Not all the Samsung Galaxy S22 leaks we've reported on recently have been good news for phone enthusiasts, with the handset tipped for example to have a smaller battery than the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Now, though, we've got a brand new leak which, in my mind at least, brings some very welcome S22 news to fans who have been waiting for it earnestly throughout the recent iPhone 13 launch.
That's because, according to Samsung Mobile's own leakster-in-chief Ice universe, the S22 is going to be "Samsung's smallest flagship phone in recent years" and "smaller than iPhone 13".
This information was dropped by Ice in a recent Tweet, the full text of which can be viewed directly below.
The S22 battery has only 3700mAh. Yes, it's true.But S22 is Samsung's smallest flagship phone in recent years. Its length, width and thickness are a little smaller than iPhone 13. I like such a small phone and I will definitely buy it. pic.twitter.com/BGADgJ2POOSeptember 17, 2021
What is particularly interesting here is that Ice says the S22 isn't just going to beat the iPhone 13 in terms of lithe dimensions in one aspect, such as weight, but across the board, with the incoming Samsung flagship's "length, width and thickness a little smaller than iPhone 13".
If true, this would mean the Samsung Galaxy S22 would be the noticeably sleeker device, with only the iPhone 13 mini beating it in terms of compact form factor. Indeed, the shrinking of the S22's dimensions could be seen as a response to the iPhone 13 mini, as well as to what we're now starting to see the start of throughout the phone market in my opinion – the shrinking of handsets.
The screen-size engorgement wars we've been subjected to over the past 10 years had to stop eventually and, with handsets like the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra taking screen real estate to pocket-breaking dimensions, a climb down was always to be expected.
To be clear, I don't expect phones to revert to tiny 4.5-inch screens of the like that we saw in the mid-2000s, but a small retreat from huge screens in many mainstream handsets. The quality of a display and the tech it offer (such as a high refresh rate, peak brightness, HDR etc) is becoming the focus rather than just the display's size.
Because the simple truth is that a phone with a screen above the 7-inch mark becomes so unwieldly as to not really be a phone anymore, so there's nowhere really left for phone makers to go, which in part is why the best foldable phones market has developed recently. Now manufacturers like Samsung, if they are to offer a phone with a 6.7-inch plus panel, then they need to do so in a foldable (or in the future, maybe, rollable?) form factor.
Just look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G as a way the South Korean maker has managed to deliver a very tall screen but in a form factor, once folded, that is very pocket friendly.
And while the Galaxy S22's screen won't fold, it is great to hear that the phone is going to be more pocket friendly in terms of all dimensions and, truth be told, manageable than any of Samsung's recent flagships. Thin, light and easy to handle and use – who doesn't want those traits? Exactly.
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