Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra delays stretch up to May — blame 'all-time high' demand

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Limited Samsung Galaxy S22 inventory left for launch day

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
(Image credit: Future)

 Last weekend, Samsung paused pre-orders of the Galaxy Tab S8 due to “overwhelming demand.” And now it's the Galaxy S22's turn, as getting your hands on one for launch day is increasingly looking like a challenge.

On Samsung.com, the dates are slipping back as far as April 8 for the Galaxy S22 Ultra and some colors for the S22 Plus, and even the plain S22 won’t be in your pocket until March 4 at the absolute earliest.

If you desperately want the S22 Ultra 512GB in white, you won’t get one from T-Mobile until May 15.

The situation is even worse for the S22 Ultra, with T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T showing delivery dates of March to April. If you desperately want the 512GB model in white, you won’t get one from T-Mobile until May 15 — 79 days after the handset should have become available to buy.

If you’re happy with a regular S22 or S22 Plus, there are some exceptions, with Verizon and T-Mobile still having some available to ship by February 25, but you’ll probably want to act quickly. 

Why is the Samsung Galaxy S22 delayed?

While the ongoing global chip shortage is no doubt partly a cause for this longer-than-expected lead time, Samsung itself is putting the blame squarely upon unprecedented demand.  

“We're grateful for the excitement and response to our new Galaxy S22 series,” Samsung said in an official statement. “Interest in Galaxy S22 series is at an all-time high with the pre-order volume exceeding our expectations. We’re committed to getting these devices to our customers as early as possible. However, some customers may experience delays depending on market, model and color. We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding.”

So far, we’ve reviewed both the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra, and can confirm that both are excellent handsets. Indeed, both have already been added to our list of the best phones you can buy, so if you’re still on the fence, you can pre-order in confidence.  

Also check out our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs iPhone 13 Pro Max face-off to see which flagship wins. 

Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.