Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 FE launch and preorder dates leak out
Looks like the Jan-Feb 1-2 punch is coming
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Dear sweet tech leaks, can we stop with this one? We’ve had several months of frenetic speculation about whatSamsungmight be plotting with theSamsung Galaxy S22andSamsung Galaxy S21 FEphones, and an even more pointed leak has claimed the dates when you’ll be able to see these devices for real – and put in a preorder for whichever one is your favorite.
Well-known tipsterJon Prossersays that the Galaxy S22 handsets are going to be unveiled on February 8, 2022, with preorders opening up on the same day. Shipping and general availability is pegged for February 18, 2022.
As for the more affordable Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Prosser says we can expect that particular phone to see the light of day on January 4, 2022. There won’t be a preorder window in this case apparently, but the on-sale date is said to be January 11, 2022.
While Samsung is “investigating” my S22 Ultra leak…EXCLUSIVE 👀Unpacked event for S21 FEJanuary 4, 2022No pre-order periodAvailable January 11, 2022Unpacked event for S22 lineupFebruary 8, 2022 @ 10:00am ETPre-orders begin same day (2/8)Available February 18, 2022🤫 pic.twitter.com/S9n9rAf1csNovember 6, 2021
The big Unpacked reveal - coming twice
Without having a far-from-perfect track record, Prosser is still known for being one of the more reliable sources out there – and these January and February launch windows match up withprevious rumorsthat we’ve heard about these smartphones (the Galaxy S21 FE looks like it will be getting unveiled atCES 2022,which makes a lot of sense).
It nowseems to be the casethat the delayed reveal of the Galaxy S21 FE has pushed the Galaxy S22 back from its original January slot to later in the year. We’ll have to wait and see how that affects demand for Samsung’s next flagship series.
It’s been a busy few days for Prosser: the same source only just postedleaked imagesof the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, showing the most expensive handset in the S22 range from the front and back. When February rolls around, we should be able to get our hands on these phones for real.This latest appointment doesn’t reveal too much about the mythicalAppleCar, other than dropping another big hint that such a car is on the way. However, it’s notable that Moore was previously known for his more realistic take on the current status of self-driving car tech, compared with his old boss Elon Musk.
Earlier this week, more than 11,700 Tesla vehicleswere recalledover issues with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software installed on them: there have been numerous issues reported, including one involving unexpected braking.
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That goes to show that even the experts in the field are struggling to get self-driving technology functioning properly in a way that removes the need for constant human supervision.
Analysis: Samsung has plenty of time
All this talk of delays to the Galaxy S21 FE, and the subsequent rescheduling of the Galaxy S22 launch, might give the impression that Samsung’s plans for 2022 have been thrown into disarray – but these new dates won’t be a complete disaster for the company, even if they’re not what was originally planned.
While we will definitely see plenty of new smartphones launched at the beginning of 2022, including (most probably) handsets from the likes of Xiaomi and Motorola, the S21 FE and S22 will still have plenty of time to attract attention and get established.
TheOnePlus 10is unlikely to break cover before March at the earliest, while we’ll have to wait until September and October to see theiPhone 14andGoogle Pixel 7respectively (assuming these devices match the launch schedules of their predecessors).
Let’s not forget that Samsung traditionally has another launch event in August, where this year we saw theGalaxy Z Fold 3and theGalaxy Z Flip 3make their debuts. A six-month gap from February to August is perfectly fine – and actually fits in with what Samsung has traditionally done with its Galaxy S series, before the January unveiling of theGalaxy S21.
Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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