'Tis the season for rumors and gossip in addition to deals and discounts, as most major smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch vendors seem to be just about done as far as new product releases are concerned this year.
Of course, there's also not a whole lot left to be revealed about the specs and features of a number of devices expected out in early 2022, like Samsung's Galaxy S21 FE, S22 family, and Tab S8 trio.
But the global chip shortage of the last few months has made it significantly trickier than usual to anticipate the commercial schedule of all these future Android soldiers, as well as a lower-end Galaxy Tab A8 (2021) that's hardly a big question mark either.
Enter Ross Young, a well-known and increasingly trustworthy supply chain analyst with some new intel to share.
The Galaxy Tab S8+ and S8 Ultra are still a way off
Following in the footsteps of the August 2020-released Tab S7 and S7+, the undoubtedly premium Tab S8 series of Android-based iPad Pro alternatives was naturally initially tipped to see daylight at some point in 2021.
The main assumption was the Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+ would go official alongside the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 foldables in August, but alas, that couldn't happen for fairly obvious reasons.
Leaked Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra renders
Instead, the Tab S8+ and S8 Ultra are now likely to enter production in "late January" 2022, which means an announcement and commercial debut until late February are doubtful all of a sudden.
It's not entirely clear yet if this latest "delay" will reflect on the Galaxy S22 schedule in any way, so for the time being, we'll retain our optimism and hope for a February launch of Samsung's next big smartphones, followed by the Galaxy Tab S8+ and S8 Ultra in early March.
Interestingly, Ross Young has no inside info on the production start of the "regular"-sized Tab S8 variant, which could well mean an even later release is in the cards for that one.
A "new LCD Tab A8", meanwhile, is expected to kick off its own production sometime in "mid-December", thus possibly keeping its buyers waiting until mid or late January... at the earliest.
Cash-strapped tablet enthusiasts will need to remain patient
To be clear, we're now expecting the Galaxy Tab A8 (2021) to start shipping in 2022, which is certainly not an ideal situation for a tablet vendor whose global sales numbers have already begun to drop.
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The Tab A8 just so happens to be in the limelight today with yet another confirmation of its humble spec sheet, which is now pretty much guaranteed to include an octa-core Unisoc T618 processor, 3GB RAM count (at least in its entry-level configuration), and pre-installed Android 11 software in addition to a previously revealed 10.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, 8MP rear and 5MP front cameras, and a 7,000mAh or so battery.
That's right, the Galaxy Tab S8 family will have a grand total of four members, although this fourth one could definitely arrive later than the other three. But unlike the Tab S7 FE, which was released almost a year after the Tab S7 and S7+, this thing is surely targeting a 2022 launch.
Internally referenced as Tab S8 Lite, the upper mid-range slate could still go official under the Galaxy Tab S8 FE name with optional 5G speeds and basically nothing else we can currently predict with any real degree of confidence. Hopefully, Samsung will learn from its Tab S7 FE mistake and price the next-gen model a little more aggressively.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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