Historically, Android smartphone announcements have provided slightly more excitement than their iPhone counterpart. Companies like Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and even LG (RIP) went out of their way to reveal impressive features in their devices every year. iPhones have seen minor updates year after year and are still missing 120Hz displays and in-display fingerprint readers.
According to recent (very premature, granted) leaks of Samsung’s upcoming smartphones, we may see only small updates to the S21 range it launched earlier in 2021. Firstly, we’re fairly sure they’ll be named the Galaxy S22’s — and there should be at least three variations.
Show us the Galaxy S22 specs
The leaks come courtesy of Samsung tipster IceUniverse on Weibo (thanks, Digital Trends and GSM Arena). As mentioned – there should be three models in line with current naming conventions — the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra.
This time, however, the base S22 may turn out to be the smallest Galaxy since the Galaxy S10e. We’re expecting a mini-smartphone showdown between it and the iPhone Mini launched in 2020. Samsung’s upcoming slab will reportedly feature a 6.06in FHD+ 1080p display at 120Hz, while the Galaxy S22+ may have a 6.55in FHD+ 120Hz display and the S22 Ultra a 6.81in QHD+ 120Hz display. All of these are smaller than their 2021 counterparts, which is interesting in itself.
On to the cams: the S22 and S22+ are said to share the same 50-megapixel (MP) main camera, with a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 12MP telephoto lens. The S22 Ultra upholds the photography throne in the family with a 108Mp main sensor and three 12MP lenses (covering telephoto, periscope and ultrawide).
We can’t accurately report on the expected SoCs, as it may change as new chips are announced or Samsung decides to change its plans. There also aren’t reliable reports on expected battery sizes at this time — which is a bit of a shame.
The most interesting announcement, however, is IceUniverse’s note that “Designwise, the trio are very reminiscent of the Galaxy S21’s cameras.’ This indicates that we may not see a major redesign in the company’s upcoming smartphones. While it feels like a nice change of pace, we’re a little uneasy at the thought of the brand ‘settling down’ in any way.
