Samsung’s next flagship is set to make its official debut in a few days. The Galaxy S lineup has always been the company’s pride and joy. It looks like this year is no different with Samsung packing their latest and greatest technologies into the new Galaxy S22. This includes the much anticipated AMD RDNA2 touting Exynos 2200 with its new XClipse graphics technology. So, what else can we expect? Here’s a quick rundown of all the leaks ahead of the launch on 9th February 2022.
Packed to the Brim with Tech
It comes as no surprise that Samsung’s new Galaxy flagship will be pushing the latest and greatest technologies. When it comes to their processors, the Galaxy S22 series is going to be running on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in the U.S. while the rest of the world will be getting the Exynos 2200. Well, that’s if Samsung doesn’t just go full-on Exynos 2200 to show off its new XClipse technology. You can get all the details in our coverage of the announcement of the Exynos 2200.
That said, the performance of the processors remains the biggest unknown of the new Galaxy S22 series. Both processors have limited or no reliable benchmarks or performance indicators out there just yet – particularly when it comes to the Exynos 2200. However, if Samsung’s track record is anything to go by, it shouldn’t be a worry as their flagships have always been up to snuff.
Aside from the processor, it looks like we might be seeing a bump in the lowest RAM version of the S22, S22+ and S22 ultra as it’s expected that the series will come with at least 8GB of RAM. However, storage wise, rumours point to the S22 series sticking to the minimum of 128GB.
Click, click, Space Zoom
When it comes to screens, Samsung is rumoured to be using its Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels across the S22 series. All versions of the Galaxy S22 seem to support a 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S22 is rumoured to have a 6.1-inch display while the S22+ is rumoured to have a 6.6-inch display. Both are also rumoured to come with FHD+ resolution. The S22 Ultra, however, is rumoured to come with a 6.8-inch QHD+ panel instead.
Samsung’s big push when it comes to the S22 series this year seems to be with camera technologies. That said, their approach seems to be taking a focus on the software. Hardware-wise, rumours point to the S22 and S22+ having a triple camera setup. Both are indicated to come with a 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture complemented with a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.2) and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (f/2.4). On the front, both are rumoured to be equipped with a 10-megapixel selfie camera (f/2.2). The Space Zoom on the S22 and S22+ cap out at 30x.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is coming with a more robust setup similar to the S21 Ultra. It will come with a quad-camera setup with a laser autofocus sensor. The main camera is a 108-megapixel with an f/1.8 aperture. This is complemented by a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor (f//2.2) and two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras (f/2.4 and f/4.9). The telephoto sensor with a larger f/4.9 aperture is intriguing as it also indicates better low light performance.
Same, Same But Different
When it comes to the overall design of the Galaxy S22 series. It seems like Samsung has decided that it will stick to its highly praised design of the Galaxy S21 series. Leaks and rumours both have shown the same design for the S22 and S22+ with the raised camera module being encased in the metal frame of the smartphone. That said, we’ve yet to see if Samsung will be sticking to contrasting colourways which made the S21’s design memorable. So far, leaks have only shown the white and black versions of the S22 and S22+ which don’t seem to have the eye-popping contrast.
That said, there are minor differences when it comes to materials. The Galaxy S22 series is rumoured to come with glass materials – for the back portion at least. This could be to support the faster wireless fast charging. However, it seems like the S22 will be capping its charging abilities at 25W while its siblings move on to 45W charging technology.
A Note-able Galaxy S22 Ultra… Maybe
However, the Galaxy S22 Ultra seems to be turning the Galaxy S series on its head – just a little. After skipping a year and retiring the popular Note moniker, it seems like Samsung is poised to bring the Note and S series into a single flagship family. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is not only adopting the S-Pen, it’s taken the familiar design cues of the Note.
The rounded, rectangular design of the Galaxy Note family is back in full force. The S22 Ultra is not only wider than its siblings, but it also brings an integrated S-pen slot. This seems to be a natural progression of the S-Pen’s S21 Ultra debut last year. In addition, the Ultra is looking to have a fully flushed camera setup – aside from the camera lenses. It also drops the encasing design of its siblings when it comes to the camera.
Pricier across the board
It seems like the Galaxy S22 won’t only be coming with the latest and greatest technology. It’s also coming with a hefty bump in price – at least in the U.S. The S22 series is rumoured to be a whopping USD$100 (MYR417.99) more than the S21 series. The Galaxy S22 will be starting at USD$900 (MYR3,761.95) while the S22+ starts at USD$1,100 (MYR4,598.12) and the S22 Ultra at USD$1,300 (MYR5,434.10).
However, prices in Europe seem to be remaining the same. We hope this rings true for the prices in Malaysia as well.
Where to watch Samsung Unpacked 2022
With all of that for you to feast on, the real deal will be launching on 9th January 2022. It will be streamed on the official Samsung website as well as the company’s YouTube and Facebook at 11 pm Malaysian time; that’s 1 pm in London (UTC+0) and 8 am in New York (UTC-5).
If you’re in Malaysia, you can actually get an MYR200 voucher if you register your interest ahead of the event. The voucher can only be used to pre-order the upcoming Galaxy S22 series though. So, if you’ve already set your heart on getting the S22, you’ve got nothing to lose!
