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Buy Galaxy S21 Now… Or Wait For The Samsung Galaxy S22?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is a great phone that comes in three flavors. The Ultra is the best one, obvs. But is it worth getting one now or should you wait for the Samsung Galaxy S22? Let’s find out…
This time of year – Q1 of any new year – is a bad time to buy a new Samsung phone. The reason for this is simple: Samsung ALWAYS releases its new Galaxy S range during Q1. And this means, if you buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 now, it’ll be out of date in a matter of weeks.
Is this is a bad thing? Not necessarily. It all kind of depends on what YOU want from your next phone. If you want the latest and greatest hardware, specs, and updates, then, sure, you’ll want to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S22 – it’ll be newer and better than its predecessor, the Galaxy S21.
How much better will it be? We have a post that looks at what’ll make the new Samsung Galaxy S22 tick, so have a look at that for all the latest leaks and information about Samsung’s 2022 flagship phones.
In a nutshell, though, you’re looking at a new CPU – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, for all models, apparently – a new camera system (likely a quad-lens setup), and a slight redesign of the phone itself, though nothing too crazy. In this respect, the S22 is more of an incremental update.
The Galaxy S21 Will Soon Be Quite A Bit Cheaper
New phones mean a new marketing cycle. Out with the old and in with the new, so to speak. And if you’re in the market for a Samsung phone during Q1, this can work to your advantage. How so? Well, you’ll pay A LOT less for the Galaxy S21 than the S22, once it is launched.
For this reason, if you just want a good phone. Or, you’re not fussed about it being the latest and greatest model, then the Samsung Galaxy S21 – notability the Ultra – is definitely worth a look in early-2022.
Me? I’d definitely wait until the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22, though, because once that phone arrives the price of the Samsung Galaxy S21 (all models) will drop sharply as Samsung and its retail partners attempt to offload old inventory.
This will mean it will be cheaper to buy outright and cheaper on contract from phone networks. For this reason, those of you that want to secure the best possible bang for your buck it is recommended to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S22 release date – it’s happening in late February – and then pull the trigger on a Galaxy S21 phone, once the prices have come down.
Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S22 – What’s The Difference?
I’ve been following the run-up to the Galaxy S22 launch, checking the leaks, following most of the news, and from what I can gather the handset won’t be too dissimilar from what came before. There is talk of a slight redesign, improvements to the camera, and a new CPU. But that’s it, and that isn’t all that exciting really.
It’s believed the Galaxy S22 Ultra will feature a quad rear camera setup, consisting of that 108MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture, and two 10MP telephoto lenses – one with an f/4.9 aperture and 10x zoom, the other with f/2.4 aperture and 3x zoom.
Pocket-Lint
In fact, the most interesting thing about the Galaxy S22 is that it will apparently run Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU in ALL regions. Usually, Samsung splits things between its Exynos and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon CPU. The US usually gets Snapdragon, while the rest of us get Exynos. In 2022, with the S22, everybody is getting Snapdragon (and that is probably a good thing too).
The Galaxy S22 is also tipped to FINALLY feature faster wired and wireless charging. Rumors suggest we could get 45W fast charging for both wired and wireless charging. If true, this would be an excellent addition to the arsenal of the Galaxy S22’s new features.
Galaxy S22 To Come With S-Pen Slot!?
We all know that Samsung killed of its Galaxy Note range (boo). But the company’s S-Pen, the thing that made its Note device so special, lives on. But with the Galaxy S22, it will be more deeply integrated apparently. Could this mean the Galaxy S22 will ship with a dedicated S-Pen? That seems to be the hope right now.
Multiple sources claim the new Galaxy S22 will carry forward the legacy of the Galaxy Note. And that’s got to mean it will come with a dedicated S-Pen and slot. How Samsung integrates the S-Pen inside the Galaxy S22 remains to be seen, however – it could be built into the frame, as some have suggested, or there could just be a slot in the bottom.
What Should YOU Do?
As I said in the intro, the Galaxy S22 will be available next month (February), so if you’re interested in that phone, and you haven’t upgraded just yet, it is probably worth waiting to see what happens with that device. At worst, it’ll be an incremental update. At best, it’ll be a brand new design complete with an S-Pen.
Plus, the upshot of waiting for the Galaxy S22 to get a release date is that when it does hit the market, the price of the outgoing – but still very good – Galaxy S21 range will drop considerably. From here, you can weigh up the PROS and CONS of the new model versus the old one and decide which is the best value for money.
Personally, I tend to use iPhones these days. I ALWAYS buy the outgoing model when the new one launches for this exact reason – you save a bunch of cash and still get a killer phone. This approach works with Samsung phones too. Networks and retailers want you to buy the new one, so they discount the crap out of the older models to get rid of the stock, saving you anywhere from $100 to $300 on the phone.
So, to recap, my advice would be: do not buy the Galaxy S21 now, wait for the Galaxy S22 launch. From here, you’ll be able to make a better decision about which phone is best for you. And if you decide you want to spend less money, the Galaxy S21 will cost less money. In this respect, waiting a few weeks opens up way more options. So, wait!