The Samsung Galaxy S22 series debuted this week as the company’s most advanced and powerful smartphone lineup. The series includes the regular Galaxy S22 as well as the next-gen Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra. Among other models, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes in a design more similar to the Galaxy Note, where you have a dedicated space to store an S Pen. The phone also has a curved-edge display and top-notch cameras. In addition to the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung brought out the Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8+ and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as its three new tablets at the Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event. Samsung’s products can clearly outperform their iPhone and iPad counterparts – but where is it? Android competition?
Host Akhil Arora chats with Assistant Review Editor Roydon Cerejo and Senior Reviewer Aditya Shenoy on this week’s episode of the Gadgets 360 Orbital podcast to understand how the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 series stack up against the competition.
Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S22 in India has yet to be announced, although the phone is coming to the US with a starting price of $799 (approximately Rs. 60,200). The Samsung Galaxy S22+, on the other hand, starts at $999 (approximately Rs. 75,300) and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at $1,199 (approximately Rs. 90,400).
Just like the Galaxy S22 series, the India price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series is yet to be revealed. The Galaxy Tab S8, however, starts at $699.99 (approximately Rs. 52,700) in the US. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ starts at $899.99 (approximately Rs. 67,800) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra starts at $1,099.99 (approximately Rs. 82,900).
One of the most distinctive models in this year’s lineup is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. This new offering comes as a successor to last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, albeit with a list of significant changes. This includes the included S Pen along with the dedicated compartment, as well as the 6.8-inch Edge QHD + Dynamic AMOLED 2X curved display. The phone also has quad rear cameras, with a 108-megapixel primary sensor.
The arrival of the Galaxy S22 Ultra also brought the end of an era for the Galaxy Note series, which was known for supporting productivity.
Samsung has tweaked the hardware for the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ vanilla as well. Both models – along with the Galaxy S22 Ultra – come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC in global markets. The phones also have some software tweaks and rear glass design.
We discussed that by bringing the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung has once again defeated all other Android competitors in the premium market. The South Korean company also announced this time an expansion in the provision of Android OS updates for up to four years. This would increase the longevity of the new flagships. Additionally, the phones come with Android 12 out of the box along with proprietary One UI 4.1 on top.
Alongside the Galaxy S22 models, Samsung has the Galaxy Tab S8 series to counter Apple’s iPad mini and iPad Pro. This year’s series also brings the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as the new flagship model. This appears to be particularly aimed at countering the M1-powered iPad Pro that Apple released last year.
The Galaxy Tab S8 series has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC on board – just like the Galaxy S22 models. There’s also Android 12 with an improved One UI 4 tab at the top. Also, the tablets come in 5G options alongside their regular Wi-Fi models.
We investigated whether anyone has any Android competition to navigate when looking at the Galaxy S22 series – except for Samsung’s predecessors in the Galaxy S21 models. We also discussed the added value you can get from the Galaxy Tab S8 models if you already have a laptop.
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