Last time I wrote on this blog, I said I finally caved in and ordered the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and that I should receive it soon. I did, I was able to use it since its launch and then I decided to return it. Of course, I didn't forget to get some camera samples and write down some observations on the device, but not a full review due to my very, very busy schedule. Same goes for the S21 FE, for which I'll publish the partial review I made on it soon.
| Note trap
My disappointment with the Note22 Ultra is due to its many, many regressions, in comparison with my trusty Note20 Ultra. First, the terrible, terrible vibration motor. The vibrations are so mute, they feel like some sort of echo you probably imagined and promptly forget about. Awesome for notifications! Then, the devices generates more heat than the Note20 Ultra. As it doesn't perform any better in day-to-day tasks, owing to the fact that the N20U already handled those beautifully, this wasn't a great or worthwhile change. Of course, we also have the removal of the MicroSDXC slot, a change I'll always complain over. And finally, the battery life appears to only match the endurance of an almost 2-years-old smartphone, whose energy cell must've already degraded at least partially. Not impressive, knowing the new device has a bigger battery at 5000mAh (versus 4500 for the N20U).
These are all small things, granted. However, they all affect significantly the elementary user experience. So, what do you get in return of all these sacrifices, again in comparison of the Note20 Ultra? Frankly, not much. You get a mostly improved camera, a better display and that's it. And, as I needed the 512GB model or bigger, that is not a lot of reasons to spend 1900$+tax. There were much better things to invest this much money over, such as my fittingly future tuition fees of 2000$ per quarter, or simply saving up for when I'll have to enter the absurdly inflated housing market in a few years. I thus made the decision to return the overpriced device. I did fall prey of the novelty effect and excitement but thankfully I may now rectify this mistake. My current device will continue to serve me well for the foreseeable future, and I'm quite happy about it!
That is another thing I'm not quite proud about. When I made the purchase, I also took the Samsung Care+ protection plan. Heed my warning: these things are scams! Not only here in Quebec, even if they're even more of a gullible-indicator here. Let's start locally and then I'll pass on a massive discovery given to me by a friend.*
* No, this won't end up with a link to enroll in a pyramid scheme, even if that wording suggests it is.
| Je me souviens of the law
What's so specific about Quebec that makes the purchase of these extended warranties even more of a bad idea? A simple law called theLoi sur la protection du consommateur. The part that interests us here is the article 38, which states "Un bien qui fait l’objet d’un contrat doit être tel qu’il puisse servir à un usage normal pendant une durée raisonnable, eu égard à son prix, aux dispositions du contrat et aux conditions d’utilisation du bien", or that a product should remain usable for a reasonable amount of time, according to the price paid and the intended use case.
Granted, that sounds vague. Nothing in this law quantifies what a reasonable amount of time is. However, there are precedents! The Office de la protection du consommateur thankfully gives usa convenient link to a variety of judgements related to this law. Not only smartphones but all sorts of goods are covered and many, many past judgements are available for you to consult.
Back to the point, your device shouldn't stop working properly on its own, even past the initial warranty period. If it does, depending on what device you purchased and at what price,either the merchant or the manufacturershould fix it, replace it or refund you(article 53). Important highlight because otherwise, they'll keep telling you that it's the other person's problem and they'll laugh at you running in circles until you give up.
For other provinces, I haven't looked at their laws so you can search in your province's legislation to see if such a law is available to you. If not, you might also want to contact your MP and express your interest in such a legal protection.
| And everything else
This all concerned the device's normal usage. What about the accidental damages? Well, you can always insure your new purchase with your insurance company! With the right insurance, you can have full protection for the device for a much cheaper price per year, without deductibles. And yes, these do cover physical damage, in addition to loss and theft. The person who told me about it only pays 30$/year, far cheaper than the 250$, 2-year S Care with deductible fees. It is important to specify you do not want an insurance with a deductible but overall, this is a far superior protection plan than Samsung's, or pretty much anyone's protection plan. Finally, also check if your credit card has any such accidental damage protection already included for free. These shouldn't hold any surprises or deductibles, either, and their protection is automatic. Nowadays, automatically extended warranties via credit cards are quite commonplace so it is practically a given.
You have many affordable ways to protect your purchase, so why waste money for a protection you may already have?
I skipped the S22 because it didn't feel it was worth it. No expansion slot was a definite deal breaker for me. Unfortunately this is the trend we are seeing now. Like the 3.5 jack disappearing, the same seems to be happening with the uSD slot now. :(
I dread to think that the next phone to come out... Oh we decided not to include the cable for environmental reasons since most users will have spare cables already...
I saw that they justified the removal of the pre-applied screen protector by "environmental concerns". Considering that they still apply a plastic film covering about 85% of the screen to ensure its protection in transit, your fears are well-informed. A better pro-environment move would be to apply 2-year warranties worldwide, not just where they are forced to. Then, you have to deal with these regressions, all in a bid for increased monetization and the smartphone market becomes very hard to endure today.
I'll be replacing my N20U's display and battery under my CC's extended warranty soon, hoping it will last me for a few years. I can go from 128 to 1.2TB in 5 seconds, that is a convenience hard to give up for, uh, being stuck with whatever storage you bought, even if it is either insufficient or overly excessive. You're stuck, no way to recover some money or expand. What fun!
They removed the pre-applied screen protector be cause of environmental concerns? This is such a dumb excuse. If we buy that, it will the screen protector + packaging + gasoline from the delivery driver or us. They're just dishonest af omg.
Yep. https://r1.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-s/thank-you-samsung/td-p/15390087 "Hi Tallman, Along with Global trend and policy for environmental-friendly, Samsung decided not to provide attaching or including of screen protective film for in-box package on S22 series device since newly launched product."
First of all, nice to see you back. We all have different experiences with our phones i guess but for me, even coming from the S21 Ultra, im really enjoying my experience so far with the S22 Ultra, including battery life. What im most suprised about your feedback, is the heating comment as mine is the complete opposite for some reason. Except while charging obviously, i have yet to feel any heat from this thing. Im actually surprised how cool it runs (I don't game though). Is it worth the upgrade from the Note 20 Ultra or S21 Ultra ? If you factor in price then maybe not as those phones are fantastic and can easily keep up with the S22 Ultra. Personally for me, I don't regret my move from the S21 Ultra but im not a good reference .. i like to change every year.
