2021 was a year of change for Samsung. Foldables have come into their own as the company’s high-end focus, and a wild rumor made the rounds for months, suggesting we’d seen the end of Samsung’s “enthusiast” Galaxy Note flagship series. Seeing as Unpacked came and went with no new Note smartphone (instead only giving us the Z Fold3 and the Z Flip3), it’s pretty safe to say by now that the Galaxy Note is done for — at least for 2021. Now some newly leaked renders of what claims to be the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra attempt to confirm that the Galaxy Note series might just be dead for good.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra launched earlier this year with the notable inclusion of S Pen support. Not only was this a first for the S series, but the S Pen was also one of the main selling points of the Galaxy Note. Granted, the S21U doesn’t have a dedicated S Pen slot like the Notes did, but you could get a case with its own storage solution. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 also has S Pen support, but once again, there’s no slot.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra, however, might actually offer built-in S Pen storage this time around, if these renders from OnLeaks and Digit.in are to be believed. This would be in line with previous leaks saying that the S22 Ultra could feature one.
Beyond that notable inclusion, we also get a chance to check out this design: the phone has a considerably boxier build than the Galaxy S21 Ultra, something that might look more at home with the Galaxy Note series — as S phones traditionally get rounded corners. If this is indeed the Galaxy S22 Ultra, then it’s absorbing a lot of Note DNA.
As for the rest of the design, it looks… unique? Samsung is no stranger to change for the sake of change, but this is a bit… horrible looking? The Galaxy S10, S20, and S21 series all came together quite differently, so it’s not like we’re opposed to a yearly revamp. The Galaxy S22 series might yet again feature a new back design. But look at the camera bump proposed here. What is that?
Who greenlit this?
While it starts off like a normal square camera bump similar to what the iPhone is doing, what is with another lens awkwardly hanging out from it? Again, this is only an independent render, and things can, and often do, change before the phone is finally announced — and don’t count on seeing anything official from the Galaxy S22 series until early next year. But we’re really hoping Samsung ends up going in a different direction for this phone’s ultimate release.
