Upcoming smartphones of 2022 - we're looking forward to these in India

As 2021 winds down, we are left with images of the global chipset shortage, reduced smartphone shipments and missed flagship announcements. However, there is also the silver lining in the form of leaks and rumors of upcoming handsets that point to a much more exciting 2022, and more specifically the first quarter of the year. 

Most of the top brands have flagship devices in the works and leaks and renders till date suggest some design changes and improved performances. We have heard of a totally revamped rear camera set-up to under-the-screen selfie cams and  rounded and / or flat edges as part of these innovations. 

Of course, there are a few crazy ones  such as Samsung's foldable and stretchable device or a few rollable smartphones for which companies have sought patents. We also heard that Oppo wants to do away with the camera bump on the rear. 

Additionally, the rumors around the specifications suggest that top brands are vying to offer smoother performance across multiple use cases, be it watching movies or playing mobile games. The 120Hz screen refresh rates are now passe as are 108MP shooters and fast-charging options. As we eagerly await the flagships of 2022, listed here are some handsets that we would love to get our hands on... and pronto! 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Series

The Samsung Galaxy S22 series could land soon, with a January or February 2022 launch date looking highly likely, and the leaks and rumors have been coming in thick and fast for all three devices in the line.

These are to be the successors to 2021's Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra, but have also got the big boots of the Samsung Galaxy Note 21 to fill, with 2021's late-year flagship actually canceled, much to the chagrin of Samsung fans.

The Galaxy S22 is therefore the next big flagship from Samsung, and since the Samsung Galaxy Note 21 was cancelled, it will be the first big traditional phone from the company to come out in a year.

OnePlus 10 Series

The OnePlus 10 is the next big smartphone we're expecting to see from the Chinese tech company now that the OnePlus 9T has been confirmed not to exist.

This upcoming premium smartphone will likely launch with a Pro sibling in the first half of 2022 as part of the early-year wave of top-end smartphones, with the Samsung Galaxy S22, Xiaomi 12 and Oppo Find X4 expected to be close contemporaries and rivals.

The OnePlus 9 launched in March 2021 and was available to buy in most regions including the US and UK by April. As OnePlus operates in an annual cycle, it stands to reason we could see the OnePlus 10 launch in the same window in 2022.

Xiaomi 12 Series

Despite radio silence until November, the Xiaomi 12 has started leaking regularly, so we're starting to get a clearer picture as to how this upcoming Xiaomi phone could look.

The Xiaomi 12 is expected to be the next major smartphone from the Chinese tech giant - it could get announced before the end of 2021, though a global launch will likely fall in early 2022.

We've heard about quite a few different Xiaomi 12 phones in the family including two Lite models, the standard edition, a Pro and an Ultra model. We've heard about quite a few different Xiaomi 12 phones in the family including two Lite models, the standard edition, a Pro and an Ultra model.

iPhone 14 Series

The iPhone 14 is coming in 2022, or at least that's what we expect Apple to reveal as a follow up to the iPhone 13. Leakers have begun revealing possible specs, and there are even unofficial renders of the phone online.

As such, we have a surprisingly clear picture of the form the iPhone 14 range might take – though this far from launch we’d be extra skeptical, as there’s plenty of time for things to change.

But, make no mistake, Apple usually catches us by surprise one way or another. They either exceed our expectations or leave a lot of it unfulfilled. There is talk of a 48MP main shooter, 120Hz screens, an under-display facial recognition and much more. What we can say for sure is the rumor mills will keep on going till the week before Apple sends out the invites for its annual event. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

For starters, why would you launch a fan edition smartphone of a flagship that came a year back? That's precisely what the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE appears to be. Just so we get this right, the original Galaxy S21 range arrived in early 2021 and was rather well received. 

Though the company had accidentally mentioned the phone by name and it actually didn't show up at the Samsung Unpacked October 2021 event, we believe the said handset would now be making its appearance at some point in the January of 2022. 

Of course, if the smartphone is so yesterday, you could ask why we are eager to get our hands on it upon release? Quite simply to check what prompted the company to consider such a device and how would they be justifying it to even loyal customers without actually effecting a considerably reduced price for it. 

Vivo X80 Series

There was a time when Vivo wasn’t keen on launching its flagship phones to India. The company was busily churning out similar-looking devices catering to offline consumers with phones focused on features like camera and music. 

But, not anymore. The Chinese smartphone maker has now decided to go full throttle in the country and could be arriving with the Vivo X80 series as the first of several flagships. 

To recall, the Vivo X50 series came to India in July 2020 succeeded by the X60 lineup in March 2021. The X60 series was promptly replaced by the X70 series in September and now we’re hearing that the Vivo X80 series might launch in the country early next year.

iPhone SE 3

Given the success of the iPhone SE 2020 model, we are quite certain that a successor is in the works. What we have no idea about is when this is likely to launch. Rumors are that it could well arrive in the first quarter of 2022, given that Apple has started to organise two major events each year. 

However, what we do not know is how Apple would manage to overcome the stated chipset shortage, one that made them divert processors from their latest iPads on to the iPhone 13 series during the past few months. 

When it eventually comes out, the iPhone SE 3 probably won't be called that, and it'll likely follow the iPhone SE (2020)'s naming convention with the year of release in the title.

Google Pixel 6a

Having just gone official with the Google Pixel 6, one would think Google may lay off for some time before thinking of another handset. But, no that's not the case. There are already leaks around a Google Pixel 6a, which is good news for us in India, given that Google's last device launched here some time ago. 

Of course, we do not have too much information available on the Google Pixel 6a as yet, but from the looks of it the handset could carry the design language of the Pixel 6 in their entirety. 

So far there’s no news on when the Google Pixel 6a might be announced or released, but the Google Pixel 5a was unveiled in August 2021, so there might be a while to wait, especially as the Pixel 4a similarly was launched in August 2020.

• Upcoming phone launches in India for December 2021

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