Saturday review: Samsung has created a compelling experience with new S22
Samsung’s new flagship smartphone, which combines features from its two biggest ranges for the first time, is the result of the tech giant listening to the customer to create a compelling experience.
On Wednesday, the phone maker unveiled the S22 range, which includes the S22 Ultra, the top-of-the-line device which includes Samsung’s S-Pen stylus built into an S Series device for the first time.
Samsung chose not to release a new version of its Note Series of phablet phones last year – which traditionally includes the S-Pen and is seen as more of a productivity device – and instead launched a range of foldable devices as part of an effort to bring those devices into the mainstream and revamp its phone line-up.
Conor Pierce, corporate vice president for Samsung UK and Ireland, said the decision to bring the Note and S Series together in the S22 Ultra was to help the new phone stand out, but also to please fans of the Note Series who may have been “disappointed” not to see a new version last year.
“We’re really bringing two smartphone legacies together – the unrivalled power of the Note Series, which everyone loves, and the pro-grade camera and performance of the S Series – we’ve never had that within our S Series before,” he said.
“We know that the Note base is the most loyal and the most productive, and they love the S Pen. So I think we have a really good proposition.”
Conor Piece
“Never before have we spent so much time focusing on consumers and asking ‘what do they want in a device?’ because smartphones have become their life hub and that puts a huge responsibility on us to really understand how we can improve the functionality, improve the performance and really make it a very compelling experience for them.
“And with that in mind, I think we’ve taken all this feedback from the market and obviously taken the success of the Note Series and now we have the S22, so we’re really excited about that.”
Tools and camera
Pierce said the new combination of productivity tools and high-powered camera on the Ultra meant it was perfectly suited to the post-pandemic world, with more hybrid and remote working taking place alongside social events where users want to capture events with their smartphone camera.
“I think everyone’s using technology like never before in this virtual hybrid world we work in, and the technology has become so much more important, and we’ve taken that into account,” he said.
“And you also have to bear in mind that people are using their devices like never before and therefore the battery is so important, and we have the largest battery – a 5000mAh battery – and with our 45KW charging you can actually charge very quickly, so that’s really powerful… because people want to be able to rely on the battery to go through.”
The Ultra is joined in the new line-up by the S22 and S22+ – more traditional S Series phones with large screens and powerful cameras – to sit alongside Samsung’s mid-range A Series and FE devices, as well as its growing foldable Flip Series, providing a variety in choice and pricing the Samsung executive said was “really important” as many felt the squeeze of a rising cost of living.
“I think especially now we need to be aware that people want to have the best smartphone experience and therefore we need to make it accessible,” Mr Pierce said.
“There’s no other company doing what we’re doing in terms of foldable devices, so I think we have a really strong portfolio, from the A Series – which is very powerful and obviously very affordable, and we’re bringing a lot of the S Series type features back into that series; the S21 FE and of course the S22 and our foldables.
“So we have the really top, top end down to the most affordable, and that’s a huge mark of Samsung ensuring that we offer a choice to people.”