Samsung rumored to shrink Galaxy S22, save best display and glass for S22 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus (above) had a glass back; its successor allegedly won't. (Image credit: Future)

According to a possible Samsung insider, the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus displays will shrink compared to the Galaxy S21, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be just a smidge larger than its predecessor.

Twitter leaker Mauri QHD received diagonal display sizes for the 2022 Galaxy phones from his source. Compared to the S21 lineup, the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus may compress from 6.2" (157mm) to 6.05" (154mm) and from 6.7" (170mm) to 6.55" (166mm), respectively. 

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 Ultra could grow from 6.8" to 6.81". That extra 0.01" or 0.25mm, almost imperceptible to the human eye, lets Samsung boast that its new phone is larger, but shouldn't change the experience much from last year's massive flagship.

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Mauri also claims that 'Only Ultra is LTPO', referencing the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide technology designed to support variable refresh rates without draining too much battery life. This year, only the S21 Ultra had LTPO and a 120Hz refresh rate, so that trend may continue with the S22 phones.

For comparison, the latest iPhone 13 rumor suggests that two new iPhones will get LTPO panels supporting 120Hz. We'll see how that affects pricing, performance and battery life when comparing the two top-selling phone brands.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review

Like the S21 Ultra (above), the S22 Ultra will have a battery-efficient, fast-refreshing panel (Image credit: Future)

Another glass back bites the dust?

Another possible inside source, spotted today by SamMobile, claims Samsung is considering only adding a glass back to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. That means that along with its newly-squeezed display size, the Galaxy S22 Plus will lose the S21 Plus's stylish glass back in favor of Samsung's 'Glasstic' polycarbonate.

Many people prefer phones with plastic back covers because they tend to handle falls better than fancier glass ones. And while our reviewers liked the designs for the S21 and S21 Plus, perhaps Samsung wants to push more compact powerful phones next year.

Still, these rumors added together seem to suggest that Samsung wants the S22 Ultra to stand out more against the other two Galaxy phones as a significant upgrade. We've also heard that the S22 Ultra (and only the Ultra) could have a 200MP camera sensor and continuous optical zoom.

For now, we'll take all these rumors with several grains of salt; not only are they unconfirmed, but also Samsung engineers could easily change their minds this early in the production process. We've also found recent leaks suggesting that the S22 won't have an under-display camera, nor a 3D time-of-flight sensor for its cameras.

Via Phone Arena

Michael Hicks

Michael Hicks began his freelance writing career with TechRadar in 2016, covering emerging tech like VR and self-driving cars. Nowadays, he works as a staff editor for Android Central, but still writes occasional TR reviews, how-tos and explainers on phones, tablets, smart home devices, and other tech.