The arrival of Samsung’s new flagship, the Galaxy S22, could still be a few months away. But, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill …
The arrival of Samsung’s new flagship, the Galaxy S22, could still be a few months away. But, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from turning. The latest buzz comes from Jon Prosser, a leaker, YouTuber and founder of FrontPageTech.com. He shared allegedly leaked pictures of the Galaxy S22, and offered a glimpse at what Samsung’s upcoming smartphone could look like. Samsung’s August event excited us with two new foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, alongside the company’s latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 4, and the Galaxy Buds 2. Then in October, Samsung showed off more options to customize its foldable phones. But we still don’t know exactly when Samsung will take the wraps off the rumored Galaxy S22. This year’s Galaxy S21 lineup was unveiled in January, which could mean we’ll see Samsung’s new flagship early next year. Read more: My Samsung Galaxy S22 wish list: 5 upgrades I need to see The Samsung Galaxy S21 impressed us with its solid all-round performance and better balance of features and price. And the Galaxy S21 Ultra blew us away with its incredible camera setup and its ability to take superb zoomed-in shots. But what about the follow-up series? We’re curious to see what the Galaxy S22 might bring, so here’s what we think. Samsung typically launched its S-series phones in March, but it bucked that trend in 2021 by launching the S21 line in January. The company typically follows a 12-month cycle of updating its handsets so we currently expect the S22 to be announced in January 2022, possibly at or around the CES tech show in Las Vegas. However, it’s also possible that Samsung might want to give the S21 line a bit more breathing room and could return to a March launch schedule. With COVID-19 restrictions hopefully being a bit easier by then, Samsung could intend to do an in-person launch event, which it often does simultaneously in cities across the globe. Prosser previously speculated preorders for Samsung’s upcoming flagship will start in February. Read more: Samsung Galaxy S22 vs. Galaxy S21: Rumors about new flagship’s release date and specs Samsung could offer slightly smaller display sizes for the Galaxy S22 line. According to Twitter leaker FrontTron, the Galaxy S22 could have a 6.01-inch screen, the Galaxy S22 Plus could have a 6.55-inch screen and the Galaxy S22 Ultra could get a 6.81-inch screen. For comparison, the Galaxy S21 lineup has 6.2-,6.7- and 6.8-inch displays, respectively. Batteries might also be smaller in the Galaxy S22 lineup. Tron speculates that the S22 and S22 Plus will have 3,800- and 4,000-mAh batteries, respectively. The leaker says the Galaxy S22 Ultra will maintain its 5,000-mAh cell. Sales of the Galaxy S20 line didn’t impress and it’s likely it had a lot to do with the generally high prices, coupled with widespread financial uncertainty for many people due to the pandemic. The S21 offered handsets at slightly more affordable prices by swapping glass back panels for toughened plastic. Here are all the differences between the Galaxy S21 and S20. At launch, the base S20 came in at $1,000 in the US, while the base S21 undercut that at $800. While we don’t expect Samsung to try and make the S22 line cheaper, we do think it’s a safe bet that the company will try and match the approximate price of the S21, rather than increase it back to S20 levels. It’s a sure bet too that Samsung will offer multiple variations of the S22 line to offer varying specs at a variety of prices. It’s likely that we’ll see a base S22, along with an upgraded S22 Plus and an S22 Ultra model sitting right at the top of the range with the best specs — and the highest price to match. ( Here’s how the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra variants compared.) It’s a recipe Samsung has followed for the last few generations and it’s clearly a strategy deemed to be working.
