Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S21 FE at CES 2022 — a $699 handset that might be too late and expensive for its own good. $699 for a phone that would have been competitive in 2021 just a month before the Galaxy S22 comes out. We already explained that it might be a better idea to get the most affordable Galaxy S22 rather than the S21 FE. That was based on the assumption that the entry-level Galaxy S22 would cost $799, like its predecessor.
But a brand new Galaxy S22 price leak tells us that might not be the case. The Galaxy S22 phones might be even more expensive than the Galaxy S21 line, especially the Galaxy S22 Ultra model.
Samsung made a big mistake in 2020 when it launched the S20 series. The Galaxy S20 started at $999, which was far too high. The Galaxy S20 FE corrected that error, and then Samsung introduced the Galaxy S21 series starting at $799. With that in mind, it seems highly unlikely that Samsung would bump up the Galaxy S22 prices this year.
After all, Samsung went out of its way to lower the price tags of its 2021 foldables. Elsewhere in the market, Apple kept its iPhone 12 pricing structure for the iPhone 13. And Google’s cheapest Pixel 6 costs $599. That’s despite the inflation that impacted all aspects of the economy, including the smartphone supply chain.
But can Samsung afford to keep the same Galaxy S21 prices in place for the Galaxy S22? The following leak suggests that might not be the case:
Galaxy S22 price leak for Europe
Before we look at the numbers, we’ll remind you that European pricing differs from US prices. Prices in the EU have to include VAT, while US prices do not factor in the tax. That’s why converting the prices above into US dollars would not reveal the true US price for the Galaxy S22 models. Instead, the figure could be significantly higher than what you will end up paying for the Galaxy S22.
That said, Italian blog Tutto Android says that the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus would be €40 to €50 more expensive than their predecessors, according to the tweet.
The Galaxy S22 might start at €912 in the region if the leak is accurate. The Galaxy S22 Plus entry price would be €1,119. To put this into perspective, the iPhone 13 starts at €939 in the region. The iPhone 13 Pro costs €1,189. US prices for the two iPhone 13 models are $829 and $999, respectively, pre-tax.
In other words, the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus might have better prices than the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. Again, that’s if the leak is correct.
But the Galaxy S22 Ultra might see the biggest price hike of all the new models. According to the leak, the 12GB/256GB Galaxy S22 Ultra might cost €1,430. Tutto Android says that’s about €100 more expensive than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
What’s special about the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the Note-like design. The flagship looks like old Note models and features an S Pen stylus. Is that enough to warrant a significant price hike, inflation notwithstanding?
The person who posted the Galaxy S22 prices on Twitter does say these are early listings, and the prices might not be accurate. Things might change by mid-February, which is when Samsung is set to unveil the new flagship phone.
