Samsung launches three Galaxy S22 smartphones with improved cameras, chips and a price shock

Samsung has finally unveiled its new Galaxy S22 smartphones which has new features to rival Apple’s iPhone. See what’s on offer.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone will feature an enhanced camera, four nanometre chip, and S Pen.

The world’s biggest smartphone maker took the wraps off its worst-kept secrets early on Thursday morning, unveiling three top-of-the-range smartphones with better cameras, more grunt, new privacy controls, and a stylus for the first time.

But while the Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphones confirmed much of the hype circulating about the devices for weeks, the company also revealed their prices in Australia would not increase from last year, when they launched on March 4.

Industry analysts said the wallet-friendly revelation was due to growing competition for smartphone buyers, and was a fresh pitch to convince Australians to upgrade their technology.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone features an enhanced camera, faster chip, and S Pen.

Samsung unveiled its new flagship smartphones — the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra — at a worldwide event at 2am AEDT on Thursday, with pre-orders opening the same day.

Samsung Electronics mobile business head TM Roh said the company aimed to set a “new standard for mobile experiences” with the phones, the top model of which would feature a stylus for the first time — an addition once the calling card of its Note range.

“Inspired by our Galaxy Note Series, we’re breaking the rules by bringing a built-in S Pen to a Galaxy S series device,” he said.

“It’s a smartphone for a new generation of go-getters, change-makers and creatives.”

All three Samsung Galaxy S22 models will feature a four nanometre chip for the first time, new privacy software, and brighter screens, in addition to cameras that promise more portrait mode options, professional settings and better performance in lowlight in a trend the company dubbed “nightography”.

The top model S22 Ultra will receive the biggest upgrades to its four cameras, however, including the ability to capture detailed RAW images with a larger 108-megapixel image sensor, as well as an S-Pen.

Samsung Electronics Australia mobile vice-president Garry McGregor said he expected most buyers to choose the top model Ultra despite its $1849 price tag.

“In the last 12 months in particular, we’ve seen a push towards premium smartphones and growth in what we term the ‘ultra premium sector,’ so $1500 and above,” he said.

“We’re expecting this time around a minimum of 50 per cent of those sales will be for the Ultra product. Obviously, consumers are looking for the latest and greatest in technology.”

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone features photographic enhancements for night photography.

Mr McGregor said he expected consumers who previously purchased a Galaxy Note smartphone to invest in this new range, and admitted it was now “highly unlikely that the Note will come back”.

Samsung currently dominates smartphone sales worldwide, with 20 per cent of the market to Apple’s 14 per cent, according to Gartner.

Kantar Worldpanel insight director Jennifer Chan said competition for consumers was so tight that it was keeping phone prices down.

“Contrary to what the industry has chimed for many years — ‘smartphones are getting more expensive’ — the average price paid for a smartphone handset has actually declined (compared to) two years ago in US, Australia and Japan,” she said.

Samsung confirmed many rumours about its new devices at launch.

“There’s more pressure across competitors to win share amid a narrower window of opportunity due to consumers continuing to hold on to their smartphones for longer so (makers) must be competitive in technology as well as price.”

Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi said “exciting” potential buyers with new technology and convincing them to upgrade could also prove a battle for top phone makers, and Samsung would face “competing with itself” after the success of its folding phones.

The company also unveiled a new line of Android tablets at its event, the Galaxy Tab S8, which will be the first to support the Wi-Fi 6E standard as well as 5G, feature larger screens, and will range from $1099 to $2199.

Originally published as Samsung launches three Galaxy S22 smartphones with improved cameras, chips and a price shock