The Samsung Galaxy S9 release date is closer than ever. February 25 is a date when Samsung lovers will behold the refined sequel to last year's Samsung Galaxy S8 and already certain stunning features of the Android smartphone has been exposed.
The Galaxy S9 camera which has been referred to as "The Camera. Reinvented," could beat the top-of-the-line Google Pixel 2 camera if it includes a variable aperture or becomes adds the world's first camera that can capture Mobile HDR video.
Samsung trademarked a new material that's strong and light, so there's a chance that will be used in the upcoming phone.
Galaxy S9 is likely to come in around £639 / $725 / AU$1200 based on current projections, as the Galaxy S9 is likely to go for the same price as its predecessor. Given that massive design changes are not expecting, there shouldn't be too high a price rise.
GALAXY S9 SCREEN
• 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.
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.
GALAXY S9 DESIGN
• Smaller bezels
• A repositioned fingerprint scanner
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.
Samsung has trademarked a new material called 'Metal 12' which is light and strong, so there's a chance this could be used in the S9, but it probably needs more development, so we doubt it.
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.
GALAXY S9 CAMERA
• A variable aperture camera
• A single-lens camera
• Super slow motion video
• Mobile HDR video recording
• The Galaxy S9 camera is going to be a key feature of Samsung's phone this year, and not because of a dual-lens camera or higher megapixels.
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.
GALAXY S9 BATTERY
• A 3,000mAh battery
• More power efficiency
The latest battery rumor comes from a certificate supposedly originating from Brazil's telecom regulator Anatel, which shows the Galaxy S9's battery as being 3,000mAh, the same size as the Galaxy S8's.
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
• 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.
Galaxy S9 Other Features
• An improved iris scanner
• Stereo speakers
Samsung will likely improve the iris scanner for 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.
