Galaxy S21 vs. Galaxy S22 | Samsung’s Next Flagship

The Samsung Galaxy S21 came out less than a year ago and, although its successor isn’t due until 2022, speculation is ramping up for the Galaxy S22. The latest rumor about Samsung’s new flagship says that the Galaxy S22 could have faster charging time than the Galaxy S21. Leaker FrontTron on Twitter said that 65W charging support is in the testing phase for Rainbow RGB, a rumored codename for the S22 series. New foldable phones are also on their way soon; you can check out more about Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked Event on Aug. 11 here.

Although the exact launch date for the Galaxy S22 is still unclear, Pulse New Korea speculates that the new phone lineup could be arriving in January. The Galaxy S21 was revealed in January 2021, a change from the phone maker’s previous timeline for the Galaxy S Series, which usually gets unveiled in February.

The Galaxy S22 series is rumored to mirror the three-phone lineup with a standard, Plus and Ultra model, if leaks around the phones’ screen sizes are to be believed.

Read more: Galaxy S22 rumors: What we expect to see from Samsung’s next flagship

Here are the rumors we’ve heard about the Galaxy S22 specs, so far, and how they stack up to the Galaxy S21. Just note that none of the Galaxy S22 specs have been confirmed by Samsung. We’ll keep this story updated as we hear more.

Cost: Galaxy S22 and S21 should have a similar price point

We haven’t heard any credible rumors yet about the price of the upcoming Galaxy S22 lineup, but we anticipate that Samsung may keep prices fairly consistent from last year’s flagship. The South Korean electronics giant slashed the price of its Galaxy S21 handset by $200 compared with the previous year’s flagship, the Galaxy S20, and we’d be surprised if Samsung were to dramatically increase the price this year. The Galaxy S21 ranges in price from $799 to $1,379 depending on the model.

Here’s the Galaxy S21’s US pricing, for reference.

Design: Galaxy S22 will be thinner than the S21, with a smaller display

The Galaxy S22 lineup could be slightly smaller and thinner than the S21, according to leaker Mauri QHD.

The Galaxy S22 is speculated to come in three sizes: 6.06, 6.55 and 6.81 inches. In comparison, the standard Galaxy S21 is 6.2 inches, the S21 Plus is 6.7 inches and the S21 Ultra is 6.8 inches.

Mauri QHD also theorizes the thinner design may result in a smaller battery for the Galaxy S22. The Galaxy S21 houses a 4,000- to 4,500-mAh battery. The anticipated shrinkage of the Galaxy S22 is abnormal when looking at Samsung’s previous phone models. The South Korean electronics giant’s S series has been steadily growing in size over time from the Galaxy S10 (149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8mm) to the Galaxy S20 (151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm) and then Galaxy S21 (151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm).

Camera: Galaxy S22 will get the camera upgrades the S21 missed

After keeping the camera options stagnant for the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21, Samsung may upgrade its camera selection for the Galaxy S22. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is rumored to come with a 200MP main camera. If the speculation proves to be true, this would be the highest pixel count available for a Samsung phone. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 108MP wide-angle camera, in comparison.

The camera gossip comes after a teaser tweet shared by Samsung Exynos, the electronic company’s division for chipmaking, in March flaunting a 200MP phone camera. The upgrade could be coming as a result of a potential partnership with Olympus.

Leaker Ice Universe, however, speculates the upcoming Galaxy S22 Ultra could feature a more polished version of Samsung’s third-generation 108MP camera sensor (ISOCELL HM3).

The rumored 200MP main camera from Samsung would significantly outperform the main snapper on Apple’s iPhone 12 (at least on a specs sheet) which comes equipped with a 12MP wide and ultrawide camera. Google’s Pixel 5 does slightly better than Apple on the camera front with a 12.2MP standard and 16MP ultrawide, but still doesn’t hold a candle to Samsung’s rumored 200MPs.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra may also have an under-display selfie camera, but rumors regarding this feature currently contradict each other. Some speculate that Samsung has filed a patent for a punch hole camera with a sub-display, while others claim the hidden front camera won’t be a part of the upcoming Galaxy S22 because the camera quality isn’t high enough.

The camera selection for the upcoming Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus may not be that exciting, as the models are speculated to have a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 12MP telephoto with a 3x zoom. The regular and plus models of both the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 featured a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 64MP telephoto, in comparison.

Processor: Will the Galaxy S22 come with a Snapdragon 895 chip?

The Galaxy S22 could be getting a speed boost. Leaker Ice Universe speculates the new flagship phone could be equipped with an improved Qualcomm chip, the Snapdragon 895. In comparison, the Galaxy S21 comes equipped with the Snapdragon 888.

The rumor comes after Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 888 Plus in January. Ice Universe also speculates Samsung could be the company to manufacture the new smartphone processor.

The bump in processing power is rumored to be paired with a boost in graphics. The Galaxy S22 could come with an AMD GPU as a result of a partnership between Samsung and the chip giant.

The Galaxy S22 may also come with an active fan mode to cool down the phone during gaming or other times of intensive usage, according to Dutch blog LetsGoDigital.

Charging: The Galaxy S22 could support 65W charging, offering faster power up times than the S21

Samsung could be upgrading the Galaxy S22 lineup with 65W charging support, according to leaker FrontTron. The tipster posted to Twitter that 65W charging support is in the testing phase for Rainbow RGB, a rumored codename for the S22 series.

If the speculation becomes reality, the S22 would offer significantly faster charging times than the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Note 20 lineup, which both have 25W charging.

What’s in the box: Still no charger included with the S22 or S21

Although the battery power of the upcoming Galaxy S22 line is uncertain, Samsung confirmed earlier this year that, starting with the Galaxy S21 line, future smartphones won’t include chargers or headphones in the box.