Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S22 range of smartphones is now available throughout the UAE, after the Korean company recorded strong pre-order sales.
Orders for the GCC as a whole were up 46 per cent compared with those for the Galaxy S21, Samsung Gulf said in February.
The new devices have been released following Apple's launch of its cheaper iPhone SE range this month, after the iPhone 13 was unveiled in September last year.
Samsung remains the world’s top mobile phone vendor, with shipments up 7.6 per cent in 2021, according to research firm Gartner. It held on to its top position with a 19 per cent market share, selling more than 272.3 million smartphones last year.
What are the new Galaxy S22 options?
There are three different devices ─ the S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra, available in green, Phantom black and Phantom white. Unique to the Galaxy S22 and S22+ is the rose gold version, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra also comes in burgundy.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ come with two storage options – 128GB and 256GB – while the Galaxy S22 Ultra is available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB models.
The S22 has a 6.1-inch screen size, while the S22+ is 6.6 inches and the S22 Ultra features a 6.8-inch screen.
How is the S22 Ultra different?
The Ultra comes with a built-in S Pen, as seen on the now defunct Note series. Samsung says it has a “more realistic pen-to-paper feel”. The phone also comes with advanced night photography features, “the first-ever Galaxy S battery that lasts for more than a day”, Samsung’s fastest processing chip and a better camera.
When no new Note device was launched last August, Samsung “didn’t observe or receive any comments from our end-users ... but we know there is a segment of users that need the Note experience, which we are now providing them in the S22 Ultra”, Osman Albora, senior director of Samsung Gulf’s mobile experience division, told The National.
What is the price in the UAE?
Telecom operator du is offering the S22 from Dh130 per month for the 128GB device and for Dh140 per month for the 256GB option across two years. The S22+ is available for Dh155 per month in 128GB or for Dh165 per month with 256GB. The S22 Ultra is priced at Dh190 per month for 128GB, Dh210 per month for the 256GB option and Dh220 per month for the 512GB device.
Etisalat is offering the S22 256GB version at Dh95 per month for 36 months, Dh140 per month for 24 months and Dh185 per month for 18 months. The 128GB model is out of stock.
The S22 Ultra 128GB version is priced at Dh135 per month for 36 months, Dh200 a month for two years, Dh260 monthly for 18 months and Dh390 per month for 12 months. A one-time payment of Dh4,699 is another option.
The 512GB version is available for Dh160 a month for 36 months, Dh230 a month for 24 months, Dh305 a month for 18 months and Dh455 a month for one year. Alternatively, the device costs Dh5,499.
Those buying direct from Samsung receive the Galaxy Buds Pro, worth Dh739, free of charge with each purchase of the S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra.
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
