Samsung Galaxy S22 series may all have glass backs

Today's tip about the flagships comes to us through the by now well-known tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce). Ice Universe is mainly active on Twitter and Chinese site Weibo, where he's racked up over a million followers for his famous predictions about upcoming smartphones.

In a tweet published this morning, Ice Universe declared that "There is a definite answer about the rear cover material of Galaxy S22 series: S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra are all made out of glass!" The Tweet has been screenshotted below:

Now, just because a mobile tech leaker reports that something is "definitely so," doesn't mean that it is written in stone. The company itself decides in the end, and unexpected developments of events, or unforeseen hurdles, may cause changes to the plan in the design of a device even at the last minute before production.

However, Ice Universe is a well-known informant whose leaks always have some basis on insider info to which he has access, while the majority of us don't. Which is why although his tips aren't infallible, they're usually picked up by the media and widely discussed.

If all models of the Galaxy S22 series do indeed come with a full-glass model, it will be a deviation from the "glasstic" (as Android Authority has taken to calling it) trend that was established by Samsung's lower-tier flagships from the last couple of years.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, the fan edition device released in 2020, was the first to use this particular plastic amalgam for a back material, which has the near-exact feeling of glass, but is not nearly as fragile as the pure glass backs of the other Galaxy S20 devices.

The Galaxy S21 also uses the same type "glasstic," while the Galaxy S21 Plus and S21 Ultra have Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on both the front and back.

Many people had an issue with Samsung's use of "glasstic," however, feeling that by using any plastic on a flagship device (no matter how "premium" it feels), Samsung is just taking a cheap shortcut to cut own on manufacturing costs, and that simply makes a device feel cheaper. The public was generally divided between favoring one of the two materials, as the less fragile glass-like plastic also has its own significant advantage.

If Samsung does go with an all-glass design for the Galaxy S22 series, the models are bound to feel significantly heavier and break much more easily, so that all users will have to necessarily invest in adequate protection. The previous glass-backed models already cost an arm and a leg to replace—and it's bound to cost even more with the next-gen series, should one suffer an accidental drop that results in ugly webbed cracks across the entire mirror-smooth back.

As for the rest of the rumored specs of the upcoming flagship lineup, you can always check out our Samsung Galaxy S22 series hub, where we keep track of all the latest leaks and rumors of what to expect in the series in terms of design, specs, price, release date, and everything in between.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for one, is bound to be a powerhouse like none of its predecessors, coming with its own stylus and a more posh design than the rest. In the words of @UniverseIce, "In terms of appearance, believe me, when you see S22 Ultra, you will not like any [other] phones."