It's fair to say we've not exactly been short of rumors and speculation when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S22, and with just a few weeks to go to its official unveiling, there are more leaks for us to report on.
First we've got some European pricing from the ever-reliable Roland Quandt, who says that the standard S22 will start at €849, the S22 Plus will start at €1,049, and the S22 Ultra will cost you €1,249 and up. Those prices match the Galaxy S21 equivalents, suggesting you won't spend any more than last year on the 2022 phones.
For reference, the Samsung Galaxy S21 pricing went $799 / £769 / AU$1,249, then $999 / £949 / AU$1,549, and $1,199 / £969 / AU$1,849 moving up through the three tiers. There is a twist though – Quandt says the Ultra model will start with 8GB of RAM, not 12GB as was the case with its predecessor.
Whoever said S22 series was to be cheaper, didn't think of Covid, parts shortages and inflation.Actual official EURO prices:S22 8/128GB = 849S22 8/256GB = 899S22+ 8/128GB = 1049S22+ 8/256GB = 1099S22 Ultra 8/128GB = 1249S22 Ultra 12/256GB = 1349S22 Ultra 12/512GB = 1449 pic.twitter.com/QRnfrhkzTzJanuary 22, 2022
Choose your config
Next up, tipster Dohyun Kim sheds some light on which markets will get a Galaxy S22 with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and which will get the Exynos 2200: it's the Snapdragon for the US, the Exynos for Europe, and a mix for everywhere else.
That chimes with previous rumors we've heard about European customers only getting access to the Exynos 2200 versions of these phones. That may disappoint some buyers, though we'll have to see how these processors perform when the handsets are actually available to test.
Lastly, the usually accurate Ice Universe has taken to Chinese social media site Weibo (via Android Police) to say that the S22 series will be unveiled on February 9. Again, that matches what we've heard before, although some sources were reporting February 8.
Analysis: pricing will once again be crucial
While we enjoy poring over specs and features whenever a new phone comes out, it's really the pricing that's the single most important detail: it determines how the rest of the phone is viewed and whether or not it's a bargain or a rip-off (or somewhere in between).
If Samsung does indeed launch its Galaxy S22 phones at the same pricing level as the Galaxy S21 handsets that came before them, that's likely to encourage sales – with the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE now available for those who prefer something that's a little more affordable for their next phone.
Performance will be improved from last year, and so should photo and video quality. With that in mind, a starting price of €849 (or $799 / £769 / AU$1,249) isn't bad for a flagship-level phone that is the best Samsung can produce in 2022.
If Samsung sticks to its usual schedule then we should see the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 show up around August time, offering a premium-level, foldable upgrade over whatever the S22 phones have to offer. With folding tech becoming cheaper, hopefully there won't be any price hikes here either.
- Here are the very best foldable phones
