Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Samsung unveils new Galaxy S22 smartphones
Roh Tae-moon, president and head of MX Business at Samsung Electronics, introduces the company's new Galaxy S22 smartphones, Wednesday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Baek Byung-yeul
By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy S22, its latest flagship smartphone, Thursday, with a variety of models ranging from large-screen devices with a built-in S Pen stylus to small but high-performance smartphones.
The global smartphone leader said Thursday the Galaxy S22 smartphones come with three variations ― the S22 with a 6.1-inch display, the S22+ with a 6.6-inch display and the 6.8-inch S22 Ultra with an S Pen stylus as has been seen in previous Galaxy Note phones. They will hit the global market on Feb. 25.
Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy S22 smartphones / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Roh Tae-moon, president and head of Samsung's MX Business, said the Galaxy S22 Ultra is specially designed to offer the “ultimate and most premium S series experience,” as the 6.8-inch display model comes with a built-in S Pen, as well as featuring advanced video capabilities and extended battery life.
Samsung skipped the release of its Note series last year, but decided to merge features from both its S and Note series to appeal to consumers who want a large-screen device with the S Pen stylus.
“At Samsung, we push ourselves constantly to raise the bar on our premium devices,” Roh said during the online event. “The Galaxy S22 Ultra takes the beloved functionality of the Galaxy Note and the most celebrated aspects of the S series and merges them for a truly unique mobile experience. This is a leap forward for mobile technology, setting a new standard for what a smartphone can be.”
Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy Tab S8 tablets / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Alongside the S22 smartphones, the company also introduced its latest Galaxy Tab S8 tablet and updated features for its Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatch. As seen in the S22 phones, the Tab S8 will also come in three models ― the Tab S8 with an 11-inch display, the Tab S8+ with a 12.4-inch display and the Tab S8 Ultra with a 14.6-inch display.
Samsung said the high-priced tablets will help improve users' productivity, as they offer an improved video conferencing experience with an ultra-wide front camera, a three-microphone setup and intelligent auto-framing technology. They also offer better multitasking capabilities, enabling users to use multiple screens and to connect the device to a large monitor via its Samsung DeX mode.
Samsung also claimed its Galaxy products are designed to help reduce environmental pollution. The company announced it used plastics recycled from discarded fishing nets as components for the Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy Tab S8.
“By collaborating with leading organizations, Samsung helps recover discarded fishing nets and transforms them into high-performance materials for our smartphones. This material ― used in the Galaxy S22 series' key bracket component ― contains 20 percent recycled ocean-situated plastic from discarded fishing nets. The Galaxy S22 series also incorporates post-consumer recycled material in its speaker module, as well as the inner parts of the power and volume keys,” Samsung said.