Yesterday, the reliable tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks) revealed a pretty eye-opening new design for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra which, if legitimate, will certainly be channeling the spirit of the Galaxy Note line, even if it’s not branded as such.
Now the leaker is back with CAD-based renderings of the two other rumored members of the Samsung Galaxy S22 family: both the regular handset, and the larger Plus model, released via the sites Zouton and 91mobiles respectively.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 3: Which foldable should you buy?
- Google Pixel tablet renders hint at possible iPad rival
- Plus: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE could use a new focus — if it ever ships
It's important to note that these are not official renders, and at this stage we have no way of knowing how accurate they are. Renders regularly appear in the run up to a product's launch, but as we saw with the Apple Watch 7, they can be off the mark.
But with that caveat in mind, OnLeaks is usually reliable and there's certainly a lot about these renders that rings true. For starters, compared to the S22 Ultra designs, these are considerably more conventional, looking nearly identical to the current Galaxy S21 models.
If you were searching hard for differences, the camera array looks slightly more pronounced, but it certainly follows the design language of its predecessor.
And, of course, the two models look identical to each other, which is unsurprising given that traditionally the Plus version of Samsung’s Galaxy S handset is larger, but otherwise very similar. Interestingly, however, Hemmerstoffer claims that the Plus renders were received as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Pro, rather than “Plus.” That might suggest that there’s more than meets the eye from simple renders alone.
Plus, there’s the actual size of the handsets, which we’ve previously heard will be more compact than their predecessors, reversing a trend of Samsung flagships in recent years.
Hemmerstoffer's renders align with that, with dimensions of 146 x 70.5 x 7.6mm for the S22 (down from 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm) and 157.4 x 75.8 x 7.6mm (down from 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8mm) for the Plus. That doesn’t explicitly reveal screen sizes, of course, but the rumored reduction from 6.2- to 6.06-inches and 6.7- to 6.55-inches certainly sounds plausible.
If the S22 does revert to a smaller size, it's potentially a bit of a gamble. Not only does it mean less space for batteries, and thus, possibly, lower capacities, but even the best small phones aren’t exactly flying off the shelves. The iPhone 12 mini was reportedly struggling so much that Apple stopped producing it, and it’s rumored that the iPhone 13 mini will be the company’s last small version.
Of course, it’s important to retain perspective here: a 6.06-inch handset isn’t that small, and with the S22 Ultra reportedly retaining its 6.81-inch frame, there would be a clear distinction between the handsets. It really does add to the feeling that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will in fact be the Samsung Galaxy Note 22 by another name, with both its larger size and supposed S Pen-support mirroring what used to differentiate the two product lines in the early-to-mid 2010s.
The renders don’t indicate an imminent release, however, and if recent form is anything to go by, we’ll expect Samsung to unveil the new handsets in January 2022. The still-fresh Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 need a little breathing space, after all…
- More: The best Samsung phone you can buy
