As is often the case, Samsung's next big family of ultra-high-end handsets has been in the news a lot this fall, but while that obviously means the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra are far from the tech world's best-kept secrets, their launch timeline remains difficult to pinpoint.
Although a January 2022 announcement and release seemed extremely likely on the heels of the S21 series debut at the beginning of 2021, rumors of a possible "delay" quickly went from timid whispers to loud rumblings of late, fueled among others by global chip shortages that impacted S21 FE production as well.
Believe it or not, that relatively budget-friendly version of Samsung's main 2021 flagships is reportedly still happening, but its belated rollout could contribute to a revised early 2022 schedule for the company's other premium offerings.
All most signs point to February
Despite Ice Universe's renewed optimism, February 2022 looks like the most realistic target for Samsung's 5G-enabled Galaxy S22 trio, at least according to two other sources.
Granted, an official "release in the last week of January" is not to be ruled out completely just yet, but we don't expect both Jon Prosser and SamMobile's inside sources to prove unreliable on this particular matter.
This is allegedly the baby Galaxy S22
While the latter publication settles for a somewhat vague "early February" guesstimate, Front Page Tech's Prosser opts for a slightly more specific "second week of February" prediction as far as pre-orders are concerned.
Of course, nothing is etched in stone and nothing cannot be etched in stone until we see how the aforementioned chip shortage situation unfolds over the next few months, which explains why the Galaxy S22 5G family lacks a more specific release date.
After all, Prosser was the only tipster audacious enough to anticipate an exact January 11, 2022 launch for the Galaxy S21 FE 5G a couple of weeks back, so if he doesn't know more about the S22 series, no one does... at the moment.
So when should you expect to get your hands on the Galaxy S22?
Obviously, that's still very complicated, but if Jon Prosser is right and if history is any indication, the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra 5G could go up for pre-order on February 10 or 11 of next year ahead of an actual release on February 25.
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Samsung took a full two weeks between pre-orders and deliveries for this year's Galaxy S21 trio without any production or supply issues, so it definitely makes sense to expect a similar (if not longer) window as far as the S22 lineup is concerned as well.
This is allegedly the Galaxy S22+
The S21 FE, meanwhile, was widely rumored at one point to head for a small number of markets, but no matter how bad the component shortages will get, a commercial release in the US by the end of January 2022 is almost certainly in the cards if Samsung decides to go through with a January 11 announcement.
Unlike the Galaxy S21 FE, which might be DOA after all these delays unless it starts at a crazy low price of, say, under $600, the Galaxy S22 5G series should still draw plenty of attention in February.
February was when the Galaxy S20 family was unveiled last year ahead of an actual commercial debut in March, so in a way, the S22 could be viewed as a return to Samsung's roots rather than a delayed product... unless, of course, it ends up getting "delayed" even further.
For the time being, the tech giant's bigger problem seems to be the minor upgrades prepared for the Galaxy S22 trio, at least on paper, where we don't see a lot of "action" taking place in the camera, battery, or design departments. On the bright side, that bizarre (to say the least) S22 Ultra camera arrangement may not pan out after all.
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'.
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