The Galaxy S22 series from a tech enthusiast perspective: what Samsung got right and what wrong.

[Archer_Legend]

Heya all!

After waiting another long year the successors to the s21 series have been presented finally I would say with a camouflaged Galaxy Note making a nice comeback we all wanted.

From my point of wiew if you liked the s21 series there is no reason not to go for this year's devices if you have postponed your current smartphone upgrade to see would have happened.

There are positive and negative aspects regarding the s22 series.

Let's start with the positives:

• On the one hand the S21 and S21 plus where pretty much the same devices (S20 and S20 plus) of the previous year with just an upgraded processor (which was well needed) but where not superior except the processor compared to the S10 series of devices, they where on par. On the other hand this year the S22 and S22 plus are still minor upgrades compared to their predecessors however the camera modules have finally been updated (the main sensor should let more light in, althought the previous 12 mpx sensor was not bad at all; and finally the zoom sensor is an optical 3x instead of using digital zoom on a high mpx sensor), the soc has received another upgrade (let's see if it is more efficient) and the package has been further refined. So yes the S22 and S22 plus are very good devices which you should consider even if you come from a recent S20 or S20 plus.
• A "tricky" point is the S22 ultra: the S20 ultra from my pov was and is a disaster had a lot of hardware issues only partially solved with the S21 ultra which in my opinion is what the s20 ultra should have been to begin with. The device has an upgraded camera module design, a new soc, a decent cooling system with a vapor chamber which samsung ditched last year for some strange reason whereas it has been adopted on samsung devices ever since the S9 (it was a heatpipe but the concept is similar). The camera modules received minor incremental upgrades with a lot of enphasis on the software behind probably due to the new ISP in the processor which allows more complex processing so the camera should be a consistant improvement over the previous gen and may finally solve all the issues Samsung has had starting with the S20 ultra because of the use of the 108 mpx sensor which is still not a good idea, the mpx war is useless! The S22 ultra is basically a Note and that is a great thing. If you want a very good device definitely this is the one to get!

Let's move onto the bad stuff, it may be a non problem for some or a deal breaker for others like me and I want Samsung to acknowledge this because the Galaxy Fold 3 and the S22 series may have literally been the Ultimate devices in 2022 with just a few pennies spent into this minor areas:

1. lack of expandable storage: there is nothing more convenient than having an SD card slot to expand you storage down the line or to keep your data safe in case of terminal phone damage, it is a true pity that Samsung is not putting such a basic feature in such a complex device
2. lack of the headphone jack: bluetooth headphones are great but having a dedicated jack for emergency situations or for high quality wired headphones is key for everyone from the basic to the poweruser and no the usb-c headphones are not as good nor as convenient if you need to use the headphones while charging your device
3. lack of the S-Pen tips in the box for the S22 Ultra
4. lack of the charger in the box, I am still of the idea that Samsung should include at least a 15 watts charger inside the box given the price of the devices, not everyone has a fast upgrade cycle and a basic charger is something everyone should appreciate.

The summa of my opinion: great devices, wait just for the indipendent rewiews before pulling the trigger.

To Samsung: just fix those few things in the next iteration of your devices because it is a pity to come so close to making a perfect all rounder and then loose yourself on those "details" which are not details and have always been the strenght of samsung until this last 2 years.

Cheers to everyone who read all of this, let me know what you think!

[sarasphotobox]

I think from your opinion and perspective all devices had alot of hiccups over the years from early generation S series to the Note which the note series did discontinue last 4 years.
However I think Samsung are upping their game. Yes each year goes by minor improvements.

I'm still on s21+ since August 2021 and I'm loving it still. I still have my S10+ too.
I think it alll comes down to each individual preference.

I'm still keeping my S21+ until 2023 I don't see any point upgrading yet as I love my s21+

The camera is insane. On the other hand I have a DSLR camera to hand for superzoom photos.

Go with your instincts whatever you chose 👍

[JAMES4578]

Hi  @Archer_Legend ,   Whilst some devices have had defects think generally Samsung have been moving forward in recent years.   I skipped the S20 line up though, having an S10 and an S21 Ultra , the latter being my primary device which I only got in the summer so will be not be upgrading at this point.  Even if in some cases not massive upgrades should still be a faster processor and even if some complain about Exynos the 2200 is believed to be very much on par.  The inbuilt Spen is certainly a plus , though I have the S Pen Pro which includes spare tips.  The 2.4um pixel   sensor should be an undoubted  advantage when taking photos  plus the editing tools and ability to save in Raw format seems impressive. Should come into its own with night shots and ability to frame multiple subjects is welcome.

Personally not the biggest fan of SD cards  though know for some it is a definite disadvantage, however move to encourage cloud storage and  has to be said is not the fastest technology and prone to some errors.  Maybe should offer bigger storage option on a variety of devices, though that would come at a greater cost.  Think moved away from Headphone jack in the flagships to fit in more components.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hey @Archer_Legend 

I hope you are well.  😎

To your points........

1,  I personally choose not to use Sd Cards but instead buy a phone with enough storage I know will suit my needs along with using Dropbox. I totally understand and appreciate Sd Cards options are useful in many ways.

2, I use Bluetooth Earphones and headphones exclusively but I take your comments on board. 

3, I'm currently spending my time watching unboxings and ive yet to see any alternative tips in the box. I know Samsung did supply hard and soft tips.

Personally after using a few Note phone's I've yet to have to swap one out but it would have been nice to have at least 1 spare tip.

4, I know where your coming from here and as some YouTube creators have said people are buying chargers which come shipped in plastic and cardboard so can potentially add to Samsungs carbon footprint.

Personally when I purchase a Samsung phone the charging plug and cord stay in the box as I use Samsung Wireless Desktop chargers , however not everyone uses them or are coming from using a Samsung phone so need a charging brick as not all hook up to a Computer etc. 

This just seems to be hiw this sector is moving forward with what is supplied in the box.

[Archer_Legend]

I know that the fact of removing the charger is how the industry is moving and we will have to adapt to that. The charger not in the box is just a minor problem since you can buy it separately but you cannot diy a jack or sd card slot 😞 that is the problem.

Let's hope Samsung makes some adjustments to the SD card and jack, they would indeed make the perfect device for anyone no matter how they use the device!

[Madfish]

What annoys me most about the removal of these useful features is the lies...not just Samsung doing it.

Removal of SD card - requires you to spend more on the bigger capacity handset.

Removal of headphone jack - Requires you to buy expensive Bluetooth headsets.

Removal of charger from box - For the environment? Yeah right... it's so I'm forced to buy a new charger to get the most from my new phone.

Removal of fitted screen protector - to save plastic, even though which ever screen protector I buy separately comes in a box with a load of plastic packaging.

Nothing about removing the charger is for the environment. Buying a seperate charger look at the amount of packaging wasted, the carbon footprint of the extra delivery etc...

Samsung, Apple and the others, if they wanted to help the environment, should give you the option when purchasing to include a charger.

[Archer_Legend]

It is interesting that in a very recent poll made by Sammobile almost 81 per cent of the voters (which should be around by 3000 right now) said that they want the SD card in the next samsung flagships.

https://www.sammobile.com/news/should-samsung-bring-back-microsd-slot-to-its-flagships/

I hope Samsung looks at this stuff and brings the jack and the SD card slot back, at the end of the day it is another marketing point they can tick and this is a huge advantage for them, there is no reason for Sammy to not to do it!