With the launch of Galaxy S22 range, new Galaxy A series phones and tablets, it’s been a busy year for Samsung. But the company isn’t done yet. Hold another Aug 10 Unboxed Eventwhere it is rumored to launch new foldable phones and more.
I hope Samsung doesn’t stop there. With such a wide range, there’s plenty of opportunity for Samsung to update and improve lesser-known products – like its “Fan Edition” Galaxy phones. I’m also hoping to get an indication of where Samsung plans to position its foldable devices after the Z Flip and Z Fold.
Here’s a look at the other Samsung products I hope to see in 2022 and beyond.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
The Galaxy Watch 4, which debuted last August, marked an important milestone for Samsung smartwatches. It’s the first model to ship with the new version of Google’s Wear OS software, created in partnership with Samsung. Some of the benefits of this partnership are already evident in the Galaxy Watch 4, in particular its compatibility with the wide selection of apps available in the Google Play store.
But we were hoping to see more Google-inspired features, as my colleague Scott Stein wrote in his Galaxy Watch 4 Review. For example, the Galaxy Watch 4 didn’t even come with Google Assistant at launch, although that has changed. Hopefully the next model will keep the features we already love — like the wide variety of health tracking features and the excellent display — while bringing more of the Google experience to the software. It would also be great to see longer battery life, given that the Galaxy Watch 4 only lasted between one and two days during CNET’s testing.
As for what we expect to see in the Galaxy Watch 5, the addition of a temperature sensor is expected to be the biggest addition, according to Korean tech site ETNews. Reports from the Sam Mobile blog also suggest that there could be a bigger battery as well as a new “Pro” model that will replace the current Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
New Samsung Galaxy Buds
Samsung has launched new headphones in August for the past two years, so there’s a chance it will do the same in 2022. The question, however, is whether the company can launch a new high-end version Galaxy Buds Prostandard Galaxy Buds 2 or leguminous Galaxy Buds Live.
Regardless of the model, a new pair of headphones could be in the works, according to Galaxy Club. The Netherlands-based blog speculated in December that a recent battery listing on a Korean product safety certification website might belong to the charging case of a new pair of Samsung headphones.
We won’t know for sure until Samsung makes an announcement. But if Samsung releases a new version of the Galaxy Buds Pro, we’d love to see a tighter-fitting design for better noise cancellation.
Products like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Watch are becoming an increasingly important part of the smartphone experience, which makes me think that Samsung will continue to release new headphones on a regular basis. The appeal of a device isn’t just about the phone itself, but how well it works with other products we often use alongside our phones – like headphones, fitness trackers and smartwatches.
It’s a strategy that’s worked well for Apple, which has become a top player in the wearables market thanks to Apple Watch and AirPods. I’m sure Samsung will continue to compete in this regard.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the most practical flip phone available right now. But it comes with some important compromises compared to Samsung’s non-folding Galaxy phones, especially around the camera and battery life.
If Samsung keeps its current model, we could see another Z Flip 4 in August that will hopefully address these shortcomings. Rumors from well-known Twitter leaker Ice Universe suggest that Samsung’s next flip phone will have narrower hinge and Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, while a report from Korean news outlet The Elec says it could have a slightly larger rooftop screen.
Such a change would make it even easier to see notifications without opening the device, which was one of the biggest drawbacks of the original Z Flip. Samsung fixed this on the Z Flip 3 by making the flip screen four times larger. But making the display a little bigger could go a long way in making the Z Flip’s front display even more useful for reading notifications. I also hope Samsung continues to add new software features that take advantage of the Flip’s bendable screen, such as Flex Mode.
A Samsung patent covered by tech blog Lets Go Digital showing a device that looks like the Z Flip but with a rotating camera located inside the hinge has also sparked some speculation. But a move like this seems far-fetched, especially since Samsung’s design changes to the Z Flip have been mostly incremental so far.
Samsung launched the original Galaxy Z Flip in February 2020, while The 5G version it came just a few months later in August. That too announced the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in August 2021. Samsung’s timing varies, but the fact that it has already released three versions of this phone in two years leads me to believe that it could be a regular part of Samsung’s annual upgrade cycle.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
While the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is designed for people who want to make their phone more compact, the Galaxy Z Fold takes the opposite approach. Open it up and you’ll find a 7.6-inch tablet-sized display on the inside. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the third iteration of Samsung’s large-format flip phone, and it’s the most polished yet.
But it still feels awkward to use as a regular phone when closed, which remains its biggest drawback. Samsung has already tried to address this by making the Z Fold 3 thinner and lighter than the Z Fold 2, and I hope it continues in that direction.
Based on the improvements between the second and third generation of the Z Fold, I’d expect to see a new processor, some design improvements, and hopefully better battery life in the next version. It would also be great to see software improvements that make better use of that large internal screen.
Rumors suggest that at least some of these wish-list items may be in the cards for Samsung’s next big-screen foldable phone. Leaker Ice Universe claims to have published a list of Z Fold 4 specs on Twitter. According to the leaked specs, the Z Fold 4 could have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, the same screen size as the Z Fold 3 inside and out, a triple camera system with a 50-megapixel main lens like the Galaxy S22, and the same 4,400mAh battery.
Samsung released the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 2 in August 2021 and 2020 respectively, while the first Galaxy Z Fold was launched in September 2019. With that in mind, it seems likely that we’ll see the next Z Fold at Samsung’s Unpacked event on August 10.
A new type of foldable Samsung
Foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip are still relatively new to most people. But Samsung is already thinking about what might come next, as the company has proven CES 2022 when he showed several new folding concepts. If it’s recent leaks are trueone of these gadgets may soon become more than a concept.
In what appears to be a since-deleted tweet, Ice universe previously said Samsung plans to launch a “mysterious” third foldable device this year. But Ross Young, analyst and CEO of Supply Chain Consultants, answered that may be delayed until 2023
Of the concepts Samsung has shown off recently, the one I’m most excited about is the Flex S. This concept folds like an accordion and has two hinges, resulting in what looks like three display panels connected together. It can be used as a regular phone when fully folded, but unfolds to become a tablet-sized display that looks bigger than the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
When it comes to foldable devices, I tend to prefer devices that offer more screen real estate — like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 — over flip phone-style devices. Regular phones are already compact enough that I see more value in having a phone that can provide more screen space for reading and watching videos when I need it. The Flex S concept from CES 2022 looks like an evolution of the Galaxy Z Fold in that regard.
Only Samsung knows what’s coming next. But considering the competitors such as TCL have also been publicly experimenting with new foldable designs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another idea from Samsung in the near future. In addition to remaining competitive, market research shows that sales of foldable devices are beginning to accelerate, giving Samsung more incentive to remain a frontrunner in this space.
Samsung Galaxy S22 FE
Samsung’s “Fan Edition” smartphones are a more affordable alternative to the Galaxy S series devices. The Galaxy S20 FE launched in 2020 as a cheaper version of the Galaxy S20but the Galaxy S21 FE didn’t arrive until early 2022 — just before the Galaxy S22 debuted.
This makes it difficult to know when Samsung might release the Galaxy S22 FE, if at all. A rumor from the Sam Mobile blog suggests that Samsung may have scrapped the Galaxy S22 FE. I do so would be a smart move for Samsung, mostly because the Galaxy S21 FE felt lost in the company’s lineup between the Galaxy S22 and the budget Galaxy A series.
However, I think there is a possibility that Samsung will release a phone that is a step up from the $450 Galaxy A53 but it’s not as expensive as its next flagship, the Galaxy S. At $600, the Galaxy S22 FE with a slightly larger screen and longer battery life than the Galaxy S22 could be a really compelling option. The problem with the $700 Galaxy S21 FE, in my opinion, was that the price difference between the FE and the S22 might not have been big enough to make it stand out.
Samsung is perhaps best known for its Galaxy smartphones when it comes to mobile devices. But products like the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Buds prove that the company has put more focus on near-smartphone devices. As for what comes next after smartwatches and headphones, that’s a question only Samsung can answer. But I still hope to see a pair of smart glasses one day.