Galaxy S9 and S9+: What to expect from Samsung’s new flagships

Samsung is once again pulling out all the stops for its new Galaxy S9 that is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2018. Being perhaps the oldest, most equipped flagship of 2017, the S8 has gracefully aged, still keeping up well with other phones on the same price-spectrum. The S9’s release, specifications and body have all been speculated upon – here is the round-up:

 Display

Considering that the S8 was marvelled at for its infinity display that was edge to edge, with barely any bezels on the top and bottom, the new S9 is supposedly going to feature even lesser bezels, with an 89-90 screen-to-body ratio. We can expect the phone to similar features to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2’s front as well. The new S9 and S9+ will also feature the screen sizes as the current generation S8 and S8+.

Specifications

The phones will likely be the first to be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset when they are release, with an alternate Exynos chipset embedded, for other regions.  The differences between the S9 and the S9+ models will also lie in the RAM, where the S9 will feature 4GB and the S9+ will feature 6GB. Both models will also come with 64GB of internal storage with expansion for microSD and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Samsung is sticking to its tried and trusted formula by keeping the core, most primary modules unchanged. Having said that, rumours circulating also point out that the company will not come with the screen fingerprint recognition, which was highly anticipated in the Galaxy S8 phones.

DeX is also going to be given an overhaul this time around, with backwards compatibility in the form of a new dock that allows the phone to be laid flat and allows the phone to be used as a touchpad and a keyboard. New users will be delighted that the new phones will also come packed with AKG stereo speakers on-board, based on recent rumours. Samsung might also be added a neural engine within the phone separately, for better performance of AI functions.

Camera

Optically, the S9 and S9+ should have noticeable camera upgrades, likely coming with the Note 8’s very capable camera on-board. The new cameras will also be capable of shooting at 1,000 frames/second. The cameras are also going to be laid out vertically, this time around, keeping the fingerprint sensor just below them – a move that will also be appreciated by many.

Launch

The two S9 phones are touted to be seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, where the company will show off the phones, which is slightly earlier than expected for a Samsung flagship, with an official release of the phone happening in March.

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