Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ get the much-needed makeover with camera and performance upgrades

• Samsung unveiled its latest generation of the S22 family of smartphones and premium tablets at the Unpacked event.
• While the premiumness seems to be making a comeback, the hero of the show still remains the S22 Ultra.
• The Galaxy S22 starts at $799.99 (approx ₹60,000), with the S22 Plus priced at $999.99 (approx ₹75,000).

Samsung's longest-running smartphone series and most popular Android tablet just got an update. The highly anticipated Galaxy S22, S22+ and the Note-worthy S22 Ultra were unveiled at the Unpacked 2022 event.

The event started with Samsung's sustainability platform - Galaxy for the Planet - where it claims to have used recycled fishnets in its newly launched S22 family of phones. It used repurposed ocean-bound discarded fishing nets, which is a first from any brand.

Coming back to the phones, the Galaxy S22 and S22+ were the first to appear during the presentation and also were introduced together, so there's a lot in common and the hero product this time as well is the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The new phones don't take a big generational leap than the S21 duo. The design language remains the same but they look more refined and polished. Both have a flat-screen with 6.1-inches on the S22, 6.6-inches on the S22+, with 2340x1080p resolution on both. Size is the only differentiator between both the models and the camera housing is now matched with body colour, which I personally find better. Samsung has gotten rid of its "glastic" material and has become the first OEM to use Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. This is another welcome change, and also establishes the premium feel that felt missing on last year's models.

As always, there was a special focus on the cameras on the S22 siblings. There's a 50-megapixel main camera with a 23 percent larger sensor than the S21's to allow more light, which is claimed to improve low light performance. There's also a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. Video has got Super HDR which Samsung says will improve backlighting in videos and offer a better dynamic range.

The portrait mode is also getting an update with the AI stereo depth map that is said to capture each strand of hair with accuracy. and blurring the background evenly to make it more natural-looking. This is something we will only be able to verify when we get to use the camera, but if it's real, this could be a huge development as this has been a challenge even for the best of the cameras.

The displays have a max refresh rate of 120Hz but it is dynamic to it can go as low as 10Hz to save battery. Samsung is also promising clarity and colour saturation correction even in bright sunlight with a "vision booster". On paper, the screens are plenty bright - the S22+ has the same peak brightness as the Ultra — 1,750 nits and the S22 has a lower peak of 1,300 nits. Samsung rarely messes up with displays, so I'm expecting there will be no shocks this time.

As expected, the phones use a 4nm Snapdragon Gen 1 chipset in the United States and some markets will get the Exynos 2200. The phones will run Android 12 with Samsung's One UI on top.

Another major difference between the two phones is in the battery size. The S22+ has a 4500mAh battery whereas the S22 has 3700mAh in a smaller body. The bummer remains to be the charging tech (just like Apple) as the S22 supports 25W wired charging (very dated for today's standards of up to 120W) and S22+ has 45W.

Samsung's S22 lineup doesn't look as grand as it used to some years ago. But a major reason is its new-age line up which ranges from entry-level to folds, flips and Ultras. And as I said in the beginning, the hero is the S22 Ultra.

The S22 and S22+ will be available starting February 25 in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and Pink Gold in 128GB and 256GB
models with 8GB RAM.

SEE ALSO:
Meta is done with Diem, but not with blockchain payments
Redmi Note 11, 11S and Redmi Smart TV X43 launched in India — Here are the price, specifications and availability details