The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is reportedly launching soon along with the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus. And when Samsung takes the wraps off its next flagship, we now know that the Ultra is going to look an awful lot like a Galaxy Note.
Starting today (January 21) at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT, you'll be able to reserve your place in line for Samsung Galaxy S22 pre-orders. That's when Samsung will launch its Reserve Now page where you can register to pre-order the new products. Those who sign up will be able to get a $50 credit toward other Galaxy products during the pre-order period, which we assume would get underway following the Samsung Unpacked 2022 event.
Samsung just confirmed just that with a blog post teasing the upcoming launch of its next flagship phones. And while Samsung is still stinting on the details about the Galaxy S22, Samsung's TM Roh says the phone maker is drawing heavily upon the Note for inspiration in building its Galaxy S22 Ultra handset.
"We know many of you were surprised when Samsung didn’t release a new Galaxy Note last year," wrote Roh, Samsung's president and the head of its mobile business, in a blog post teasing a February phone launch. "You loved the unparalleled creativity and efficiency of the Galaxy Note series, which enabled you to switch from gaming nirvana to high-octane productivity in the blink of an eye. You raved about the lifelike S Pen, which many say rivals putting ink to paper. And we haven’t forgotten about these experiences you love."
Roh's post concludes by telling Samsung fans to "get ready for the ultimate Ultra experience," which seems like as clear a clue as any that the Ultra will adopt some of the cited Note features.
Samsung's plan to revive elements of the Galaxy Note with the release of the Galaxy S22 Ultra has been rumored for some time, based on expected features for the largest S22 model. In addition to the 6.8-inch display, the S22 Ultra is expected to feature a flat rectangular design just like the Notes of old. The upcoming phablet is also tipped to include a slot for Samsung's S Pen — last year's Galaxy S21 Ultra only supported the stylus as an optional accessory, while S22 Ultra is rumored to be fully integrating the S Pen.
Roh doesn't confirm these specific rumored features, though he does promise that the upcoming Ultra will be able to take "the best and brightest photos and videos you’ve ever captured with a phone" — presumably a reference to the S22 Ultra's camera and rumored improvements to the main sensor. Other features teased by Roh include "power, speed and tools that can’t be found elsewhere" as well as "the smartest Galaxy experience yet."
Galaxy S22 models released in the U.S. are expected to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which includes an improved AI engine among its features. Qualcomm's chipset also promises a 20% faster processor than last year's Snapdragon 888 silicon as well as a 30% improvement to power efficiency. Galaxy S22 models shipped outside of the U.S. will likely feature the Exynos 2200 chipset, which boasts a GPU that includes AMD RDNA 2 graphics and ray-tracing capabilities.
Roh says that new phones will debut at the next Unpacked event in February, though he stopped short of giving a specific date. The latest Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022 rumor points to the event taking place on February 9.
In addition to the Galaxy S22, Samsung is expected to show off the new Galaxy Tab S8 tablet at its upcoming Unpacked event, though Roh's blog post doesn't mention anything at all about tablets.
