Samsung Galaxy S9 release date, price, news and rumors
Update: The Samsung Galaxy S9's retail box may have just been caught on camera, complete with a specs list highlighting major changes to the camera and speakers.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 hit stores in early 2017, and the company has now confirmed the next generation flagship phone will be launching in February.
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.
And below all that you'll find our wish list of the various things we most want from Samsung's next flagship.
What's the new Samsung Galaxy S9 news?
A leaked image seemingly showing the Galaxy S9's retail box has revealed a lot of possible specs, including stereo speakers and a camera with a variable aperture.
What will the Samsung Galaxy S9 price be?
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.
What's the Samsung Galaxy S9 release date?
The Galaxy S9 is set to launch in February 2018, but when it'll actually hit shop shelves is a little less clear. We can predict it'll be on sale at some point in March, but we may have to wait a touch longer.
Samsung Galaxy S9 price and release date
Hottest leaks:
- Confirmed to launch at some point in February, probably MWC
- Price is unconfirmed, but expect it to be high
President of Samsung's mobile division, DJ Koh, confirmed in an interview with ZDNet that the Galaxy S9 would be ready to launch at a tradeshow at some point in February this year.
There's only one major tradeshow for mobile phones in February, and that's MWC where Samsung has traditionally revealed its flagship handsets.
Samsung took a break from MWC last year to host its own event for the Galaxy S8 launch, but it looks like the company will probably return to the show in Barcelona for the next generation handset.
That all kicks off on February 26 this year, but Samsung usually goes slightly ahead of the doors opening at the show so we may see it on Sunday February 25.
When the phone will be on sale is less clear, but usually Samsung manages to put its phone on shelves a few weeks after the announcement so hopefully we'll hear about it landing at some point in March 2018.
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.
Samsung Galaxy S9 screen
Hottest leaks:
- An in-screen scanner
- A water-repellent coating
- A 5.8-inch QHD+ screen
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.
An image seemingly showing the Galaxy S9's retail box has also leaked, listing a 5.8-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED screen.
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.
TechRadar's take: The screen is likely to be a similar size to the S8's and will probably retain that phone's 18.5:9 aspect ratio, since that's the new popular form. Don't count on an in-screen scanner though.
Samsung Galaxy S9 design
Hottest leaks:
- Smaller bezels
- A repositioned fingerprint scanner
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. We've also seen another leak that suggests the phone will keep its 3.5mm headphone jack, unlike the iPhone range.
We've taken a look at the website and considering there are so many conceptual images of future Samsung phones on the page detailing the Exynos 9810, we don't believe this is an accurate depiction of the Galaxy S9.
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.
Recently, we've seen yet another leak of renders claiming to show the phone, which seem believable given what we've heard this far.
TechRadar's take: We'd expect a similar design to the S8, but likely with smaller bezels and a repositioned fingerprint scanner. A modular design is very unlikely.
Samsung Galaxy S9 camera
Hottest leaks:
- A variable aperture camera
- A 3D face scanner
- A single-lens camera
When it comes to the camera, the Samsung Galaxy S9 is rumored to have a 12MP Dual Pixel lens with optical image stabilization. That's the same as the Galaxy S8, but more excitingly it might have a variable f/1.5-2.4 aperture.
That means it would be able to switch between f/1.5 (great for low light shots) and f/2.4 (ideal when the lighting is better and you want more of the photo to be in focus).
This rumor comes from a leaked image of the Galaxy S9's box, which also lists it as being 'super speed', having an 8MP front-facing camera and supporting 'super slow-mo'.
This could be the retail box for the Samsung Galaxy S9. Credit: Reddit
That last point is something we've heard rumored before, as 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 the Galaxy S9 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'.
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.
TechRadar's take: New camera modes and features are likely and a 3D face scanner is possible, as is a variable aperture camera, but most evidence suggests the Galaxy S9 won't have a dual-lens camera.
Samsung Galaxy S9 battery
Hottest leaks:
- A bigger, more efficient battery
- 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 suggestsSamsung 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.Wireless charging is all but a given too, since the Galaxy S8 already sports it, and a photo supposedly showing the retail box (above) lists wireless charging.TechRadar's take: Samsung is probably likely to be cautious about packing too big a battery into the phone given what happened with the Note 7, but a slight size increase is possible.
Samsung Galaxy S9 OS and power
Hottest leaks:
- Snapdragon 845 or Exynos 9810 chipset
- Just 4GB of RAM
Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 845, which will likely be powering US versions of the Samsung Galaxy S9.
It's an octa-core chip with four cores running at 2.8GHz and four at 1.8GHz, with the fastest cores delivering up to 30% better performance than the fastest cores in the Snapdragon 835. AI processing and graphics performance have also been improved, while power use has been reduced.
The chipset also allows cameras to record 4K Ultra HD video at 60fps.
Outside of the US, buyers are likely to get Samsung's own Exynos 9810.
It includes an LTE modem which supports theoretical download speeds of 1.2Gbps - faster than any other phone, meaning you could potentially download an HD movie within just 10 seconds.
However, it seems unlikely that we'll get 6GB of RAM inside, which is what many smartphone brands (especially Asian ones) are doing - with Samsung apparently set to stick with the much-more-sensible 4GB spec instead.
That's a claim that's been echoed by a recent benchmark for the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, but the benchmark is questionable
While it lists the Exynos 9810 chipset, which is likely to be used, along with Android Oreo, the actual scores achieved by the phone in the benchmark are far lower than we'd expect from a Samsung flagship, so the listing could be fake.
However, we've heard talk of 4GB of RAM yet again, with another source saying that while the S9 Plus might have 6GB, the standard S9 will have just 4GB, alongside 64GB or 128GB of storage. And that 4GB claim has also appeared on a leaked box photo, above.
TechRadar's take: As unlikely as just 4GB of RAM might seem most of the evidence seems to be pointing in that direction. What we can be more sure of is that you'll get either a Snapdragon 845 or Exynos 9810 chipset (depending on where you are) and that the phone will run Android Oreo.
Samsung Galaxy S9 other features
Hottest leaks:
- An improved iris scanner
- Stereo speakers
Samsung will likely improve the iris scanner ifor the Galaxy S9, with the latest rumors suggesting it will be boosted to 3MP (from 2MP on the S8) and better able to recognize your eyes, even if you wear glasses or the lighting is poor. It will also apparently be faster than on the S8.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 might also have good sound, as there are rumors of it both having AKG stereo speakers and a free set of Bluetooth AKG headphones. Both of those things have now also been listed on an image seemingly showing the phone's box.
We've also seen a Samsung patent for a sensor which would analyze atmospheric conditions and alert you to how much pollution there was in the air.
Plus, one source has also claimed the Dex docking station we saw debut alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will get an update that will make it work more like a charging pad and allow you to type on the screen too. It means you won't need to use a keyboard and mouse when connecting your phone up to a monitor.
And there's evidence that the Galaxy S9 could have a dual-SIM slot, as there's mention of one at the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), though that model might be limited to parts of Asia.
TechRadar's take: With the exception of a pollution monitor all of these features are believable, and the iris scanner upgrades seem especially likely.
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.
ReplyDeletegta 5 apk