Ever have the feeling you've seen something before? We certainly do, reading the latest leak of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S22 smartphone. The specs sound suitably impressive, but there's something a little familiar about them.
Oh, that's it – they're nigh-on identical to the S21's.
The alleged specs come from the Ice universe user on Chinese social media site Weibo (via GSMArena), who has a very good track record of reliable leaks.
So what's new? The leak says the S22 and S22+ will have FHD+ screens with 120Hz refresh rates, while the S22 Ultra will boast a QHD+ display with the same refresh rate. That's the same as the S21 range, though the screen sizes differ slightly – 6.06in for the S22 (compared to 6.2in for the S21), 6.55in for the S22+ (compared to 6.7in for the S21+) and 6.81in for the S22 Ultra (matching the S21 Ultra).
The cameras also sound very familiar. Ice universe says the S22 and S22+ both have 50-megapixel main sensors, 12-megapixel ultra-wides and 12-megapixel telephotos with 3x optical zooms. That differs slightly to their predecessors in terms of resolution, though it's the same general configuration.
The S22 Ultra looks set for a very slight upgrade in this area, too, replacing its 10-megapixel telephoto cameras with 12-megapixel sensors. But otherwise it's the same arrangement, with a 108-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and 3x and 10x optical zooms.
Even the design is said to be very similar according to this leak, with the phones sporting a "modified version" of the S21's look and feel.
On the battery front, the S22 range could even be a bit of a downgrade on its predecessor, if this leak proves true. The standard S22 could have a 3800mAh battery (down from 4000mAh on the S21), with the S22+ sporting a 4600mAh juice box (down from 4800mAh on the S21+). The S22 Ultra is the only one that emerges unscathed in this department, with the same 5000mAh capacity as its predecessor. Of course, Samsung could have found a way to make the batteries and operating systems more efficient, so we could still see gains in terms of battery life.
It's early days for the S22 range – it's not even due to land until early next year. But at the moment it's sounding very much a case of evolution rather than revolution.
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