Hey, Samsung, the Galaxy S22 better have these upgrades

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 blew us away, with its performance and specs placing it firmly among 2021’s best phones. Now, a year later, the new Galaxy S22 lineup is likely on the horizon with an Unpacked event set for Feb. 9. (Here’s how you can tune in to watch the expected Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra debut live.) Although rumors suggest the Galaxy S22 series may look pretty exciting, I have my own wish list of features I’d like to see in Samsung’s upcoming phone.

© Provided by CNET Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra came out in early 2021, and the S22 lineup could be on its way. Andrew Hoyle/CNET

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The buzz around the S22 has been flying for some time now, with some pointing to features including a 200-megapixel picture sensor and a smaller display. Check out how the Galaxy S22 could stack up against the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21 FE. We’ve gotten glimpses of the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra in various rumors and leaks over the past few months, but we’ll have to wait until the phone’s reveal to determine if the gossip was true. 

Here then, are my top five wishes for the Galaxy S22.

1. Galaxy S22 needs a better camera

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The camera on the S21 Ultra is superb, with an awesome optical zoom that lets you get shots that few phones can compare to. But it wasn’t a big upgrade over the S20. Both had 100x zooms, both did 8K video, both had 108-megapixel sensors. The S20 Ultra was the big leap forward, the S21 Ultra just refined it slightly. It’s time then for a bigger update, and some early rumors suggest a 200-megapixel sensor and much-improved zoom systems on the S22 Ultra.

© Provided by CNET The Galaxy S20 Ultra was Samsung’s first 100x zoom phone. Andrew Hoyle/CNET

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That would be lovely, but more megapixels doesn’t necessarily mean better photos, so I’d also like to see an even bigger image sensor — maybe a 1-inch sensor. It’s no secret that a bigger image sensor allows for better dynamic range in a photo. If Samsung paired that resolution with a big sensor capable of capturing tons of light and contrast details it could have an absolutely astonishing camera system on its hands. 

But Samsung needs to make sure its software is on point too. There are more advances needed to allow for improved computational photography and better raw image capture. Apple’s ProRaw has blown me away: It can capture beautiful HDR images that still give me full control over editing in apps like Adobe Lightroom, just as I would with any raw file from a DSLR. Samsung’s software isn’t quite at that level and I’d like to see more focus here.

2. Samsung, please give us expandable storage back

Samsung used to allow you to expand the base storage of its phones with microSD cards, but it removed that option with the S21 range. This means you’re stuck with only the phone’s built-in storage. 

That might not be an issue on lower models in the range, particularly if you don’t shoot a lot of video or play many demanding games, but if you’re into your photos and videos and you plumped for the Ultra model, that base storage can be limiting. If you shoot 8K videos on the S21 Ultra you’ll know that you can fill up that storage quickly — and it’ll go even faster if Samsung brings 200-megapixel photos to the S22. I can’t even begin to imagine how big those files might be. The 512GB maximum storage currently available on the S21 Ultra won’t last long.

© Provided by CNET The S21 Ultra’s 108-megapixel photos and 8K video quickly eat up storage. The S22 Ultra’s potential 200-megapixel sensor won’t make that any better. Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Even if you’re not into photography, there are plenty of glossy games on the Google Play store (such as Asphalt 9: Legends) that are multiple gigabytes in size and may result in you having to delete other apps or media in order to make room.

Popping in a microSD card would allow you to dramatically increase the storage by 1TB or more, which would give a huge amount of space for all your apps and videos. But then Samsung wouldn’t be able to charge you extra for a higher-capacity model, so don’t cross your fingers for this one. 

3. The Galaxy S22 should have dedicated AMD graphics

The S21 series already offers superb performance all-round, but a partnership between Samsung and graphics chip manufacturer AMD has us hoping for a big leap forward in graphics power for gaming applications. This partnership actually happened back in 2019, but so far Samsung hasn’t stuffed any kind of AMD hardware into its phones. 

I’d love to see dedicated AMD graphics on the S22 line that pushes the boundaries of what we expect from mobile gaming. Sure, some games already come close to rivaling the quality you’d expect on older consoles, but if Samsung and AMD could give that processing power a big push forward, it could allow for a lot more console-standard games to make their way to phones, turning your handset into a capable mobile games console.

© Provided by CNET The S21 Ultra is enormous. The base S21 is a bit more pocket-friendly. Sarah Tew/CNET

4. I want a smaller Galaxy phone

Today’s top-end phones with the best specs around are, let’s face it, huge. The S21 Ultra measures a whopping 6.8 inches, while even Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max comes in at 6.68 inches. That means that if you want the best performance and the best camera, you’ve got to be prepared to stretch out those jeans pockets to accommodate a massive slab of a phone. And maybe start doing some thumb exercises to help stretch them across the screen.

I’d love to see smaller versions — 6 inches or under — that don’t force you to compromise on performance. There are rumors suggesting the base S22 models might get a little reduction in screen size, which is great news if you have smaller hands, but there’s unlikely to be any real size reduction in the top-end Ultra model. So yet again we’ll likely be in a situation where buying a smaller phone size means missing out on those top-end features. Excuse me while I go and sew expansion panels into my pockets.

5. The S22 price needs to be more affordable

Sure, we all want the best tech and we want it wrapped up in a slick design, packed with cool new features. But we also want it to be affordable. That’s a difficult combination to achieve, but Samsung did manage to make its S21 range cheaper than the preceding S20 series. It needed to, as the S20 series didn’t sell well, in part due to financial uncertainty around COVID-19. 

© Provided by CNET The multiple S21 models meant that different options were available for different budgets. Drew Evans/CNET

Samsung employed a range of tactics to make the S21 range more affordable, including swapping out the glass backs on some models for strengthened plastic. And you know what? It worked. It also knocked a decent amount off the asking price. While the base Galaxy S20 went on sale for $1,000, the base S21 undercut that at $800. So I’m keen to see similar decisions being made with the S22 that will allow for a great all-round mobile experience at an approachable price. 

So what I’m asking for is a super-powered, AMD-equipped phone with the world’s best camera that’ll also fit comfortably in the palm of your hand, that’s reasonably priced and lets you expand the storage on the cheap. That’s not too much to ask, is it Samsung? Come on guys, step up.

For more, check out every rumor we know about the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra so far. You can also take a look at CNET’s list of the best Samsung phones to buy right now and how to watch the upcoming Unpacked event.