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What to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

Samsung Galaxy S9

On Sunday, February 25th, Samsung will officially unveil the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the company’s flagship duo for 2018.

The handset, however, is barely a surprise at this point, thanks to the monstrous amount of leaks, mostly courtesy of Evan Blass. That said, ahead of next week’s launch, we’ve compiled all of the rumours and information regarding the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ that Canadians can look forward to.

This is a current spec sheet of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ based on our collection rumours. When the device is officially unveiled the sheet will be updated to reflect the confirmed specs.

Samsung Galaxy S9

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Display

5.8-inch, Super AMOLED display, 18.5:9 aspect ratio

6.2-inch Super AMOLED display, 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 aspect ratio

Processor

Snapdragon 845 (Exynos 9810 in Europe and other regions)

Snapdragon 845 (Exynos 9810 in Europe and other regions)

RAM

4GB of RAM

6GB of RAM

Storage

64GB (expandable up to 400GB)

64GB (expandable up to 400GB)

Dimensions (in.)

147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm

158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5mm

Weight

163g

189g

Rear Facing Camera

12-megapixel (variable: f/1.5 - f/2.4, OIS), dual-LED flash

12-megapixel (variable f/1.5 - f/2.4, OIS) + 12-megapixel (f.2.4, OIS) dual-LED flash

Front Facing Camera

8-megapixel (f/1.7)

8-megapixel (f/1.7)

OS

Android 8.0 Oreo

Android 8.0 Oreo

Battery

3,000mAh

3,500mAh

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Sensors

Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), Intelligent Scan, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2

Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), Intelligent Scan, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2

SIM Type

Nano SIM

Nano SIM

Launch Date

March 16, 2018

March 16, 2018

Misc

Colour: Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple (in Canada) | IP68 water/dust resistant, 18:9 aspect ratio, wireless charging, USB type C

Colours: Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple (in Canada) | IP68 water/dust resistant, wireless charging, USB, type C, Bluetooth 5.0

Display

Samsung Galaxy S9

5.8-inch, Super AMOLED display, 18.5:9 aspect ratio

Samsung Galaxy S9+

6.2-inch Super AMOLED display, 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 aspect ratio

Processor

Samsung Galaxy S9

Snapdragon 845 (Exynos 9810 in Europe and other regions)

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Snapdragon 845 (Exynos 9810 in Europe and other regions)

RAM

Samsung Galaxy S9

4GB of RAM

Samsung Galaxy S9+

6GB of RAM

Storage

Samsung Galaxy S9

64GB (expandable up to 400GB)

Samsung Galaxy S9+

64GB (expandable up to 400GB)

Dimensions (in.)

Samsung Galaxy S9

147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm

Samsung Galaxy S9+

158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5mm

Weight

Samsung Galaxy S9

163g

Samsung Galaxy S9+

189g

Rear Facing Camera

Samsung Galaxy S9

12-megapixel (variable: f/1.5 - f/2.4, OIS), dual-LED flash

Samsung Galaxy S9+

12-megapixel (variable f/1.5 - f/2.4, OIS) + 12-megapixel (f.2.4, OIS) dual-LED flash

Front Facing Camera

Samsung Galaxy S9

8-megapixel (f/1.7)

Samsung Galaxy S9+

8-megapixel (f/1.7)

OS

Samsung Galaxy S9

Android 8.0 Oreo

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Android 8.0 Oreo

Battery

Samsung Galaxy S9

3,000mAh

Samsung Galaxy S9+

3,500mAh

Network Connectivity

Samsung Galaxy S9

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Samsung Galaxy S9+

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Sensors

Samsung Galaxy S9

Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), Intelligent Scan, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), Intelligent Scan, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2

SIM Type

Samsung Galaxy S9

Nano SIM

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Samsung Galaxy S9

March 16, 2018

Samsung Galaxy S9+

March 16, 2018

Misc

Samsung Galaxy S9

Colour: Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple (in Canada) | IP68 water/dust resistant, 18:9 aspect ratio, wireless charging, USB type C

Samsung Galaxy S9+

Colours: Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple (in Canada) | IP68 water/dust resistant, wireless charging, USB, type C, Bluetooth 5.0

Design

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will look nearly identical to the Galaxy S8 and S8+, according to everything we’ve seen so far. Samsung went with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” strategy when designing the new duo of flagships.

The S9 is expected to feature a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with the company’s 18:5:9 aspect ratio. Another rumour points to the Samsung handset utilizing a 5.7-inch display. Further, it’s set to use the same curved display and rounded corners that the company featured in the Galaxy S8.

Samsung has slightly shifted the phone’s top bezel arrangement, according to a leak that suggests the South Korean company will combine the handset’s selfie shooter and iris scanner.

As for the S9+, it will feature a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display. While it’s tipped to feature the same display size as the S8+, the S9+ should be a smaller phone, as previous rumours indicate the handset will include a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio in comparison to the S8+, which only featured an 84 percent screen-to-body ratio. It’ll also feature an 18:5:9 aspect ratio, with a curved display and rounded edges, like the smaller variant.

Unlike the smaller variant, the handset will have a separate iris scanner, making it resemble the S8+ from last year. Included within the top bezel is an SVC LED, a proximity sensor and light sensor, a proximity sensor emitter, and an Iris LED that powers the iris scanner.

Going to the rear, both handsets will use the same back glass from last year. Moreover, the rear of the phone will feature different fingerprint scanner placement. Instead of the highly critiqued placement of the S8’s fingerprint sensor, Samsung will move the sensor to below the camera setup. This makes it more reachable than the S8’s, which was higher up and located right next to the camera lens.

Unpacked S9 invite

The phone will continue to use a Bixby button. It will also feature an aluminum band between the front and back glass panels together. Both devices will also retain their 3.5mm headphone jack. Further, the handset is tipped to feature stereo speakers and will be IP68 water and dust resistance.

As for colours, apart from limited edition variants, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will come in Coral Blue, Midnight Black, Titanium Gray and Lilac Pink, according to Blass.

Display

Both the S9 and S9+ will reportedly use Y-OCTA display technology. The technology integrates the touch layer in the encapsulation layer of the OLED display, rather than using a distinct film-type layer like previous generations of Samsung’s displays.

Y-OCTA was only used on the Galaxy S8, but with the new generation, both the S9 and the S9 + will take advantage of it. Y-OCTA displays are thinner and contain better optical properties.

Otherwise, both the S9 and S9+ will use a Super AMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 pixel resolution, on both handsets.

Camera

According to rumours, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ feature slightly different camera setups.

The Galaxy S9 will likely have a 12-megapixel single lens setup, which isn’t surprising. What’s new here is that the S9 will use a variable aperture.

This aperture can mechanically change between a f/2.4 aperture all the way to a f/1.5 aperture. As you might expect, the smaller aperture lets the handset take crisper, more detailed images, while the wider aperture is perfect for low-light photography.

The Samsung Galaxy S9+, on the other hand, features a dual camera setup. The two 12-megapixel sensors will use different fixed apertures. One lens will have a f/1.5 aperture, while the other is expected to use a f/2.4 aperture.

While some rumours point to 1,000 frames per second, others claim state the handset will use the new ISOCELL camera sensor that tops out at 960 frames per second at 720p quality. While at 1080p, the slow-mo should reach around 460 frames per second.

New features

Rumours point to the S9 lineup combining its iris scanning and facial scanning technology to create what the company calls, “Intelligent Scan.” This is likely Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Face ID. Intelligent Scan should offer better security than the S8’s previous options.

Intelligent Scan will also allow the S9 to use a new animated emojis feature similar to Apple’s animojis. While it’s unknown exactly what the 3D emoji will entail, the company’s latest ad for the phone showcased a 3D character resembling the user.

Availability

Evan Blass tweeted the launch schedule for the Galaxy S9 this past January and was only a day off. The handset will be unveiled on the 25th and not the 26th. Going by his tweet, the pre-orders will be available starting March 1st with a release date of March 16th.

At this point, pricing still remains unclear. In the U.K. it seems the handsets are set to be 100 GBP more than last year’s smartphone. If that is a global increase, then it’s possible the device will cost more than $1,200. However, news stemming from ETNews points to the S9 retailing for 925,000 won in South Korea. If that is the global price, it’ll amount to approximately $1073 CAD for the S9.

With this uncertainty, it’s best to wait until the company officially reveals the product before making any assumptions.

We’ll have more on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ next week when the smartphone is officially revealed. Let us know what you are most excited about for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the comments!

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