Samsung Malaysia has announced three new colours for their latest flagship – the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The S22 Ultra is already available in a splattering of colours including white, black, burgundy and green. Samsung’s latest additions to the lineup are Graphite, Red and Sky Blue. These colours will be available exclusively through Samsung’s own online store at Samsung.com. It will not be available in their official stores on LAZADA or Shopee.
These colours are just aesthetic choices which allow for a little more personability when it comes to choosing your own Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Aside from that, they come with the same insides as the already available colours. The smartphone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Compute Platform with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. It has a colour-accurate 6.8-inch, AMOLED 2X display with support for the latest and greatest S Pen.
The exclusive colours have one teeny difference from the currently available selection – they come with a black frame. The ones currently available have a little bit of customisation when it comes to the metal frame or trims. The black colour comes with black trim, the white comes with silver while burgundy and green have their respective colours. These combinations give the smartphone a more unibody feel. The black accent on the new colours allows the colours to pop more making them a tad bit more stylish.
Pricing & Availability
The new colours are not immediately available though. They are available, on pre-order, starting on July 4th 2022 until July 14th 2022. These new colours are also only available for the 12GB RAM with 256GB storage version of the S22 Ultra.
During the pre-order, purchases of the Galaxy S22 Ultra in these colours will be entitled to an eVoucher worth MYR800. This voucher can be used when buying select Samsung smartphones, wearables and accessories on the Samsung Online Store. You can also take advantage of an immediate rebate of MYR600 when you trade in your old device.
Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones have been touted as “creator” smartphones for a few years now. With the release of the Galaxy S22 series, the company is pushing even harder for its flagship to be a go-to when it comes to content creation. We’ve seen the phones used to create content on social media and also some pretty impressive shorts before. Now, Samsung wants creators to push the boundaries with Nightography and its Galaxy AI-enabled cameras.
In conjunction with the launch of the new Galaxy S22 series, Samsung is launching a new competition with the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) to challenge aspiring filmmakers to come up with amazing stories with their smartphones. 22 shortlisted teams will be presented with the Galaxy S22 series to shoot and bring their ideas to life. The final productions will be part of MIFFest 2022 where a lucky winner will be in the running for an MYR8,000 grand prize. In addition, the grand prize winner will also receive a trophy and Samsung products.
The theme of the “Born of the Galaxy Stars” competition this time around is “Borderless with Nightography“. As the name may suggest, ideas and scripts submitted are meant to highlight Samsung’s Nightography features which were advanced with the release of the Galaxy S22 series. Scripts should be submitted by 17 April 2022 at the official Born of the Galaxy of Stars Short Film Competition website.
Samsung kicked things off with a showcase of the handiwork of four Malaysian Directors: Jawagar Samidurai, Taufiq Kamal, Ismail Jamaludin and Laura Low. All four used the Nightography feature of the Galaxy S22 series to showcase the themes of Fashion, Fitness, Romance and Music. These shorts can be viewed on the official website for the competition as well as on Samsung Malaysia’s YouTube Channel. So, get inspired and don’t forget to submit your award-winning scripts before 17 April 2022.
Samsung isn’t messing around with the Galaxy S series this year. With their refocusing of the Galaxy S22 and S22+, they’re also working on redefining their Galaxy S22 Ultra. After skipping the release of a new Galaxy Note last year, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is being imbued with the DNA and ethos of their most popular lineup.
The new Galaxy S22 Ultra is going through a total makeover this year and it starts with the design and seeps into its features. The first thing you’re going to realise about the new Galaxy S22 Ultra is that it doesn’t even share a hair with the design language of its siblings, the S22 and the S22+. Instead, its design cues hearken from the Galaxy Note series. In fact, it’s even adopted the integrated S-Pen slot! In essence, the Galaxy Note seems to have found new life as the top-of-the-line Galaxy S22 Ultra.
When it comes to materials, the Ultra shares the same materials that were used in its sibling devices. It comes with the same armour aluminium frame sandwiched in Gorilla Glass Victus+ that we see in the S22 and S22+. However, that’s where the similarities end. The Galaxy S22 Ultra adopts a dual-curved design that meets at the middle of the frame for a more ergonomic finish. It also has an angular finish. It has a rectangular silhouette that we saw in the Galaxy Note20+. However, like the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+, the S22 Ultra is also thicker. The thickness gives it a more natural feel in the hand. The S Pen finds itself back where it belongs in a slot on the right side of the device. On the back, the cameras are nearly flush and protected by Gorilla DX.
Making a Note-able Comeback
Speaking of the S Pen, it’s making a note-able comeback. Puns aside, the S Pen on the S22 Ultra is not the same we’ve seen in the Note10. Samsung has worked on making the writing experience on the S22 Ultra an even more natural one. The latency of the S Pen has been reduced even further to 2.8ms. This is done with improvements to the Wacom technology in the S22 Ultra as well as with AI prediction algorithms. The new Wacom IC is more sensitive allowing faster reaction to inputs while AI works in the background to predict the trajectory of the S Pen when in use. This time it will be able to predict multiple trajectories which allow the experience to feel even more instantaneous.
Together with the new hardware and AI, the S Pen is also supported by new software features. The Samsung Notes app is getting a few new features including improved handwriting recognition. You will be able to convert your handwritten notes into tidier typed out notes with a single click. It’s also coming with a new Quick Notes feature which allows you to capture full web pages for your notes. Additionally, it will also be able to work seamlessly with the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 in Collaboration View. This allows you to not only share via nearby share but also work on a larger display when needed. Similarly, Samsung has worked with Clip Studio to allow you to use the S22 Ultra as your colour palette for more precise control of colours in your digital art. You can even use the S22 Ultra’s camera to get colours you can’t get in the palette by snapping a photo and lifting the colour from there.
Packed with Cutting Edge Technology
Of course, it goes without saying that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s note-able features are supported by the latest technologies. Like the S22 and the S22+. the S22 Ultra is coming with the latest 4nm processor. Depending on the region you’re in, it may be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the AMD RDNA touting Exynos 2200. The processor will be complemented by either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. The S22 Ultra comes with the same 120 Hz capable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display as its siblings albeit in a larger 6.8-inch flavour.
When it comes to the camera, it’s imbued with the same features that are packed in its siblings. However, it comes with a more robust quad camera setup. The main sensor is a 108-megapixel wide sensor with dual pixel autofocus, an f/1.8 aperture and an 85° field of view (FOV). This is complemented with a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 120° FOV and two 10-megapixel telephoto sensors. One of which is capable of 3x optical zoom and has an f/2.4 aperture while the other is capable of 10x optical zoom with an f/4.9 aperture. The front camera is a 40-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 80° FOV.
Like the S22 and S22+, the camera of the S22 Ultra comes with new enhancements. The biggest enhancement is the larger pixels of the 108-megapixel sensor which is 1.23 times the size of the pixels of the Galaxy S21. In addition, it utilizes the same nona binning technology for better low light photographs. Galaxy AI enhances this with multi-frame exposure. This means that the camera will take up to 20 frames and use the data in each to get a more detailed picture with better dynamic range. The more capable NPU in the processors of the Galaxy S22 Ultra allows it to process up to 4 times the data. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is also able to shoot in 16-bit RAW which allows for more flexibility when processing pictures.
It also comes with an enhanced super steady mode which allows you to shoot even steadier video at higher resolutions. Portrait mode has also been enhanced with Galaxy AI. A new feature called AI Stereo map captures a more detailed picture of your subject and allows you to adjust everything from the intensity of the bokeh to the light positioning with the new Studio Lighting feature.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy S22 Ultra will be available starting February 10, 2022, in Malaysia. It will be available in Phantom White, Phantom Black, Green and Burgundy. Prices for the Galaxy S22 Ultra will start from MYR5,099 (USD$1,218.46) for the lowest variant.
Samsung’s next flagship is set to make its official debut in a few days. The Galaxy S lineup has always been the company’s pride and joy. It looks like this year is no different with Samsung packing their latest and greatest technologies into the new Galaxy S22. This includes the much anticipated AMD RDNA2 touting Exynos 2200 with its new XClipse graphics technology. So, what else can we expect? Here’s a quick rundown of all the leaks ahead of the launch on 9th February 2022.
Packed to the Brim with Tech
It comes as no surprise that Samsung’s new Galaxy flagship will be pushing the latest and greatest technologies. When it comes to their processors, the Galaxy S22 series is going to be running on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in the U.S. while the rest of the world will be getting the Exynos 2200. Well, that’s if Samsung doesn’t just go full-on Exynos 2200 to show off its new XClipse technology. You can get all the details in our coverage of the announcement of the Exynos 2200.
That said, the performance of the processors remains the biggest unknown of the new Galaxy S22 series. Both processors have limited or no reliable benchmarks or performance indicators out there just yet – particularly when it comes to the Exynos 2200. However, if Samsung’s track record is anything to go by, it shouldn’t be a worry as their flagships have always been up to snuff.
Aside from the processor, it looks like we might be seeing a bump in the lowest RAM version of the S22, S22+ and S22 ultra as it’s expected that the series will come with at least 8GB of RAM. However, storage wise, rumours point to the S22 series sticking to the minimum of 128GB.
Click, click, Space Zoom
When it comes to screens, Samsung is rumoured to be using its Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels across the S22 series. All versions of the Galaxy S22 seem to support a 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S22 is rumoured to have a 6.1-inch display while the S22+ is rumoured to have a 6.6-inch display. Both are also rumoured to come with FHD+ resolution. The S22 Ultra, however, is rumoured to come with a 6.8-inch QHD+ panel instead.
Samsung’s big push when it comes to the S22 series this year seems to be with camera technologies. That said, their approach seems to be taking a focus on the software. Hardware-wise, rumours point to the S22 and S22+ having a triple camera setup. Both are indicated to come with a 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture complemented with a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.2) and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (f/2.4). On the front, both are rumoured to be equipped with a 10-megapixel selfie camera (f/2.2). The Space Zoom on the S22 and S22+ cap out at 30x.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is coming with a more robust setup similar to the S21 Ultra. It will come with a quad-camera setup with a laser autofocus sensor. The main camera is a 108-megapixel with an f/1.8 aperture. This is complemented by a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor (f//2.2) and two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras (f/2.4 and f/4.9). The telephoto sensor with a larger f/4.9 aperture is intriguing as it also indicates better low light performance.
Same, Same But Different
When it comes to the overall design of the Galaxy S22 series. It seems like Samsung has decided that it will stick to its highly praised design of the Galaxy S21 series. Leaks and rumours both have shown the same design for the S22 and S22+ with the raised camera module being encased in the metal frame of the smartphone. That said, we’ve yet to see if Samsung will be sticking to contrasting colourways which made the S21’s design memorable. So far, leaks have only shown the white and black versions of the S22 and S22+ which don’t seem to have the eye-popping contrast.
That said, there are minor differences when it comes to materials. The Galaxy S22 series is rumoured to come with glass materials – for the back portion at least. This could be to support the faster wireless fast charging. However, it seems like the S22 will be capping its charging abilities at 25W while its siblings move on to 45W charging technology.
A Note-able Galaxy S22 Ultra… Maybe
However, the Galaxy S22 Ultra seems to be turning the Galaxy S series on its head – just a little. After skipping a year and retiring the popular Note moniker, it seems like Samsung is poised to bring the Note and S series into a single flagship family. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is not only adopting the S-Pen, it’s taken the familiar design cues of the Note.
The rounded, rectangular design of the Galaxy Note family is back in full force. The S22 Ultra is not only wider than its siblings, but it also brings an integrated S-pen slot. This seems to be a natural progression of the S-Pen’s S21 Ultra debut last year. In addition, the Ultra is looking to have a fully flushed camera setup – aside from the camera lenses. It also drops the encasing design of its siblings when it comes to the camera.
Pricier across the board
It seems like the Galaxy S22 won’t only be coming with the latest and greatest technology. It’s also coming with a hefty bump in price – at least in the U.S. The S22 series is rumoured to be a whopping USD$100 (MYR417.99) more than the S21 series. The Galaxy S22 will be starting at USD$900 (MYR3,761.95) while the S22+ starts at USD$1,100 (MYR4,598.12) and the S22 Ultra at USD$1,300 (MYR5,434.10).
However, prices in Europe seem to be remaining the same. We hope this rings true for the prices in Malaysia as well.
Where to watch Samsung Unpacked 2022
With all of that for you to feast on, the real deal will be launching on 9th January 2022. It will be streamed on the official Samsung website as well as the company’s YouTube and Facebook at 11 pm Malaysian time; that’s 1 pm in London (UTC+0) and 8 am in New York (UTC-5).
If you’re in Malaysia, you can actually get an MYR200 voucher if you register your interest ahead of the event. The voucher can only be used to pre-order the upcoming Galaxy S22 series though. So, if you’ve already set your heart on getting the S22, you’ve got nothing to lose!