After two years of doing Unpacked virtually, Samsung returned to the in-person version, and really came out swinging for the moon.

It did indeed launch the worst kept secret, of the S22 range, and many of the features that were leaked or expected did come to light.

The surprising part of the event wasn’t so much the S22 series, which consists of the S22 (6.1’’), S22 Plus (6.6’’0, and king of the hill S22 Ultra (6.8’’), but rather the fate of the Galaxy Note, which is now the tech version of Schrödinger's cat, simultaneously dead and buried and alive and well. In all but name, the S22 is the next iteration of the Note just as much as it is the next iteration of the S series.

The company has taken the bold and dare we say right decision (I will get to that in a moment) and converged the two lines into one device. It has broken its own rules to have as broad a range as possible and united both its golden geese. I think we are all going to be better off for it.

Firstly, the S22 continues the legacy of cramming the the newest, latest and greatest camera technology into the Galaxy S line, but it also continues the Note’s legacy with a built in stylus and being geared towards being both a creativity and productivity powerhouse, while continuing to boast a larger than life screen. Which incidentally, is exactly what made the Note line such a firm favorite.

As someone who has been a firm fan of the Note range since its first iteration, here is why I think the approach with the S22 is the smartest move Samsung could have made. The pandemic showed just how vulnerable global supply chains, and chip manufacturing, really is. By consolidating both ranges into one, hopefully it will reduce some of the pressure, and actually make it easier for users to get Samsung’s flagship device now that it doesn’t have to contend with cranking out a new Note every year.

A clear indication of this too is that for the first time, South African users will get a device with the same Snapdragon chip as their US counterparts, rather than the Exynos version as has been the case previously.

As was made very clear during last night’s Unpacked, the S22 is firmly focused on delivering the best possible photography experience available, with an exhaustive number of camera improvements and new features across the board.

On the S22 Ultra, for example, there is a 108 megapixel wide-angle camera, 12 megapixel ultra wide camera, 10 megapixel 3x telephoto and a second 10 megapixel 10x telephoto camera along with a 40 megapixel front facing camera for those who love their selfies. Additionally there is a big pixel sensor for better nightography. A pro photography mode enables keen photographers to finetune a greater amount of controls, from ISO to white balance, for each individual camera, as well as shoot in RAW.

If you hate taking photos on your smartphone, then this is probably not the device for you. But if you rather see your smartphone as a tool for creativity and/or productivity and/or gaming, then it certainly is.

There are S-pen improvements too, from an increased sensitivity for more responsive writing and drawing, to an AI component that predicts the direction of your stroke and responds accordingly. As well, the screen (6.8’’ on the Ultra) boasts a new feature intended to help it stand out in even direct sunlight, or if gaming is more the deciding factor, a 120 Hz screen refresh rate might sway you (this is adaptive to save battery life, as was the case on the Note 20 Ultra).

There is certainly a lot of phone in the S22 range, whether you go for the entry level S22, the middle sibling S22 Plus or the top tier and largest S22 Ultra. The prices for each have remained the same as they were for the S21, ranging from R20 000, R23 000 to R29 000 respectively. Certainly the latter is not cheap. However, what is new though is the extent to which those with a high end device lying around can get from trading in – up to a whopping R10 000, with the only requisite being that trade-in the device turns on. Not a bad deal at all.

The devices are set to become available from 11 March, although there is something to be said for acting quickly. Pre-orders will be rewarded with a gratis version of the Samsung Buds Pro or Buds Live, depending on which model you pre-order.