The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a new color option, Bora Purple, which reminds us that since the phones look and work more alike, it’s the design accents that matter.
The name is derived from the Korean word for “purple”, which means the actual name of the color could be “purple purple”. However, for Samsung, a South Korean company, the term also refers to creativity and “joy awakening”.
Looking at and holding the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Bora Purple phone, I notice not so much the joy or the creative vibes, but a distinct fuchsia presence. I mean, this color is not a deep purple, but a softer, fuchsia blend, the kind you might use as a wallcovering.
Colors can provoke feelings and the Bora Purple Galaxy S22 has a lighter, perhaps livelier look than the Phantom Black, which looks bold and a little intimidating. There are now five color options in total: along with the new Bora Purple and the aforementioned Black, there’s Phantom White (a bold choice if it’s not summer), Pink Gold (which reminds me of a Rose Gold) and the lovely, rich Green I tested earlier this year.
Aside from a new color, there are no differences in design, function, features or specs between this new option and the original quad.
In case you forgot, the flagship Samsung Galaxy S22 launched in February has a 6.1-inch dynamic AMOLED display, a triple camera array on the back (50MP, 12MP, 10MP), a 10MP selfie camera on the front, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 8GB RAM and a 5G option. It’s a great phone, albeit a little small, and it doesn’t quite compare to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, especially in the camera space.
Now, does Fuschia – I mean Bora Purple – fundamentally change how I feel about the phone? Not. But for Samsung, adding a color option is like opening the door to another segment of customers who, while possibly impressed by the S22, weren’t inspired by the original color choices. Maybe they thought, “If only it came in purple.” Well now he does.
The color is clear and prominent on the back of the glass and fainter on the metal housing of the camera array. It also appears in a subtle, easy-to-miss tone in the steel band around the chassis that I could see more clearly when I compared the new color phone to its brethren.
I already recommended the S22 in my review. A new color increases a little? Of course. But it’s a lovely tone that should make someone who needs a little Bora in their lives very happy.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 in Bora Purple arrives August 10, Samsung Unbox Day, at the same prices as all other S22s: $799 / £769 / AU$1,249 (AT&T, T-Mobile, UScellular, Verizon and Xfinity Mobile).