Skip to main content

Samsung, please don’t let accountants build the Galaxy S22

“Controversially, the Galaxy S21 is using a plastic back — yes, on an $800 phone.”

This quote is taken from our Samsung Galaxy S21 review, and I really don’t want to see it repeated when we review the Galaxy S22. The underlying reason for the plastic back was a noble one: it helped lower the price, but it was a decision that smacked of one being made by accountants with limited to no understanding of what people want or deserve from the smallest S Series.

Recommended Videos

Plastic can be fantastic

There’s nothing wrong with phones with a plastic back, and it is an effective way of minimizing the final cost of a phone, especially when used alongside other cost-cutting measures. Most smartphones around the $200 to $400 price have a plastic back, with Samsung’s own mid-range Galaxy A52 5G being a great example of where it really works.

The back of a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

From a distance, the A52 5G’s back looks a lot like glass, and on a $400 phone, this is a desirable feature. The texture is pleasing too, and it makes the phone feel more expensive than it actually is. Put this visual and tactile appeal together with the reasonable price, along with the great performance of the phone itself, and no one will care about the plastic.

The presence of plastic is also somewhat expected. If our budget is below $500, we know there will have to be compromises, and the biggest will be in materials and overall performance. Most of us will take a plastic-that-looks-like-glass rear panel like on the Galaxy A52 or a thoughtfully made metal-but-really-polycarbonate affair like the Nokia X20, if it means a slightly newer processor or a better camera on a mid-range phone.

What no one wants, except the accountants, is any such compromise on a flagship phone that costs $800 or more.

No respect for the S21

The Galaxy S Series is Samsung’s crown jewel. It has represented the pinnacle of its design and ability since its introduction in 2010, and even with the rise of the Galaxy Note series and the introduction of the Galaxy Z Fold range, it’s still the one a lot of people will think of when asked to name the best or most desirable Android smartphone.

The back of a Samsung Galaxy S21.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Andrew Martonik / Digital Trends

Putting a plastic back on the Galaxy S21 bordered on sacrilege, just as it did on the Galaxy Note 20, and it absolutely must not happen on the Galaxy S22. Yes, the S21 was the cheapest model in the range, but it’s absolutely not a cheap phone and therefore should not employ the same price-obfuscating tactics as an actual cheap phone. I also don’t think people were always driven to buy the S21 because it was the cheapest; I think they bought it because it’s the smallest. Why should they get short-changed just because of that?

What’s more annoying is that Samsung has a host of phones suited to the price-conscious consumer. Aside from the excellent Galaxy A Series, the Galaxy S20 FE came a short time after the S21, and even today, just a few weeks ahead of the Galaxy S22 reveal, it released the $699 Galaxy S21 FE. While it’s too expensive (a separate issue all of its own), it also has a plastic back. These are the phones accountants can safely interfere with.

Sullying the Galaxy S Series’ name with a similar cost-cutting measure and still charging $800 didn’t make sense from a marketing or customer-pleasing perspective, only from an accounting one. In an effort to squeeze out more profit, or as a shady way to push buyers toward the more expensive S21+ or S21 Ultra, Samsung’s accountants showed the humble S21 no respect, condemning it to being remembered as the “one made of plastic.”

The Galaxy S22 needs to be treated better

The Galaxy S22 will not be a cheap or a mid-range smartphone, so Samsung needs to keep the penny-pinching accountants away from the final spec sheet. They’ve got the A Series and FE models to play with. What the S22 will be is the smallest member of the new S Series, and that should really be the primary differentiating factor between it and the Galaxy S21+.

It managed to do so with the Galaxy S20 and S20+, which had Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. The difference between them was the size of the screen, the amount of internal storage space, a slightly larger capacity battery, and a small difference in camera ability. Yes, they were both $200 more than the S21 and S21+, but times have moved on, and if OnePlus can use Gorilla Glass 5 on the back of the Nord 2, then so can Samsung on a phone that costs twice as much.

I do accept the argument plastic backs can be more durable than glass, but Samsung’s development of Armor Aluminum for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, should we get something similar on the S22 range, could offset some of that concern. And really, anyone who wants a truly durable phone won’t be looking at one that costs $800-plus anyway.

But what if accountants have already forced a plastic back on the Galaxy S22, and we’re too late? It’ll just have to permanently live in a case, I suppose.

Samsung will announce the Galaxy S22 range February 9 at its first Unpacked event of the year, and we’ll be covering its launch extensively, so it won’t be long before we find out where the chips fall.

Stay informed with the upcoming release, click the Add to Calendar button below to add this event to your personal calendar.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge inches closer to launch with a looming threat
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge dual camera array

The saga of Samsung’s ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge has taken a couple of interesting turns, and not necessarily the good kind. We’ll start with the good news first. It was recently reportedly that management struggles at the company may have delayed the phone’s launch to the May-June period. 

Now, it seems Samsung has locked on a release date, and it’s sooner than expected. A reliable leakster (via SamMobile) has claimed that the phone will be announced officially on May 13. Previously, it was heavily rumored to arrive midway through April, before the corporate shuffle happened. 

Read more
Samsung pumps up the Galaxy A56 to make new Galaxy Tab S10 FE tablets
A press image of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE.

Samsung has announced two new tablets, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, which bring together the power and AI features found in its Galaxy A56 smartphone with the big screen options provided by its Galaxy Tab S10 series tablets. Confused as to what Samsung means by FE? The name came about in an unusual way, but is now applied to affordable devices which provide good value, such as the Galaxy S24 FE.

What about the two new Tab S10 FE models? There are two primary technical differences between the two new models. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE has a 10.9-inch, 90Hz LCD screen and an 8,000mAh battery, while the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ has a 13.1-inch, 90Hz LCD screen and a 10,090mAh battery. Obviously this makes the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ larger and heavier — it’s 664 grams rather than 497 grams — but both measure just 6mm thick. 

Read more
You may have to wait longer for Samsung’s svelte Galaxy S25 Edge
Close-up view of the camera module on Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

It seems the ongoing management changes at Samsung will delay the market arrival of its ambitious super-slim smartphone. The Galaxy S25 Edge was expected to launch mid-way through April, but those plans have seemingly been pushed back by a few weeks. 

According to a report from Korea’s ET News, the company has pushed the launch event to some point between May and June. “It has been confirmed that this information was also conveyed to the three mobile carriers that sell the Galaxy S25 Edge,” says the outlet.

Read more