Samsung Galaxy S22 launch — here's how Samsung can make its new phones stand out from the crowd

Samsung Galaxy S22 launch — here'due south how Samsung can make its new phones stand out from the crowd

(Image credit: Let'south Get Digital)

Samsung has set a date for its side by side Galaxy Unpacked effect. Now the only job remaining for the phone maker is to go people excited about the new Galaxy S22 lineup that'southward expected to exist the main focus of the February 9 product launch.

It's a tougher task than y'all might think. After all, many of the details about the telephone have already leaked to the bespeak where most of usa could probably paint a detailed moving picture of the Galaxy S22 even though we're still more than a week abroad from Samsung officially revealing specs, features and pricing.

There's also the little matter of the smartphone marketplace becoming ever more than mature and the flagship products a trivial bit more predictable than they were a decade ago. The Galaxy S22 will be the 13th generation of Samsung's flagship phone — coming upwards with surprises at this point is a tall order.

Galaxy S22 leaked renders black and green — The alleged Milky way S22 and Milky way S22 Plus colors (Image credit: Evan Blass)

"Smartphones are mature technology, so well-nigh phone updates are iterative," said Avi Greengart, atomic number 82 analyst for Techsponential. "Yet, people use their phones more than ever before, then cumulative iterative updates are quite meaningful."

That means people will at least exist paying attention to Samsung for the anticipated Galaxy S22 reveal on Feb 9. It helps that outside of Apple, in that location'southward no bigger name in the smartphone world, even as other phone makers are trying to crash the electric current mobile phone duopoly.

"Despite contest from Google and various Chinese brands, Samsung is still the standard bearer for Android smartphones in much of the world. Changes to Samsung flagships are always going to exist significant," Greengart said.

And so the pressure level's on Samsung to convince us that the Galaxy S22 is a worthy update to final year's flagship phones and deserving of the top spot on the listing of the best phones. Here's how Samsung could arroyo things.

Bringing back the Galaxy Notation

Based on rumors thus far, it seems like a big part of Samsung's strategy for rolling out the Galaxy S22 is to describe on its other flagship phone for inspiration. After not updating the Galaxy Note series at all in 2021, Samsung looks similar it's kicking off this year by essentially turning its high-cease S22 model into a successor for the Note.

Galaxy S22 Ultra leaked renders black and red — The declared Galaxy S22 Ultra color options (Image credit: Evan Blass)

That would be the Milky way S22 Ultra, a phone that'south rumored to exist so Notation-like that at ane signal Samsung observers wondered if it might not exist called the Milky way S22 Note. Based on leaked images of the phone, the S22 Ultra looks to have the squared-off edges of the Annotation series. It's also expected to include a born slot for the S Pen, afterwards concluding year's Galaxy S21 Ultra only supported the stylus equally an optional accessory.

Samsung isn't beingness particularly coy about invoking the Galaxy Annotation'south legacy. A weblog post teasing the Galaxy S22 launch from Samsung president TM Roh. "Yous loved the unparalleled creativity and efficiency of the Galaxy Notation series, which enabled you lot to switch from gaming nirvana to loftier-octane productivity in the blink of an centre," Roh wrote. "You raved well-nigh the lifelike S Pen, which many say rivals putting ink to newspaper. And we haven't forgotten most these experiences you lot dearest."

That's as sure a sign equally whatsoever that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is going to describe heavily on the Note for its feature set — Roh'due south weblog post also urges people to "get ready for the ultimate Ultra experience" — and that could be a smart move for generating excitement virtually the upcoming telephone launch.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in red render — (Prototype credit: LetsGoDigital)

"The Note line was popular for leading edge components, large screens, and the South Pen. Samsung has been providing plenty of smartphone innovation with its Galaxy Z line of foldables – including optional Due south Pen support on the Milky way Z Fold 3," Greengart said. "Nonetheless, there are still people who want a bar telephone with the latest specs and an S Pen, and information technology looks similar Samsung is set to give them one."

Tuong Nguyen, senior chief annotator with Gartner, wonders if bringing elements of the Notation into the Galaxy S lineup isn't the offset of a larger tendency at Samsung. "This feels like a convergence of their top-of-the-line devices," Nguyen said, pointing out that Samsung has multiple flagships between the S series, the Note and its diverse foldables.

"I don't know what the future will bring, but this may be an evolution towards paring down all these options," Nguyen added.

Cameras remain key

Even as Samsung seemingly merges its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lineups, there's ane element to the Galaxy S22 launch that's not going to change from by flagship rollouts. Photographic camera improvements will exist at the middle of any new features Samsung highlights.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus — (Epitome credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Likewise fast refreshing displays — the Milky way S serial already has those — and a long lasting battery, cameras are where phone makers can distinguish their different products. While past updates have introduced more than lenses to the backs of phones, recent updates have been equally much about the software phones use to produce memorable photos.

"I recollect that the South Pen will get the most attention, just I'grand eager to see what improvements Samsung can brand to the camera and display," Techsponential's Greengart said.

Thank you to leaks, we already accept some idea of what Samsung has planned for the Galaxy S22. The standard S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus are expected to get significant upgrades to their photographic camera hardware. The principal shooter on both phones will reportedly be boosted to a 50MP sensor, up from 12MP in the Galaxy S21. Meanwhile, the telephoto lens is supposed to characteristic a 3x optical zoom instead of the hybrid zoom you lot got with terminal yr's phones.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra zoom leak — (Image credit: Future)

The Galaxy S22 Ultra's camera hardware doesn't sound similar it's changing much from the Galaxy S21 Ultra, though the 108MP main camera may encounter improvements to its sensor aimed at boosting colors and image brightness. Rumors talk about a Super Articulate Lens, which suggests that reducing glare will be a focus with the S22 Ultra, though details almost this expected feature are pretty thin at this point. Samsung has too hinted that improving low-low-cal photography will exist a focus with its upcoming release.

While nosotros accept a broad idea of what changes are coming to the cameras in the S22 lineup, we look Samsung to spend more time at Milky way Unpacked highlighting just what the cameras are capable of doing. At this bespeak, it certainly sounds like the S22 models will argue for a spot among the best photographic camera phones.

AI in the age of Tensor

Equally the meridian canis familiaris in the Android world, Samsung has little reason to worry much about what other phone makers are doing. Notwithstanding, the Galaxy S22 will be Samsung's offset phone to launch afterwards Google released the Pixel 6, which was powered by its ain Tensor chips.

Pixel 6 Pro vs Galaxy S21 Ultra — PIxel 6 Pro (left), Galaxy S21 Ultra (right) (Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

Tensor has proven noteworthy not necessarily for its performance only because of its emphasis on artificial intelligence and the experiences that the chipset'southward defended Tensor engine helps ability like existent-fourth dimension dictation and incoming phone call management.

Tensor could raise the stakes for Samsung downwards the road, Greengart said, though he downplayed the Google chip's significance to Samsung at the moment. "For now, the Tensor does not outperform the Snapdragon and Exynos chips that Samsung has been using, and Tensor is actually a bit behind Qualcomm on modem tech in the U.S.," Greengart said. "Nevertheless, Google has done a good chore ad the Magic Erase characteristic. Samsung actually had this feature kickoff, so there are conspicuously areas where Samsung needs to tell a amend story."

To Nguyen, Tensor's inflow does smooth more than of a spotlight on how critical AI features are becoming for smartphones. And that may be something Samsung and other phone makers start emphasizing with their smartphone releases.

"I think the Tensor chip inspires smartphone OEMs to rethink the importance of ML and in plough AI-applications on mobile devices," Nguyen said. "It's an indicator of how smartphones volition evolve, potentially ushering in a new era of shorter replacement cycles."

To that cease, Samsung may take something to say about the Galaxy S22 and its AI capabilities. Versions of the phone released in the U.S. are expected to be powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon eight Gen one system-on-chip, and one of the big features in that chipset is a 7th-generation AI engine that promises to exist 4x faster than its predecessor. That could bolster features like real-time photo filters and tongue processing. It volition exist interesting to see if Samsung's Snapdragon-powered devices tin accept advantage of that.

Philip Michaels is a senior editor at Tom'southward Guide. He has strong opinions nigh Apple, the Oakland Athletics and old movies. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.