The buildup to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Tab S8 series on February 9 was nothing short of climactic. As expected, the pre-order gates were cast open, and the relentless barrage of purchases started pouring in (so much that the company had to temporarily halt pre-orders for the tablets). The announcement saw the official S22 release date pegged at February 25, by which time the first wave of pre-order shipments should have landed on consumers’ doorsteps. As you’d expect, the devices are indeed arriving right on schedule, but not for everyone.
Making the rounds are anecdotes that some people are already getting their pre-orders while others are slated to arrive early. Our own Zachary Kew-Denniss got an email pushing his delivery forward by a whopping four days. Redditors on an S22 ordering megathread are reporting the same, with many people saying their new phone is estimated to arrive as early as the 21st or 22nd. If you’ve been pre-ordering phones, this shouldn't come as a surprise — aside from the bonuses and discounts, it offers a chance to get it as soon as possible.
The real bombshell is that the early deliveries seem to be for those who placed their pre-orders shortly after the announcement. Those who ordered a Galaxy S22 in the past few days are likely to have shipment dates in late March and early April, depending on color and storage options, as initial supply tightens. A few Redditors on the same thread are getting estimated delivery dates as late as March 28 and April 1st, more than a month after the retail release. In one rather eye-catching, anomalous comment, a person said their expected delivery date got pushed back to May 2nd.
Looking at the thread, the overwhelming majority seem to be getting their devices early, though the company's US pre-order page indicates that shipping could be delayed for select models due to exceptionally high demand. At this point, it’s safe to say that if you haven’t pre-ordered, your best bet to get your device early is to wait for the retail launch later this month — you’ll miss out on those juicy pre-order offers, though.