Samsung Galaxy S9: Everything you really need to know
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is the next big thing for Samsung, and there’s already no shortage of hype – especially now that Apple has released its new flagship, the iPhone X. How are the two likely to compare? In this article, we’ll tell you all you need to know about the Galaxy S9, including:
- What’s the latest Galaxy S9 news?
- When is the Galaxy S9 release date?
- What will be new about the Galaxy S9 design and specs?
- What will be the Galaxy S9 price?
UPDATE: Samsung has finally confirmed that the S9 will be announced on February 25 – that’s the day before MWC starts. The tweet, which you can see below, teases a big focus on the camera.
Samsung has moved from strength to strength, and is arguably the most successful Android phone maker of the year. The company is consistently turning out high-quality flagship phones that always review well in our own tests, so it’s fair to say we’re excited to see what’s next.
The working theory is that Samsung plans to release a new top-end phone called the Samsung Galaxy S9 in the early part of 2018 – we’ll go into more specifics on launch timing further down this page. The handset is expected to introduce a number of hardware and software upgrades, and possibly even a new design.
Read on for a full guide on what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S9, or scroll down to the bottom of the page for a very brief summary of the key details. Our latest update features new details on the Galaxy S9’s release date and its likely battery spec.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Release Date: When will the Galaxy S9 come out?
We’ve been waiting for a while, but it now seems like we have our first real Galaxy S9 release date leak, courtesy of respect mobile tipster Evan Blass, aka @evleaks.
In a recent tweet, Blass posits that the Galaxy S9 will indeed – as we’ve been privately predicting for some time now – be unveiled at MWC 2018 in Barcelona. However, we reckon the big reveal could actually take place a day before Blass thinks, on February 25, 2018.
Why? Well, while Blass points a February 26 Samsung event, the nature of the mobile accessory supply chain means it’s likely that his mystery insider is based near Samsung’s South Korean base. Because of time difference, an evening event in Barcelona on Sunday, February 25 would be the morning of Monday, February 26 in Seoul, and therefore makes quite a bit of sense.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Design and Display: What will the Galaxy S9 look like?
Esteemed tipster Evan Blass took to Twitter to share a render (below) of the front of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus on January 26, seemingly corroborating rumours claiming they’ll sport a near-identical design to last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus | Image: Evan Blass / Twitter
Here are some of the key Galaxy S9 display and design tip-offs.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Specs and Features: What’s new?
We won’t hear much information about finer Samsung Galaxy S9 details for a while, but given the long run-up to a processor launch, we already have a good idea about what to expect in terms of the Galaxy S9’s CPU.
Samsung phones typically ship with two different chips, either of which will be selected for a certain market region where the phone will be on sale. You’ll either get a Samsung-built Exynos chipset, or a Qualcomm-designed Snapdragon chipset.
The Snapdragon 845 chip has already been confirmed by Qualcomm, and will once again be manufactured by Samsung’s chip-making division. It will be built on an efficient 10nm process, just like the Snapdragon 835 before it.
The 10nm chip architecture denotes the manufacturing process, and simply refers to the distance between each transistor – those are the tiny electronic switches that enable computing tasks to take place. A smaller number is better, because it means you can fit more transistors onto a single chip, paving the way for more power and better power efficiency overall.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 ran on a 10nm chip, which is already seriously efficient – so we’d expect similar capabilities from the new model.
Also interesting was a report in late August from Ice Universe suggested that Samsung would be hoarding 2018’s initial supply of Snapdragon 845.
Last year, Samsung was accused of buying up the early Snapdragon 835 stock – a processor that Samsung’s own chip-making arm manufactured for Qualcomm – for the Galaxy S8 in North America, forced LG to utilise last year’s Snapdragon 821 for the LG G6, with other phone makers like Sony and HTC allegedly having to delay their flagship handsets in order to acquire Snapdragon 835 units.
According to Ice Universe, it seems we’ll be seeing a similar story play out in 2018, but there’s no proof yet.
The other big news is that the Asian, European and Middle Eastern variant of the Galaxy S9 is going to pack Samsung’s recently-announced Exynos 9810 chipset, which features an octa-core setup, as well as a standalone security management unit that’s complete with an enhanced face-tracking engine for improved face recognition.
It’s also equipped with the industry’s first Cat. 18 LTE modem for faster data transmission (up to 1.2Gbps); a dedicated imaging processing unit, capable of shooting 4K Ultra HD video at an eye-watering 120fps; and a deep learning-based artificial intelligence software.
The Cat.18 6CA-supported LTE modem is 20% faster than last year’s and will likely make it into select regional versions of the Galaxy S9, including the variant that’s set to hit the shelves in the United Kingdom. Samsung says the modem will make the most of existing 4G networks and help set the stage for 5G.
“With the increase of high-quality online content services, the demand for high-performance LTE modems continue to rise as well,” said Woonhaing Hur, VP of LSI Protocol Development.
“The 1.2Gbps maximum downlink speed with 6CA support highlights Samsung’s leading design capabilities and well positions Samsung for the upcoming 5G era.”
One last spec titbit is the rumoured inclusion of an environmental sensor. This rumour can be traced to a patent application filed by Samsung in South Korea, which describes a sensor that could be built into smartphones and measure the amount of harmful particles in the air – expect depressing readouts in London, folks.
Finally, we expect that the Samsung Galaxy S9 will run on Google’s new Android Oreo software, which you can read about here: Android 8.0 Oreo.
As far as accessories go, the firm’s reportedly working on a second-generation version of its DeX desktop accessory, which is rumoured to launch alongside the Galaxy S9.
Not a great deal is known about the unit, other than that it can lie flat, leading us to believe that you’ll be able to use your handset’s high-resolution edge-to-edge Infinity Display as a touchpad or virtual keyboard, thus eliminating the need to lug around a – wired or wireless – mouse or keyboard.
Elsewhere, a recent filing with Brazilian telecoms regulators seems to reveal that both the S9 will pack the same 3000mAh capacity battery as its predecessor – though chipset improvements are likely to mean it will still benefit from added stamina. If that’s the case, expect the Galaxy S9+ to also sport the same, slightly beefier 3500mAh cell as the S8+, though this information is purely based on a leak and we can’t independent verify it.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Price: How much will the Galaxy S9 cost?
Samsung Galaxy S9 price leaks are in short supply for now, but we can take a good guess at retail pricing.
For a start, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were available at £689 and £779, respectively, when they launched in 2017. We’d be very surprised if the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ were any cheaper, and our money is on them matching the price.
The Galaxy Note 8 launched at an even pricier £869, but we don’t think the base variant of the Galaxy S9 will go that high. The Note phones are typically powerhouse handsets that include bonus features – like an S-Pen stylus – that jack up the price, so we’re more convinced by pricing estimates of between £649 and £799 for the new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Summary: What to expect
Here’s an in-brief look at what to expect from the Galaxy S9 when it launches:
Samsung Galaxy S9 Release Date: The Galaxy S9 will almost certainly be announced at MWC 2018, with the smart money on February 25-26. It should be available shortly after launch.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Design, Specs and Features: The main rumours include a new display that’s curved on all four sides, and a powerful new 10nm processor that could increase performance and power efficiency.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Price: Expect to pay somewhere between £649 and £799 for the new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.
Galaxy S9 specifications
As far as technical details go, we are expecting the Galaxy S9 to come with processors from both Qualcomm and Samsung's own semiconductor branch. US models should come with a Snapdragon 845, and the global S9 will have a SoC based on Samsung's second-generation 10-nanometer process. It is not known yet what number Samsung will slap on their own Exynos chip.
Memory-wise, we're expecting Samsung to continue the path set by the Galaxy Note 8. In other words, we're expecting no less than 6GB of RAM in the Galaxy S9. And though it is not known, we do not expect Samsung to raise the base model's storage above 64GB just yet.
Galaxy S9 design
As Samsung launched the impressive 'Infinity' look of the Galaxy S8, it was clear this is not just a one-off design gimmick. And indeed, the Note 8 is based on the same blueprint. Knowing Samsung, the next generation of devices will not change too much on this front. Therefore, the Galaxy S9 will once again come with the trusted dual-edge display, no home key, and a panel that covers an impressively large part of the phone's front.
Unfortunately, at the moment it does not seem like the fingerprint sensor will make its way to the display. Although Samsung has taken a lot of slack for putting it on the back of the Galaxy S8, we actually still think it is a pretty convenient place. It takes some getting used to though. And as the iris scanner gets faster and better, there will be less need to use it anyway.
Galaxy S9 display
Concerning the display of the Galaxy S9 only one question matters. Will the device bring the long-awaited bump in resolution to a 4K UHD pixel count? This step is needed in order to evolve not only the visual experience of Samsung's flagship phones but the Gear VR ecosystem as well. At this point in time, however, tangible details have yet to emerge.
Galaxy S9 camera
Since the Galaxy Note 8 brought the biggest improvement to Samsung's camera game in two years, the Galaxy S9 will probably rock a comparable dual cam setup. In order to keep up with competition, Samsung might increase aperture, optical zoom or widen the angle of view, but that is just speculation on our part. However, we do expect more details to emerge before this year is over.
Galaxy S9 software
In 2017, the Galaxy S8 was released with the Samsung Experience UX, formerly known as TouchWiz, version 8.1. The Note 8 came out with version 8.5, so it is not hard to spot the pattern. Or at least, it would not be a long shot to expect the Galaxy S9 to be released with SE 9.0. Needless to say, the S9 will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, just because this is how Samsung does these things.
As for specific features, there is no doubt the Galaxy S9 will have the same App Pairfunction seen on the Note 8. With App Pair, you can add shortcuts to the phone's edge display, that bring up not one, but two apps in multi-window mode.
It is, of course, likely Samsung will have more tricks up her sleeve for the Galaxy S9. However, more details will have to come to light in the coming months.
Galaxy S9 battery
The same applies to the Galaxy S9's battery. It will be interesting to see where Samsung takes the mobile battery game. The company has famously burned its fingers on the Note 7 in 2016, opting for a more conservative approach in 2017's flagship devices. Will we see the Galaxy S9 pushing capacity boundaries once again? Or do the Koreans now primarily seek longevity through further optimization of hard- and software? It will be the S9 providing the answer.
Galaxy S9 release
We may bring this Galaxy S9 rumor overview early, but we did not beat the first rumors about the phones' supposed earlier-than-usual release. Thus, a January launch could be in the books, followed by a launch soon after. Needless to say, we remain skeptical about any such rumors, as all Galaxy flagships have been preceded by fierce rumors about an early release.
Looking at actual Galaxy S release dates, however, we expect a launch late-February or early March. With a global release following sometime between mid-March and late-April.
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