Rumors suggest Samsung is well underway with the Galaxy S9 — here’s what we’ve heard and what we want to see from the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 hit stores in early 2017, so it makes sense that we’re hearing about the Samsung Galaxy S9, as it might only be months away.
The rumors are coming thick and fast for what the new phone will look like and feature, so we’ve sifted through to bring you the information you need to know about this incoming phone, as well as answering some key questions.
A photo seemingly showing the Galaxy S9’s back glass has leaked, as have several case renders.
We’re expecting £639 / $725 / AU$1200 based on current projections, as the Galaxy S9 is likely to come in around the same price as its predecessor. Given we’re not expecting massive design changes, we doubt too high a price rise.
We’re expecting a February or March 2018 launch. While recent rumors suggest the S9 will launch in January, that seems too early given people are locked into contract cycles. There was talk that it might be teased at CES in January, before a March launch, but Samsung has now come out and said that any showing of the S9 in January is «unlikely.»
The top leaks suggests the new Samsung Galaxy S9 will be ready to go at MWC 2018 in February 2018. We’ve also heard another rumor pointing to a late February announcement, followed by an early March launch.
Last year’s model was launched later than expected at the end of March, so it’s highly possible Samsung could return to the Barcelona trade show to show off the new model.
Other recent rumors state that — due to the fact the OLED screens likely to be used in the phones are being made earlier than usual — the Galaxy S9 will launch in January, but that would seem far too early for many reasons, not least because people who bought the S8 wouldn’t be eligible to upgrade to it right away.
We had heard that the Galaxy S9 might be teased in January, but then launched a little later, however Samsung has now said that a January tease is «unlikely.»
What we can safely predict is that the Samsung Galaxy S9 is sure to be expensive, as the Galaxy S8 launched at $720, £689, AU$1,199.
The Bell reports unnamed industry sources saying that Samsung has been hard at work on the display panels for the Galaxy S9 since late March 2017. If true, that’s apparently about six months earlier than usual.
As for the form the screen will take, it’s rumored (and likely) to retain the Galaxy S8’s 18.5:9 aspect ratio.
There’s also a good chance it will be the same size as the Galaxy S8, coming in at 5.8 inches, though one rumor puts it at 5.65 inches. It’s also sure to be curved and continue Samsung’s trend of using Super AMOLED, which delivers vibrant visuals and good contrast.
The biggest change could be an in-screen fingerprint scanner, which has been rumored. Notably the new Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensor can sit below quite thick displays, and OLED technology (used in Samsung flagship phones) was specifically mentioned.
Synaptics has also announced an in-screen scanner and mentioned not just OLED but also «infinity display» (which is what Samsung calls the S8’s screen) and that it’s being used on a phone made by a top five manufacturer.
All of that points to the Samsung Galaxy S9 having fingerprint-sensing technology below the glass.
Then again, one tipster claims an in-screen scanner isn’t in the cards, as does another recent report, so don’t count on that feature just yet.
Aside from that, in late 2016 Samsung licensed a new glass coating technology that makes water bounce off your smartphone screen. Samsung plans to include this tech in an upcoming phone, so it may mean the Galaxy S9 is much easier to use in the rain. Watch the video below to see how the technology works.
Recently we’ve seen both a render video and rendered images supposedly showing the Samsung Galaxy S9, and they show a device that looks very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8, albeit with the fingerprint scanner moved beneath the camera lens (but not in-screen as some rumors have suggested).
The front and back both look to use curved glass, the bezels are small and there’s both a 3.5mm headphone port and what’s presumably a Bixby button.
While you can’t tell from these images, the bezels might actually be smaller than on the Galaxy S8, as a source claims the S9 will have around a 90% screen-to-body ratio, up from roughly 84% on the Galaxy S8.
In fact, a leaked image complete with dimensions backs that up, as it suggests that the Galaxy S9 will be marginally shorter than the S8, but will otherwise look similar, albeit with the scanner moved beneath the camera lens, just like in the images above.
This could be what the Samsung Galaxy S9 will look like. Credit: Weibo
A possible alternative could come in the form of a fingerprint scanner built into a notch at the bottom of the screen, a bit like the one on the Essential Phone but at the bottom rather than the top.
That theory is based on a patent which shows exactly that, but patents often don’t get used in products, so it may well not happen.
We’ve also heard that the Galaxy S9 could have a modular design, with magnets on the back letting you attach hardware accessories (which could take the form of battery packs, zoom lenses or any number of other things), a bit like Motorola’s Moto Mods.
Only one source has mentioned this possibility so far, so we’d take it with a huge pinch of salt, but it could be a key selling point of the S9 if true.
And a minor design tweak could come in the form of a new color for the Galaxy S9, with the phone supposedly landing in purple.
When it comes to the camera, the Samsung Galaxy S9 is rumored to be able to shoot some incredible slow motion video.
Industry sources claim Samsung is working on a rear camera that can shoot at 1,000 frames per second, which would be better than anything on the market in a phone right now. We’ve also heard more generally that it will have an upgraded camera system.
It’s possible there could be differences between the cameras on the S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus though, with one source saying that while the S9 Plus will have a dual-lens snapper, the S9 will just have a single-lens one. The sketch above echos that sentiment, as do some case renders.
This cut-out could either house a dual-lens camera or a single-lens and scanner. Credit: Techtastic/Weibo
On the other hand, a leaked backplate apparently for the Galaxy S9 has a cut-out large enough for two camera lenses. Based on previous leaks it’s likely that the lower part of the cut-out will house a fingerprint scanner, but you never know.
Either way, Samsung might offer a new way for you to unlock your phone, with leaker @UniverseIce claiming that the Galaxy S9 will have a ‘3D sensor front camera’.
Galaxy S9 will use 3D sensor front camera October 12,2017
They don’t explain what they mean by that, but it sounds a lot like the iPhone X ‘s Face ID system which allows you to use facial recognition to unlock the phone. And the 3D part suggests that like Apple’s solution it won’t be fooled by a picture. We wouldn’t count on this feature as the information has been limited, but we wouldn’t rule it out either.
We haven’t heard much battery news, but one of the big chipset developments may allow the company to include a much bigger battery. A report suggests Samsung will now use substrate-like PCB tech that will allow the Exynos chipset manufacturer to include a bigger battery without increasing the size of the processor.
That may mean the extra battery won’t be on the Qualcomm Snapdragon-toting Galaxy S9, but it could mean big improvements for those who get the Exynos version.
However, whichever model you get efficiency improvements in the new chipsets should help the battery last longer.
