Samsung Keeps Spotlight on Sustainability in New Phones, Tablets
Following a strong emphasis on green initiatives at its CES keynote, Samsung continued its sustainability push at its Wednesday virtual Unpacked event launching the latest series of Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
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The company is extending AndroidOS system upgrades for four generations of smartphones so customers can keep phones longer, said Stephanie Choi, Samsung Mobile chief marketing officer. The company is also repurposing ocean fishing nets to create necessary smartphone parts, she said, saying Samsung plans to remove over 50 tons of old fishing nets from oceans this year. Packaging for the Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone is made with 100% recycled paper, Choi said; the company will extend that initiative to tablets, earbuds, Galaxy Books 2-in-1 laptops and accessories in future introductions.
Samsung Mobile Communications President TM Roh described the company’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, as a mashup of the functionality of the Galaxy Note and the “most celebrated aspects” of the S series phones. The Ultra is the first S series device to have a built-in S Pen.
Preorders began Wednesday for the 6.8-inch Ulltra. Customers who preorder 128GB or 256GB model S series devices through Feb. 24 are eligible to upgrade to the next storage tier, Samsung said. The offer also includes eligibility to redeem an additional credit of up to $200 for Galaxy S22 Ultra, $150 for Galaxy S22+, or $100 for Galaxy S22 toward the purchase of the Samsung Freestyle portable projector or updated Galaxy Watch4; the promo also includes a 25% discount off a Galaxy Tab S8.
Samantha Friday, EU senior online manager-direct to consumer, highlighted Ultra camera features, including the five-camera array led by a 40-megapixel front camera and 10-megapixel telephoto lenses with 3x and 10x optical zoom. Advanced lighting capability is headlined by a 2.4-micrometer pixel sensor for front and back cameras. Other Ultra phone camera features are an Expert RAW app with in-camera editing tools and digital SLR-like features including manual adjustments for ISO and shutter settings, shutter speed, white balance and focus, said the company.
The Ultra’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X adaptive 120Hz display has peak brightness of 1,750 nits in direct sunlight, 1,200 in other scenarios, Samsung said. Vision Booster technology intelligently adjusts brightness throughout the day to ensure the best view of content, even in bright sunlight, Friday said.
Rounding out the S series are the 6.1-inch S22, starting at $799, and the 6.6-inch $999 S22+ phones, which sport three front cameras, including a 50-megapixel wide-lens, 12-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom. The selfie camera has 3x optical zoom, Samsung said.
In the Galaxy Tab S8 tablet line, Samsung bowed the $1,099 Ultra, with a 14.6-inch AMOLED screen with 2960 x 1848 resolution, 4K video recording and Wi-Fi 6E. It also launched the S8+ ($899) and S8 ($699). Customers who preorder Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+ from Samsung.com can receive free cover keyboards, said the company.