Samsung Galaxy S22 pre-order and release dates leaked — and Galaxy S21 FE

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will reportedly launch January 4 before the Galaxy S22 takes the stage in February

Renders allegedly of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus phone, on a white background
(Image credit: OnLeaks/91Mobiles.com)

Update: Full specs for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE have been supposedly leaked.

The launch dates and release dates for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and the Samsung Galaxy S22 appear to be coming into focus. While we had a basic idea that the two devices would be launched in January and February, respectively, one leaker has posted the exact days that the devices could be announced and go on sale.

The Samsung Galaxy 21 FE will supposedly be announced at a Samsung Unpacked event on January 4, 2022, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 will be revealed at another Samsung Unpacked event on February 8. That's according to Jon Prosser, who has a fairly reliable track record. 

In the same tweet, Prosser posted that the S21 FE would go on sale on January 11, with no pre-order period, while the S22 pre-orders would begin on February 8, with device availability beginning February 18. You might want to be wary of Galaxy S22 pre-orders, as another rumor that has the Samsung Galaxy S22 line up is slated to get a price increase, with the Galaxy S22 Ultra getting a notably hike in price.

The S21 FE's alleged announcement will come right at the start of CES 2022, which would make sense as Samsung is hoping to make a splash at the largest tech conference of the year, which is being held in person after a one-year hiatus due to Covid.

The S22's release date, according to Prosser, comes roughly a month later, but a few weeks before Mobile World Congress, which will start on Feb. 28. 

Prosser's tweet seemingly confirms an earlier leak by SamMobile in early October, which predicted that the S21 FE would arrive in January and the S22 in February. Prosser had reported last week that the S22 pre-orders would begin in February, so to give the S21 FE some breathing room. 

Like the Samsung Galaxy 20 FE before it, the S21 "Fan Edition" phone is likely to have the same Snapdragon 888 chip and 120Hz display as the S21, but with a less premium design and a downgraded camera. It's also expected to be significantly less expensive; last year's S20 FE was $699, but with the Galaxy S21's starting price of $799 — and much less if you get one of these Black Friday phone deals — the S21 FE could be even cheaper. 

The Galaxy S22 series will reportedly consist of three phones in the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra. The regular S22 and S22 Pro are tipped to feature smaller displays and upgrades 50MP cameras. The S22 Ultra could inherit a few design features from the Note line, most notably an internal slot to accommodate the S Pen.

The S22 series is rumored to run a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 895 processor; the international version would get an Exynos 2200 chip along with a GPU based on AMD's RDNA 2 architecture. 

We'll know more as 2022 gets closer, so stay tuned for the latest updates and rumors.

Mike Prospero
Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.