
12GB + 1TBAll$2449
Samsung Galaxy S22 range Australian pricing.

Samsung’s official Galaxy Tab 8 range pricing is as follows:

DeviceDescriptionChannelRRP (AUD)
Galaxy Tab S8Tab S8 Wi-Fi 128GBAll$1099
Tab S8 Wi-Fi 256GBAll$1249
Tab S8 5G 128GBAll$1299
Tab S8 5G 256GBAll$1449
Galaxy Tab S8+Tab S8+ Wi-Fi 128GBAll$1499
Tab S8+ Wi-Fi 256GBAll$1649
Tab S8+ 5G 128GBAll$1699
Tab S8+ 5G 256GBAll$1849
Galaxy Tab S8 UltraTab S8 Ultra Wi-Fi 128GBAll$1799
Tab S8 Ultra 5G 128GBAll$1999
Tab S8 Ultra Wi-Fi 256GB DAll$1999
Tab S8 Ultra 5G 256GBAll$2199
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8 range Australian pricing.

Telco deals

Telstra, Optus and Vodafone offer the following bonus offers available with Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra pre-orders:

PartnerBonus offerBonus offer
value RRP (AUD)
TelstraSamsung Tab A8, 12 Months Disney+$649
OptusGalaxy Watch4$549
VodafoneTrade-in: $720 plus
$600 bonus credit
$1320

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