Samsung loves to release new colors and special editions of its top-end phones. This year, the Galaxy S22‘s summer color refresh comes in a delightful shade of purple that really stands out from the existing slate of colors. “Bora Purple,” as Samsung calls it (“bora” is Korean for purple, it turns out!), is a subtle and light purple hue that looks great on the S22’s simple frame.
Nothing changes about the finishes on the S22 — it’s still shiny sides, matte back — for this colorway. The glossy metal frame is barely perceptibly purple, nearly matching the frame of the white color option. The metal’s gloss is still what hits you.
The glass back, with its matte finish, downplays the strength of the purple as well — though it’s entirely dependent on lighting. In bright light, at a glance, you can barely distinguish it from white. But in darker typical indoor lighting, it has just the right amount of purple — colorful, but not ostentatious.
The purple is definitely lighter than the launch “violet” color available on the S22 and S22+. With a color-matched purple frame and camera housing compared to the violet’s contrasting gold accents, this is a far more subtle choice as well. At the same time, it comes in darker than the launch pink color.
The Bora Purple S22 carries the same price as any other color, $799, and is going on sale starting August 10 — not-so-coincidentally timed to align with the next Galaxy Unpacked event. In its announcement of the Bora Purple S22, we get the surprising hint that it will also be available “for exciting new Galaxy devices later this year.” Interesting.
It’s a pretty good bet that’s a reference to the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Z Fold 4, or perhaps both. With Samsung’s propensity to have purple in its phone color palette, going all the way back to the Galaxy S8 and as recently as the Galaxy Z Flip 3, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bora Purple was a launch color for both next-gen foldables. Seeing how nice it is on the S22, I’m all for this being part of the launch lineup for the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.
Unlike some special-edition colors, Samsung isn’t limiting sales to just its online store. You’ll also be able to get a Bora Purple Galaxy S22 through AT&T, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile.
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