Samsung is set to reveal its new Galaxy S22 generation of premium flagship phones on February 9, making the recent past, the present, and the near future the worst time to buy a new Android phone.
Anyone looking for a new Android phone, at least in the premium category with high performance and high prices, would be better off waiting to see what Samsung has in store during its annual Unpacked event on February 9 for new Galaxy products.
What can you expect to see in Samsung Galaxy S22?
Little is officially known about the upcoming Galaxy S22 phones, save for a potential upgrade to charging speed that has been frequently leaked.
Regardless, Samsung has built a solid reputation for putting out some of the best Android phones you can buy year after year. That's to say I have high expectations for Samsung's Galaxy S22 phones, and those expectations will likely be met.
Samsung did just release the Galaxy S21 FE — a value-based refresh of last year's Galaxy S21 series that's designed to be Samsung's value-premium offering in 2022. However, I'd recommend anyone looking to buy an Android phone now should wait and see what the Galaxy S22 phones are all about.
Plus, I wasn't smitten by the Galaxy S21 FE. It almost has all the right hardware to make for a good phone, including a 120Hz screen, a powerful processor, and a good triple-lens camera. Except it has poor battery life, and its cameras don't do so well when lighting isn't optimal.
I wouldn't recommend buying the original Galaxy S21 phones now, either. The Galaxy S22 generation is so close, not to mention that you'd only get two new Android version updates instead of three. That's because Samsung promises to deliver three versions of Android to phones starting from the version of Android they launched with. So since the Galaxy S21 launched with Android 11, it'll "only" receive Android version updates up to Android 14.
In my comparison between the Google Pixel 6 and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, I recommend the Pixel for its better battery life and cameras. Still, I'd wait for Samsung to reveal the Galaxy S22 phones in case they appeal more to you. If the Galaxy S22 phones don't charm you, at least you'll know you made the right decision when you buy a Pixel 6, or any other phone for that matter.
