Samsung To Add Water Resistance To More Galaxy A Phones In 2022

Samsung has failed to excel in the low-cost smartphone market in recent years. Chinese firms such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have eaten a significant chunk of the Korean giant’s market share in this segment. It is now looking to regain some of the lost ground in 2022 with some aggressive plans. Among them is offering more flagship-grade features on mid-range devices. Samsung is already said to bring OIS (optical image stabilization) to all its Galaxy A series mid-rangers next year. Another premium feature may be coming to those devices: water resistance.

According to the Korean media, Samsung is planning to offer an official IP rating (ingress protection) on more Galaxy A series phones in 2022. This year, the company launched the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 (including variants) with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. In 2022, it will reportedly add water resistance to the Galaxy A33 as well, and everything above it, of course. Meaning, at least the Galaxy A33, A53, and A73 (and their variants) will come with an official IP rating.

The new report doesn’t make it clear what level of water resistance the phones will get. But we hope it’s the same as the 2021 Galaxy A mid-rangers, i.e. IP67. Samsung will reportedly use membrane material and waterproof silicone around holes and ports such as the microphone, speaker, and charging port to keep water and dust out. The company has also simplified some manufacturing processes to reduce the production cost of devices.

Samsung is looking for ways to strengthen its mid-range portfolio

Samsung has big ambitions in the smartphone market in 2022. Along with foldables and flagships, the company also wants to strengthen its low-cost smartphone portfolio, a segment where Chinese rivals have grabbed it by the throat. It reportedly plans to launch the Galaxy A33 and Galaxy A53 in March next year, followed by the Galaxy A23 in April and Galaxy A73 in May. The company is aiming to sell more than 350 million units of these four models combined. And it’s banking on some premium features to drive the sales.

Water-resistance is regarded as a key feature for flagship smartphones but not much for mid-rangers. Even OIS isn’t commonplace among low-cost smartphones just yet. But Samsung is looking to change that next year with the hope that it could help set apart its phones from the competition. Time will tell whether this will help the Korean giant thwart the competition from Chinese rivals.