Pre-ordering a Samsung Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, or Galaxy S22 Ultra might be tempting, but some people should put away their credit card and wait.
Samsung’s finally announced its new Galaxy S flagships. The company’s new Galaxy S22 models were the elephant in the room for several months and many of the rumors were extremely accurate.
The company has stuck to its three-pronged approach in 2022. The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra replace last year’s Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra and they do so with a variety of enticing upgrades.
Samsung’s made numerous changes to the Galaxy S line’s hardware and software. Notable improvements include improved S Pen support for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Android 12 with One UI 4.1, design tweaks, new processors, and a whole lot more.
The Galaxy S22 series looks like solid competition for other flagship devices like Apple’s iPhone 13 series, Google’s Pixel 6 and in-house competitors like the Galaxy S21 series.
If you’re in the hunt for a new phone right now, or if you’ll be looking to upgrade in the near future, the Galaxy S22 series should definitely be somewhere on your shopping list.
The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra are all currently up for pre-order ahead of their global release on February 25th.
Some of you might want to put in a Galaxy S22 pre-order today. You can save cash and you’ll get freebies like a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.
That being said, there are also some reasons why you might want to hold out for a bit longer or, in some cases, skip the pre-order process completely.
In this guide we’ll take you through the best reasons to pre-order a Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, or Galaxy S22 Ultra and the best reasons to wait.
Pre-Order If You Want the Galaxy S22 ASAP
If you’re planning to make the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, or Galaxy S22 Ultra your next phone and you want it on your doorstep ASAP, you’ll want to put in a pre-order through Samsung, your carrier, or your favorite retailer.
Pre-ordering today should ensure that you get the Galaxy S22 model you want, in the color you want, on your doorstep in the near future.
The Galaxy S22 release date is February 25th for these devices in the United States. While that’s the official street date, we should see some deliveries arrive before that. Samsung and its partners typically ship well ahead of the official release date. We’ll also see some deliveries come much later than February 25th.
We’ve seen supply chain issues impact other smartphone launches and we’ve seen some Galaxy S22 shipping dates get pushed back into March. In some cases, shipping dates for some models have been pushed into April.
If you want peace of mind and/or want a new Galaxy S22 in your hands right away, pick the option that best fits your needs and order now.
Pre-Order If You Want to Save Money
If you pre-order a Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, or Galaxy S22 Ultra you can save some cash if you’ve got a device to trade-in, switch carriers, or hunt around.
Per usual, Samsung and its partners are providing substantial trade-in offers to those willing to exchange their current device for a new Galaxy S22 model.
For instance, Verizon is offering new and existing customers up to $1,000 off any Samsung Galaxy S22 with select trade-in and select 5G Unlimited plans. AT&T and T-Mobile have similar offers.
Unfortunately these offers won’t last forever so if you want to upgrade right away and you want to save some money, you’ll want to consider these deals. Make sure you shop around before you commit to an offer.
Pre-Order for Free Stuff
If you pre-order a Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, or Galaxy S22 Ultra, you’ll get some free items thrown in with your pre-order.
If you buy any Galaxy S22 model, Samsung and its partners will throw in a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro ($199 value) or $200 worth of Samsung store credits. These credits can be put toward accessories.
The credits are particularly useful because while the Galaxy S22 series supports fast charging, you don’t get a charger inside the box.
Wait for Long-Term Galaxy S22 Reviews
The Galaxy S22 series looks great on paper, but you might want to hang around and wait for long-term reviews.
Some people have already gone hands-on with the devices, but plenty more, us included, will have a chance to test the phones before, or shortly after, they hit shelves in late February.
Early impressions and reviews are useful, but you shouldn’t base your decision off a review that comes hours, or even a few days, after handling new devices.
Digging into long-term feedback about smartphones is extremely important, especially when you’re spending this kind of money on a gadget that you might be stuck with for a year or more.
If you aren’t completely sold on buying a Galaxy S22 model right now, we recommend holding off on a pre-order and waiting for long-term feedback to arrive.
Wait If You Aren’t Prepared to Buy
Skip a pre-order if you aren’t prepared. Here’s what we mean by that.
If you aren’t sure what kind of effect buying the Galaxy S22 will have on your data plan or your finances, hold off until you’re confident.
Before you commit to the Galaxy S22 you’ll want to research the colors and storage options and their differences. You’ll also want to dig into and go hands-on with top Galaxy S22 alternatives, research your data needs, and look into rival carriers and see if you might want to switch.
You’ll also want to make a plan for your current device. Again, we’ve seen some great trade-in deals. You’ll also want to check re-sellers like Gazelle.
If you don’t need the extra cash, you should look into donating the device. If you’d rather keep it in-house, get in touch with friends and family and see if someone needs a hand-me-down.
Wait for the Best Galaxy S22 Deals
Early Galaxy S22 trade-in offers will help you take a significant chunk off the price. Again, if you want to save the most cash, you’ll need a newer phone in great condition.
If you don’t have one or you don’t want to trade-in your current phone, you’ll want to wait. Galaxy S22 price cuts without a trade-in will come, but we won’t see price drops for a few weeks at least.
Retailers and carriers will start getting competitive about pricing once the initial buzz from the release has died down.
The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra are fairly expensive, the Galaxy S22 Ultra in particular, and there’s no reason to put yourself in financial distress when their prices will drop down the road.
If you aren’t thrilled about the Galaxy S22’s current price points and/or you don’t have a newer phone in good condition to trade, skip a pre-order and wait for price cuts. They’ll come, but you’ll have to remain patient.
Wait if You’re Worried About Problems
If you’re concerned about potential Galaxy S22 hardware and/or software problems, you might want to wait a few weeks before buying one.
The Galaxy S22 models run Android 12 and One UI 4.1 out of the box. Samsung’s software is plagued by a variety of issues and the Galaxy S22’s software will likely have some problems of its own.
Samsung and its carrier partners will roll out bug fix updates to address these initial issues so it might be worth it to wait for the first, second, or even the third batch of bug fixes to arrive before buying one.
New Galaxy phones sometimes are plagued with hardware issues as well. In the past we’ve seen production issues impact Galaxy S models at launch.
If you’re concerned, you might want to hang back and see what kind of problems early adopters are reporting in the weeks after their release.
6 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 14 & 5 Reasons Not To
Wait for a Hole-Punch Design |
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If you hate Apple’s notch, you might be in luck because it looks like the company is making significant changes to the iPhone’s design. Apple didn’t eliminate the notch in 2021 but the iPhone 13 series has a smaller notch than the iPhone 12 series and previous iPhone models. In 2022, Apple will reportedly ditch the notch in favor of a hole-punch display design. The rumor comes from respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He’s reiterated this in a newer note though he says the change may be limited to the iPhone 14 Pro models. Analyst Ross Young believes that while the iPhone 14 Pro models will be the only ones with this new design, the hole-punch design will likely come to all iPhone models in 2023. Young has reiterated this stance in two other reports. Korean publication The Elec backs up these rumors and claims Samsung Display will help with the manufacturing process. Like Kuo, the site says the new design will be limited to the Pro models. A newer report from The Elec states that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will come with LTPO OLED displays with a hole-punch. The panels will reportedly be supplied by Samsung and LG. Another report from the same publication sheds more light on Samsung’s OLED plans for the iPhone 14. If true, it would put the iPhone more in line with Samsung’s high-end Galaxy phones which also employ a hole-punch design. The hole-punch isn’t as invasive as the notch which should be music to the ears of those who don’t like the notch. Jon Prosser has shared an image of alleged iPhone 14 Pro schematics and they showcase what the hole-punch could look like. 91Mobiles has shared renders of the alleged iPhone 14 Pro design. The site says these are based on leaked CAD images. They show circular and pill-shaped cutouts replacing the notch. Leaker @dylandkt suggests the iPhone 14 Pro models will have a pill-shaped camera cutout located at the top of the display. We’ve heard the iPhone 14 Pro design has been finalized as supplies have entered the trial production phase of the new iPhone models. Alleged CAD images of the iPhone 14 Pro Max hint at thinner display bezels. As for the lower-end iPhone 14 models, they’re expected to keep the same thickness and bezel size as the iPhone 13 series. We’ve also seen renders of the alleged design Apple will deploy on the low-end iPhone 14 models. The renders, from MySmartPrice, hint at a design that’s virtually unchanged from the iPhone 13’s. The device in the images has a notch and it also has the same rear camera setup as the iPhone 13. We’ve also seen leaked iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max display panels corroborate all of this information. Apple won a patent for under-display cameras for biometric authentication on the iPhone so it’s pretty clear the company is working to get rid of the notch at some point. It’s just a matter of when. If you aren’t thrilled with the look of the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, think about waiting for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. |
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