OPINION: From some of the best Android phones around to innovative foldable and even cheaper options, Samsung has a huge smartphone portfolio.
In the past 12 months, we’ve seen multiple S21 devices impress, a duo of excellent foldables and more A series devices than we can count.
But what does the Korean giant have in store for 2022? Let’s gaze into our crystal ball of tech and have a look.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE to kick the year off
If the rumours are to be believed then quite possibly the first smartphone launch in 2022 will come from Samsung. That release looks like it’ll come on the eve of CES 2022 and be for the Galaxy S21 FE.
The Galaxy S20 FE arrived in August 2020 and we had expected its follow up to hit at a similar time in 2021. However, that didn’t happen and what followed were rumours of the device’s delay and some even suggested it had been cancelled altogether.
We’re glad to say that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore and the Galaxy S21 FE should offer a condensed S21 experience in a smaller form factor.
Leaked specs include a Snapdragon 888 chipset, 5G, a multi-camera array on the back and an OLED display on the front. Also, expect it to arrive in a multitude of colours and be available fairly soon after the announcement.
We certainly have high hopes for the S21 FE as we liked the S20 FE a lot. Our review verdict of that phone read “I can’t say enough good things about the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and if you want a phone that feels very much like a flagship without spending over £699 then this is the best that’s currently on offer.
Samsung Galaxy S22 series set for a February launch
After the S21 FE’s arrival, it shouldn’t be too long to wait until Samsung’s big flagship announcement. Leaks peg this for a February date for the rumoured Galaxy S22 and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be just one model.
As was the case earlier this year, expect Samsung to launch multiple versions of its new flagship – a regular S22, a larger Plus model and the top-end Ultra.
The majority of the leaks we’ve seen so far revolve around the Ultra model. One leak suggests the phone will stick with the same 108MP sensor as its predecessor, while another says it’ll have the brightest display around.
Two versions of the smartphone have been spotted on the Geekbench benchmarking app. One variation running on the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, and the other using Exynos 2200 SoC.
It also looks like the Ultra will have some similarities to the now-retired Note series thanks to a silo in the device that’ll hide the S Pen stylus.
In terms of the regular S22 devices, we’ve seen some hands-on pictures showing the glossy finish on the back and a number of the specs to expect.
According to the leaker Ice Universe, both the Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus will pack the same triple-sensor camera system. This will be led by a 50MP wide sensor with an f/1.8 aperture.
The leaker goes on to claim that the Samsung Galaxy S22 will have a 6.06-inch display, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus will go with a 6.55-inch screen. That’s a drop from the Samsung Galaxy S21 (6.2-inches) and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus (6.7-inches).
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 to come in multiple versions
While it doesn’t have too much competition, Samsung makes some of the finest Android tablets around. We were big fans of the Galaxy Tab S7 and have been eagerly awaiting the follow-up for months now. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like its release is too far off.
One leak has reported that they’ll be three models: Tab S8, Tab S8 Plus and a Tab S8 Ultra. Considering Samsung uses a similar naming scheme for its phone line that hardly comes as a surprise.
The big difference between the models comes down to sizing, with the Tab S8 expected to have an 11-inch LCD display, the S8 Plus ups that to a 12.4-inch OLED display and finally, the Tab S8 Ultra will come with a 14.6-inch OLED screen.
14.6-inches is very large for a tablet and it also looks like this particular version will have a screen with a notch – just like the iPhone 13.
How far can foldables go
There have been lots of leaks around the three products above, however we’re now getting into more uncharted territory.
Samsung has got in the swing of launching new foldable phones towards the end of the summer, and considering how excellent the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 were it doesn’t take much imagination to expect a Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 to arrive next.
Samsung’s innovation with foldable phones has increased dramatically over the past few years so hopefully, these will once again push the category forward.
We’d like to finally see a foldable with a flagship camera and less of a crease down the middle of the screen.
The usual variety of A series devices to serve all budgets
Samsung doesn’t just cater for the high-end, in fact some of its most popular phones sit in the wide-ranging A series. Expect multiple A series models to get upgrades over the course of 2022, with higher-end features like 5G and 120Hz display trickling their way down the line.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
