Samsung Galaxy S22 could go all-in on vapor chamber cooling

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By David Lumb
last updated

The Samsung S21 successor could pack gaming phone cooling tech

Samsung Galaxy S21
(Image credit: TechRadar)

The Samsung Galaxy S22 range could use vapor chambers to cool down the handsets’ insides, using a technology that’s most often found in high-end gaming phones.

Not that Samsung’s a stranger to using vapor chambers in its flagships, but it has been implemented them haphazardly, putting them in the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus but not its cheaper siblings (they got an 'advanced heat pipe' system) as well as in some (but not all) of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra phones.

Now a new DigiTimes report suggests that Samsung is considering bringing vapor chambers back for its 2022 flagships, and while that’s still uncertain, it’s apparently promising enough for Taiwanese suppliers to get ready in case the phonemaker orders them en masse. 

That presumably means the Samsung Galaxy S22 flagship range, but could also include other top-tier handsets – like if there is a Samsung Galaxy Note 22 or a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, for instance.

Would the phones really need a vapor chamber?

Vapor chambers have certainly sounded like the best mobile cooling situations, especially as they’re featured in top gaming phones – heck, the Asus ROG 3 even has a transparent plastic section on its rear cover to show off its vapor chamber.

And while the vapor chambers do cool down phones, it’s not clear if they’re the only solution for top-tier flagship phones. In fact, the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra phones had multiple cooling systems that were quietly implemented – seemingly at random – across both phone models. Some would have copper vapor chambers, while others would have graphite thermal pads siphoning away heat. 

In an investigative teardown report, iFixit found that the systems did seem to be split between phone models seemingly without rhyme or reason. While boasting about vapor chambers seemed to have been a marketing boon that sold more units in prior S-series flagship phones, they’re potentially prone to failure when damaged, an expert told the site. While graphite pads reportedly showed up in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, perhaps bringing on vapor chambers in its 2022 smartphones means the phonemaker isn’t settled on one cooling tech over the other.

Via SamMobile

David Lumb
David Lumb

David is now a mobile reporter at Cnet. Formerly Mobile Editor, US for TechRadar, he covered phones, tablets, and wearables. He still thinks the iPhone 4 is the best-looking smartphone ever made. He's most interested in technology, gaming and culture – and where they overlap and change our lives. His current beat explores how our on-the-go existence is affected by new gadgets, carrier coverage expansions, and corporate strategy shifts.