Samsung Galaxy S22: Rumors, specs, pricing, availability

Samsung is launching the Galaxy S22 soon, and there has already been a slew of leaks and reports about what to expect. From what we can gather, the Galaxy S22 is going to be an evolution of the S21 rather than a revolutionary change, much like the S21 was an evolution of the S20. This means the design language will generally stay the same, but the company will work on smoothing out flaws and build on the solid foundation it has already laid.

Samsung Galaxy S22 price and availability

One school of thought was that Samsung is likely to keep it in the same range as the Galaxy S21. This means that the S22 could start at $800 for the base model, with the S22 Ultra going into the $1,000-plus range depending on the configuration, and the S22 Plus falling somewhere in the middle. Current reports say that Samsung is planning a price hike. Where Google has lowered the cost of entry for its premium Pixels and Apple has held the line on its iPhones, the company is reportedly opening the S22-line at $100 more than the previous models. The S22 would therefore be the cheapest from $900, while the S22 Ultra would start at $1,300. Of course, carrier trade-ins and similar deals will end up driving the real price much lower, but those are pretty high initial prices.

Wrap up the S22 series and Tab S8 series prices
S22: $899
S22+: $1099
S22U: $1299
Tab S8: under $850
Tab S8+: $900-1000
Tab S8U: around 1100 and above (above means more storage and cellular connectivity)
Will update the exact Tab S8 series prices soon.

— KFC Simp (@chunvn8888) January 11, 2022

As for when the Galaxy S22 could launch, going solely off past trends, it could either be around January — as the company did last year — or closer to Mobile World Congress in March. A report from Jon Prosser claims the Samsung Galaxy S22 is scheduled for a February launch, with the company delaying it from an earlier December launch. A later report from SamMobile corroborates that the S22 is scheduled for a launch in February. An even later report claimed it would be announced on February 10 and released on February 18. Any way you look at it, the S22 is expected to be announced in the first three months of 2022.

Samsung Galaxy S22 design and display

The Samsung Galaxy S22 will, if rumors are accurate, inherit a lot of the design stylings of the S21 — albeit ditching the plastic on the base S21 for glass in the S22. This means that the same style of wraparound camera bump will be found on the S22, with the same hole-punch display on the front.

As for the displays themselves, the S22 is said to be the smallest and will sport a 6.06-inch FHD+ 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S22+ takes this up a notch with a 6.55-inch FHD+ display and a 120Hz refresh rate, and the S22 Ultra leads the pack with a pretty large 6.81-inch QHD+ 120Hz display.

Renders purporting to show off the S22 and S22+ emerged from OnLeaks earlier in 2021, giving us a look at the phone itself and confirming the S21-style design. This doesn’t apply to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Another set of renders leaked by OnLeaks shows a phone that looks a lot more like the Galaxy Note than ever. A flattened base, a built-in pen holder, and a squared-off design are significant aesthetic differences from the S22 and S22 Plus renders.

The design has seemingly been confirmed by case makers, with the P-shaped camera module appearing in leaked case renders. Next, a set of real-life images purporting to show off the Galaxy S22 Ultra emerged in November, showing off a design that harkened back to the Galaxy Note as Samsung attempts to lure customers who may miss the Galaxy Note series.

Finally, a purported official poster showing off a bronze or copper styled Galaxy S22 Ultra alongside a white S22+ showed up in December 2021, just a few weeks shy of its alleged launch date. A green S22 Ultra is also said to be launching in a dark green shade similar to the Midnight Green iPhone 11 Pro of 2019.

A huge stylus upgrade awaits

Tech YouTuber Zaryab Khan, who recently disclosed detailed specifications of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, shared a piece of interesting information about a potential stylus upgrade. Khan claims the next-generation S Pen will be 3 times faster than previous generations of the Samsung stylus. Samsung has reportedly reduced the input latency to just 2.8 milliseconds, which is a huge improvement over the 9 milliseconds latency on the last-gen S Pen bundled with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. In comparison, the second-generation Apple Pencil also touts an input latency of 9 milliseconds.

Exclusive: Introducing "Super Natural Writing Experience"🔥 Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra to rock a crazy 2.8ms S pen response! 3X more latency vs 9ms of Note 20 Ultra. The fastest & the most realistic S pen experience ever! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4vGyMxMxIp

— Zaryab Khan (@xeetechcare) January 7, 2022

For the unfamiliar, input latency here refers to the time delay between a stylus touching the screen and the software actually reflecting the touch input in the form of on-screen action. A lower input latency means users won’t notice any lag or delay while writing or drawing on the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s screen. And with a 120Hz screen with LTPO tech in tow, users will certainly feel the difference.

We are in the dark about the specific hardware tweaks that Samsung has made, but the improvement is definitely something buyers will appreciate, especially those nostalgic about the Galaxy Note family’s apparent departure. However, it is unclear if the stylus also comes with some new gestures and tricks as well.

Samsung Galaxy S22 specs

The Galaxy S22 is likely to be a powerful handset, as we would expect from a next-gen flagship. It has been predicted to ship with either a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in some markets or an Exynos 2200-powered model for most international users. A report from the European publication Let’s Go Digital placed the S22 as coming with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in the U.S. and parts of Asia and Africa, while Korea and the rest of the world get the Exynos 2200. Another leaked marketing spec sheet from YouTuber Zaryab Khan appears to confirm the presence of the Exynos 2200. While Samsung is yet to announce the Exynos 2200 itself, having missed a pre-announced January launch event, the company later confirmed to Business Korea that it would be launching the chip alongside the S22.

While Apple has increased the size of the batteries in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, Samsung is reportedly lowering the capacity of all phones save the Ultra. One report claims that the S22 line would have a 3,800mAh battery for the base S22, with the S22+ and the S22 Ultra coming with 4,600mAh and 5,000mAh batteries, respectively. This can be attributed to them being smaller phones overall. The company is shrinking the S22 and S22+ down from 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches, meaning less physical space for the batteries.

Samsung Galaxy S22 cameras

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 had excellent camera performance, rivaling Apple and Google’s own efforts in mobile photography. The S22 series can be expected to follow suit, and reports from Ice Universe assert that is the case.

The S22 and S22+ are rumored to be making the jump to a 50-megapixel (MP) main camera that will be paired with a 10MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP telephoto. When compared to the S21’s 12MP sensors, these look like a significant improvement on paper.

As with the S20 and S21, those who want the very best camera experience should focus on the S22 Ultra. It will reportedly have a 108MP main camera, with Samsung adding three additional 10MP cameras: One for telephoto scenarios, a periscope lens with support for 10x optical zoom, and an ultrawide camera. A detail enhancer feature is rumored to be making its way here, said to even be buoyed by the S22 Ultra’s 108MP camera. If true, it’d see the S22 Ultra up as one of the best camera phones in 2022 right from the get-go. A 40MP camera is set to sit in the front.

Finally, Samsung is said to be branding its wide camera as “Super Clear Lens.” Lens flare has been an issue with some phones, including the iPhone 13. The reported Super Clear Lens would use Gorilla Glass to reduce reflection and glare and improve image quality.

First Look at Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra / S22 Specs Sheet! 🔥 Introducing SuperClear Lens! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nyEFGrPtAH

— Zaryab Khan (@xeetechcare) January 5, 2022

What about the Samsung Galaxy Note 21/22?

Last year, Samsung did not release a Galaxy Note 21, prioritizing the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 instead. The former, notably, works with an S Pen Fold Edition. While the company left the door open for a Galaxy Note 22 in 2022, the leaked renders of the S22 Ultra indicate that Samsung might simply be folding the Note line into the S line, as has been speculated. If this turns out to be the case, buyers who want a Note-like experience would be well-served buying the S22 Ultra.

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