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How will Samsung improve on the best phones of 2021?
After a summer filled with mid-range phones, major flagships like the Pixel 6 and the iPhone 13 will close out the year. We expect these phones to sell like hotcakes, but if Samsung's upcoming Galaxy phones stay on schedule, they're also not that far off. So should you wait for them?
We don't have any hard information on the successor to the Galaxy S21 lineup. But the Samsung Galaxy S22 leakers are already out in full force, many of which have proven prophetic in the past. Rumored to have features like ray tracing and vapor cooling, the Galaxy S22 may be a full-fledged gaming machine masquerading as a phone if Samsung has its way. Then again, its performance could vary depending on where you live and which chipset you get your hands on.
You may be most excited about the Galaxy S22 Ultra. That device will likely be the spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note Ultra series, with a built-in S Pen slot and a more hard-edged design reminiscent of the Notes of yore.
Here's everything we know about Samsung's upcoming flagships, which are near-certain to join the ranks of the best Android phones.
The best for months to come
Samsung Galaxy S21
From $800 at Samsung From $800 at Amazon From $800 at Best Buy
Why wait?
With months to go until the S22 arrives — and rumors that it won't change that much from the S21 in specs and design — there's no reason to wait on the Galaxy S21, which we consider the best Android phone available. Especially if you find it on sale.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Release date
The Galaxy S21 arrived in January 2021, while the previous two Galaxy series — the S20 and S10 — shipped in March. Based on leaked information from Samsung supply chains, January is likely the new normal for Samsung's major releases.
In a September Galaxy S22 specs leak, we learned that Samsung plans to begin mass production of its latest phone lineup in November, eyeing a January launch date for all three handsets.
One bizarre counter-tweet from frequent leaker Ice Universe hinted that because the Galaxy S21 FE may be cancelled, Samsung could release the S22 in December instead, in order to capitalize on holiday sales. Given that the S22 isn't in production yet, this would be a very short turnaround, however.
Whenever the S22 does launch, other recent leaks have suggested the Galaxy Tab S8 will also ship around the same time. One massive launch could help Samsung overcome its recent financial setbacks for its smartphone sales.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Price
Recent leaks suggest the S22 and S22+ will decrease in size and battery life while leaving internal specs relatively unchanged. This makes us dubious that Samsung would increase pricing while shrinking the sizes of the phones.
The S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra cost $799, $999, and $1,199, respectively. For comparison, the S20 phones ranged from $999 to $1,399 with the same $200 gaps. You can likely count on the same $200 price differences for the S22; we just can't guarantee where its pricing will start.
While releasing Galaxy S22 renders and specs, @OnLeaks and Zouton claimed the phones will retail between $799 and $1199, which fits with Samsung sticking to the status quo next year.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Design
Our first major Galaxy S22 specs rumor suggested that Samsung will downgrade the S22 Plus compared to the S21 Plus, swapping from glass to the same 'glasstic' material as the S21. The leaker also suggested that both the S22 and S22+ will shrink compared to their predecessors — from 6.2" to 6.06" and 6.7" to 6.55", respectively.
More recently, another leak confirmed that the Galaxy S22 will be the "smallest flagship phone in recent years" with its 6.06-inch display and 3,700mAh battery estimate.
Zouton and @OnLeaks recently unveiled Galaxy S22 and S22+ renders that show both phones' potential designs. In short, the phones look very similar to the S21 and S21+, except that the camera module is raised slightly higher than before.
As you might expect, the shrunken Galaxy S22 and S22+ will likely have smaller battery capacity than their predecessors. Leaker FrontTron claims the S22 and S22+ would have 3,800mAh and 4,600mAh battery life, respectively. Meanwhile, GalaxyClub had a less optimistic outlook, suggesting 3,700mAh and 4,500mAh for its S22 battery estimates.
Considering the Galaxy S21 and S21+ hit 4,000mAh and 4,800mAh, this is a fairly decent downgrade on both fronts. We can only hope the smaller displays will negate this difference, and the phones retain the S21 series' respectable battery life.
Otherwise, Samsung may shrink the designs of its S22s but otherwise leave the display tech unchanged. Every rumor we've seen suggests the S22 and S22+ will have the same FHD+ 120Hz displays as their S21 counterparts.
Given its rather uninspiring design updates, the S22 has one last chance to stand out from this year's phones: vapor chambers. DigiTimes claims that Samsung is considering incorporating vapor cooling into the S22, and Taiwanese manufacturers have begun to mass-produce them in preparation. Samsung previously added them to the Note 10+, so this isn't far-fetched. As a result, your S22 may be less prone to overheating when running graphically intensive games at super-fast refresh rates.
Samsung Galaxy S22 The return of the Note Ultra?
Samsung may shrink the S22 and S22+, but the S22 Ultra should stick to the same 6.8-inch display size as the Galaxy S21 Ultra. More importantly, it could get a significant redesign that would convert it into a replacement for the deprecated Galaxy Note lineup.
Multiple leak sources have suggested the Galaxy S22 Ultra will have an S Pen slot, and will be the only S22 model with S Pen support. Those same leaks suggest the S22 Ultra will have less rounded edges than the S21 Ultra but won't be quite as rectangular as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
On that note, recent Galaxy S22 Ultra mock-ups will give you an idea of what the phone could look like. It shows a 6.8-inch curved AMOLED display, a relatively thick build, and the aforementioned S Pen slot. The hypothetical quad-camera array also has a very memorable P-shaped appearance.
However, two leakers (@OnLeaks and @UniverseIce) have different opinions on the Ultra's final design. UniverseIce claims the S22 Ultra camera module will have two separate camera modules instead of the P-shaped module shown in the slideshow above; so OnLeaks mocked up a new hypothetical design (above) without saying he agreed that the change is accurate.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Specs and cameras
In May, we learned Samsung and AMD had partnered on the Exynos 2200, a 5nm chip meant to power Samsung's upcoming phones and Chromebooks. We then learned AMD planned to add RDNA2 tech to Samsung phones, which would add "ray tracing and variable rate shading" to "high performance mobile devices" like the S22 series.
We haven't seen the Exynos 2200 in action, but leaker Ice Universe asserts that the S22 Ultra chip will have a 2.9GHz Cortex-X2 core, three performance cores clocked at 2.8GHz, and four 2.2GHz efficiency-focused cores. The S22 and S22+ would have the same cores but with lower clocking speeds.
Samsung typically uses Snapdragons for US phones and homemade Exynos chips internationally, so the new Exynos could give the worldwide S22 the edge in performance. In September, FrontTron claims Samsung plans to release the Exynos 2200 version in Europe and a Snapdragon 898 version in the U.S., India, and Southeast Asia; however, Verizon is reportedly "requesting to equip Exynos 2200" in the U.S. instead. Could different carriers provide different performance quality?
We expect RAM and storage to remain consistent with the S21 lineup. That would mean 8GB and 128/256GB for the S22 and S22+, and an upgrade to 12/16GB of memory and up to 512GB SSD with the Ultra.
Mysteries about the S22 chipset aside, all of the other major rumors have concerned the S22 lineup's cameras. Most recently, an S22 camera specs leak indicated the Galaxy S22 Ultra will have a 108MP main sensor, two zoom lenses, a 12MP ultra-wide lens with optical image stabilization, and a 40MP selfie cam.
While rumors suggested that the Galaxy S22 Ultra would get a 200MP Olympus camera sensor, a subsequent leak debunked that rumor. And while another S22 Ultra leak predicted it would have an under-display selfie camera, we find this very unlikely.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Software
Just as the S21 series shipped with One UI 3.1 out of the box, it's virtually guaranteed the Samsung Galaxy S22 will come pre-installed with One UI 4 — or possibly 4.1, if Samsung has made significant changes to the new interface by then.
The One UI 4 Beta has currently begun on the S21 series. We found it to be full of bugs in our initial tests, but Samsung has months to resolve them. One UI 4 should come to the S21 by the end of 2021, making it primed and ready for the S22 in January.
Ultimate powerhouse
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
$1,200 at Amazon $1,200 at Best Buy
Again, why wait?
We hope the Galaxy S22 will be an Exynos-powered gaming machine mixed with a 200MP camera, but recent rumors suggest the S22 could tread water in many ways. So you can safely buy the Galaxy S21 now if you want an amazing flagship device with powerful cameras, QHD+ resolution with VRR, and S Pen support.
