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Samsung's 2022 smartphone lineup and production plans may have just leaked in their entirety

Updated: Nov 12, 2021, 9:11 AM

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Samsung's 2022 smartphone lineup and production plans may have just leaked in their entirety

It may not seem like it all the time, but major tech companies generally have their product release strategies outlined years in advance of actually rolling out said devices to end users. That's why it's not entirely impossible, for instance, for a well-connected insider to anticipate the upgrades and design revisions Apple might be preparing for 2023's iPhone 15 or even 2024's iPhone 16.

Of course, various plans can change until the very last minute, influenced by anything from demand for a certain existing product to a global issue like widespread chip shortages and the faster-than-predicted rise in mainstream popularity of a fledgling segment.

Case in point, Samsung undoubtedly had a moment when it was still considering a 2021 Galaxy Note 21 launch, not to mention how many times the company reportedly revised the S21 FE timeline. While that should be enough to convince you to take today's leaked 2022 roadmap (translated here) with a massive chunk of salt, it's still interesting to get a peek behind the curtain so early into the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 development process, for instance.

Expect the "regular" Galaxy S22 to beat all other Samsung high-enders

If the tech giant's current predictions hold up, the fast-approaching Galaxy S22 family will need to be manufactured in roughly 33 million copies (combined) to satisfy global demand. That number surges to almost 40 million if you also consider the S22 Fan Edition, which could see daylight as early as Q3 2022 despite the S21 FE's countless delays.

Interestingly, Samsung remains very optimistic about the prospects of that belated 5G value flagship, aiming to produce more than 9 million units to be distributed in certain markets only starting sometime in January. In fact, the Galaxy S21 FE could prove more popular than the (significantly costlier) S22+ 5G.

Leaked Galaxy S22 renders

At just 7.9 million units, the mid-sized member of the S22 roster could find itself between a rock (the compact and presumably reasonably priced Galaxy S22) and a hard place (the ultra-high-end S22 Ultra with a built-in S Pen), struggling to carve out a big niche of its own.

Speaking of niches, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 production goals currently sit at 2.9 and 6.9 million units respectively, while the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 should themselves account for a combined 3.2 million units in 2022. That once again highlights the rapidly growing potential of foldable devices, although it still doesn't exceed the 14.1 million production objective set for the "vanilla" Galaxy S22 alone.

Finally, this might be a good time to purchase the S21+ or S21 Ultra (if you can still find them anywhere), with their combined 2022 production likely to sit at a microscopic 300K units, compared to a solid 2.7 million for the "standard" S21 and 3.3 million for the S20 FE (in 4G LTE and 5G-enabled variants).

The bulk of Samsung's volumes will come from the low to mid-end sector

There's a good reason why Apple is the king of smartphone profits and Samsung... is not. The only Galaxy models routinely capable of rivaling the newest iPhones in sales numbers are part of the low-cost A family, and that's unlikely to change in the near future.

The entry-level Galaxy A13 should closely follow the 5G-enabled A53 mid-ranger in the Android best-selling ranks next year, at a whopping 27 and 28 million units respectively, while the Galaxy A33 5G is expected to come in third, with an impressive 23 million of its own.

As you can notice, the big numbers are in the Galaxy A-series category

In total, Samsung wants to manufacture more than 330 million smartphones in 2022, almost 270 million of which are low and mid-end models. That represents around 80 percent of the overall tally, which doesn't sound great from a division profitability standpoint.

Another interesting number reported by Korean media today is 52. That's apparently how many models will be featured in Samsung's 2022 smartphone lineup, although we assume the figure includes both new releases and old ones still expected to be in production.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.