That’s because according to leaker chunvn8888 (opens in new tab) on Twitter, the next-gen flagship Galaxy phones will get a $100 price hike over the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. The tipster, who doesn’t have much of an established record for leak accuracy, claims the Galaxy S22 will start at $899, the Galaxy S22 Plus will start at $1,099 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra coming in at (gulp) $1,299. Now, we’ll take this leak with a dose of healthy skepticsm, as the Galaxy S21 range last year saw a decrease in price over the Galaxy S20 range. The $799 Galaxy S21 was particularly appealing, offering flagship specs that undercut the likes of the iPhone 12 Pro at the time, and is currently cheaper than the iPhone 13 Pro. While a boost in specs, such as improved camera sensors and a new chip in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 are in the cards, the standard and Plus Galaxy S22 model aren’t expected to have a dramatic design change. So an extra $100 on the price tag of a flagship with seemingly incremental upgrades could sting, especially when the Google Pixel 6 comes in at $599. We can understand a price increase for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is set to be a successor to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in all but name. It’s tipped to have the squarer rectangular design of the Note phone, as well as support and storage for an S Pen. It’s also set to get a very bright display, as well as camera and chip upgrades and 45W charging. To some, including some at Tom’s Guide, an extra $100 to get hold of the Note design may be worth it. If we were to get a little into the conspiracy weeds, this price jump could be related to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. It offers a mix of flagship features found on the Galaxy S21 but at a price of $699. With Samsung Galaxy S21 deals available, that price might be a little steep for some. But if Samsung does increase the price of its next-gen flagships by $100, it would mean the Galaxy S21 FE undercuts the standard S22 by $200. That could be just the ticket to entice people to buy the Fan Edition phone once the current S21 is discontinued. With Samsung seemingly confirming the launch date of the Galaxy S22 for February 8, we’ve not got long to wait before we get the official lowdown on the new flagship Galaxy phones. If the rumors thus far bear fruit, then they could be contenders for spots on our best phones list.
