Samsung Galaxy S22 leak shows first real-life photo

Samsung Galaxy S22
(Image credit: LetsGoDigital)

What seems to be the first Samsung Galaxy S22 image of the base model in real life has been posted online.

Shown to the world by IceUniverse's Weibo page (via GSMArena), the all-black phone looks to be either the standard Galaxy S22 or the larger Galaxy S22 Plus. We can't tell if this is an actual phone or just a dummy since we only see the back. However, the design looks to fit with the rumors we've heard previously, just like the leaked Galaxy S22 Ultra photo we saw a little while ago. (And similar photos purporting to show off the entire Galaxy S22 lineup look a lot like this device.)

An alleged real-life photo of the back of the Samsung Galaxy S22, in all black

(Image credit: IceUniverse)

The main feature to look at here is the new camera bump design. After introducing the overflowing "Contour Cut" camera block design on the Galaxy S21, Samsung now seems to have adapted to make it less prominent. That would hopefully avoid the phone rocking too much when it's placed on a flat surface, and should make it less likely to get caught on pocket or bag openings when putting the phone away.

Within the camera block, we see three lenses, with the flash positioned off to the side. These Galaxy S22 cameras are tipped to be a notable upgrade over the Galaxy S21. The main sensor could be Samsung's new GN5 50MP camera (as seen in the excellent Google Pixel 6), while the telephoto camera could consist of a 10MP sensor with 3x optical zoom ability.

Galaxy S22 Ultra wallpaper shown off in new renders

Another element of the Galaxy S22 has been brought to life in a second design leak.

Samsung's custom Galaxy S22 wallpapers have been found by Korean site ITMaterial and Samsung leaker IceUniverse. This has then been added to a new series of renders published by LetsGoDigital, and made by artists Technizo Concept and Snoreyn.

An unofficial render of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in white, featuring a leaked custom wallpaper

(Image credit: LetsGoDigital/Technizo Concept/Snoreyn)

As stated by ITMaterial, and reproduced in LGD's renders, this white wallpaper will apparently be the default for, suitably enough, the white S22 handsets. The other colors rumored for the phone include black, red, green and gold.

The model specifically shown in these renders is the range-topping one, believed to be called the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It could also be called the Galaxy S22 Note, however, to reflect its rumored wider design and built-in S Pen stylus, which would have it pick up the baton from the Galaxy Note 20 after the cancellation of the Galaxy Note 21 this year.

Other interesting rumors for the Galaxy S22 series include its use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 as its chipset, and new smaller bodies for the base S22 and S22 Plus, as well as upgraded cameras. The S22 Ultra/Note reportedly won't receive big changes to its camera array, but the sensors could be upgraded and there could be a new focus on ultra-detailed photos taken using the 108MP main camera. As for a release date, that is apparently going to be February 8, with the phones going on sale shortly after.

Before that though, we will be getting a different Samsung flagship phone. The Galaxy S21 FE. This pared-down version of the Galaxy S21 has been rumored for many months, but Samsung has apparently had to keep delaying its launch, with January now rumored to be its launch date.

The S22 Ultra gets spotted in the wild — twice

Elsewhere in the Galaxy S22 rumor world, some digital evidence of the S22's impending launch has been discovered. 

A support page for a phone code-named SM-S908U was found on Samsung's Chinese website. This codename has been shared in previous rumors as the believed internal designation of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

This was found by leaker Snoopy on Twitter. They also claim in a second tweet that Samsung's well underway with production for the S22 as well, which makes sense given it's less than two months until the phone's rumored reveal. The Galaxy Tab S8 is also in production, Snoopy says, but not in anywhere near the same numbers.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a device with the same codename as the one above has been listed by the FCC (via MySmartPrice). 

A screenshot of part of the FCC listing believed to belong to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, listing its connectivity features.

(Image credit: MySmartPrice)

The listing mentions all the usual connectivity features you'd expect from a modern smartphone, plus reverse wireless charging and ultrawideband support for 5G.

A new stylus and LED cover were also discovered on the FCC website. Unfortunately, we can't tell from the listing whether the stylus is included with the phone as standard like the rumors say, or whether it's a separate accessory like it was for the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.