The latest iteration of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy series is official. The company announced the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra during its Unpacked event today, ending months of speculation, particularly regarding the S22 Ultra. The standard S22 starts at $799.99, while the S22 Plus and S22 Ultra are priced at $999.99 and $1,199.99, respectively. Each is available for preorder starting today and scheduled for release on February 25th.
The new S22 models look similar to the outgoing lineup, with a few iterative upgrades. They all offer screens with a max refresh rate of 120Hz, which allows for smooth scrolling, and feature an ambient light sensor that will automatically adjust color and saturation levels to match your environment. Samsung equipped each smartphone with IP68 waterproofing and Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the front and back as well — a notable step up from the plastic panel that was featured on the back of last year’s base model.
Additionally, each US phone is equipped with Qualcomm’s new, powerful 4-nanometer processor, which Samsung says is its fastest chip yet. The cameras also come with new night-time photography features designed to emphasize details, capture colors better, and let in more light, as well as an improved portrait mode. All three models offer features like Samsung Wallet, too, as well as support for up to four generations of Android OS upgrades and various live-sharing features you can use with Google Duo.
The 6.1-inch S22 ($799.99) and 6.6-inch S22 Plus ($999.99) share the most in common, with screen size being the most obvious difference. Both come equipped with a 10MP front camera and triple-camera array on the rear, and each features 1080×2340 resolution. The S22 Plus, however, features a slightly bigger, 4,500mAh battery, as well as ultra wideband (UWB), which you can use to locate certain trackers with greater precision.
In contrast to the cheaper models, the 6.8-inch S22 Ultra ($1,199.99) allows for more memory and storage, offering a maximum of 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB in storage capacity. It also features a built-in S-Pen stylus — a remnant of the Samsung Galaxy Note — as well as an OLED display with 1440×3088 resolution and a better, 40-megapixel camera on the front. The other camera specs on the S22 Ultra are similar to the previous model as well, consisting of a 108-megapixel main, 3x and 10x telephoto cameras, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide. It’s also capable of shooting in RAW and, like the S22 Plus, can fast-charge at 45W.
Other differences on the S22 Ultra are more subtle. You can adjust the screen’s refresh rate between 1-120Hz, for instance, and the display is capable of achieving a peak brightness of 1,750 nits when in direct sunlight, allowing you to view your content more easily while outside on a sunny day (the S22 Plus can achieve the same brightness levels).
That’s just an overview, though. If you’re curious about raw specs, we’ve rounded up some of the finer hardware details below, from aperture and display resolution to connectivity.
