Hands On With the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 Series
The Galaxy Note isn't dead—Samsung just renamed it and folded it into the Galaxy S family. As a result, the Galaxy S22 lineup now feels more complete than ever because you can choose between three premium and distinct options: a small Galaxy S22, a regular-size Galaxy S22+, and a large, Note-like Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Three new tablets accompany the three new phones. In Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 lineup, the biggest model (the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra) is also the wildest: a massive, 14.6-inch tablet that demands you to think about new uses for Android on large screens. All three of the Tab S8 models double down on creativity, too—they each come with magnetic S Pens and can work in tandem with Galaxy S22 phones in creative apps.
Pre-orders for the phones start on February 9 and they go on sale on February 25, while the tablets are available for purchase as of February 9. Before you shell out your money for any of these devices, read on for my initial reaction to all six products.
As soon as you pick up the Galaxy S22 Ultra ($1,199), you know it's just a Note. As Samsung's vice president of mobile product management Drew Blackard said in a briefing, it's "the natural next step for a Note owner."
The S22 Ultra has curved edges that harken back to the old Note Edge, plus the squared-off top and bottom that enables retractable S Pen integration. The S Pen here isn't the bigger, soft-touch S Pen that the Galaxy S21 Ultra used, but a Note S Pen that's slim and hard—it feels just like the S Pen that came with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Samsung says it reduced latency from 9ms to 2.9ms, but 9ms was already as low as the 120Hz screen could handle. The stylus felt responsive in my brief interaction with it, but so did the old version with
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