What you need to know
- The standard Galaxy S22 is rumored to feature a glass back panel.
- The Galaxy S21 went with "glasstic" instead of actual glass.
- There are some pros and a few cons to having a glass back panel.
Not everyone was happy about Samsung going with "glasstic" back panel for the standard Galaxy S21. However, the latest rumor points to Samsung ditching the faux glass plastic rear panel for actual glass in the Galaxy S22 series.
The rumor comes from leaker Ice universe, which indicates that the rear glass panel will make it to all three Galaxy S22 models and won't be limited to the S22+ and premium S22 Ultra.
There is a definite answer about the rear cover material of Galaxy S22 series:
S22, S22 +, S22 ultra are all made of glass!There is a definite answer about the rear cover material of Galaxy S22 series:
S22, S22 +, S22 ultra are all made of glass!— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 20, 2021December 20, 2021
Ice universe seems pretty confident of this, but of course, we should take it with a grain of salt. That said, the recently leaked dummy units did show off a very glossy S22, so there could be some credence to his statement.
While not everyone was happy about the switch to glastic for the standard Galaxy S21, the panel proves arguably more durability than glass while also being lighter. And while it wouldn't be mistaken for glass, the polycarbonate back doesn't feel cheap, either, and looks visually similar to the frosted glass on the other models. That said, many of the complaints centered around Samsung charging flagship prices for phones with less-than-premium materials.
There's no word on what glass it'll use, but hopefully, we can look forward to the extra tough Gorilla Glass Victus, which has appeared on many of the best Android phones throughout 2021. That way, Samsung can hopefully provide some extra peace of mind with the switch back to glass. Either way, it'll be another reason to invest in a good case.
