There’s a lot we don’t know about the phone, but pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together. Here are all the rumours so far about the next Galaxy phone, a technology website wire.com said.
Design
According to a few recent leaks, the Galaxy S9 will get a pretty major redesign. The first leak comes from Chinese leaker Ice Universe, whose post on Twitter claims that the back of the phone will “change a lot.” What does that mean? Well, it’s obviously a little vague, but it’s likely that the phone will get a dual-sensor camera like the Galaxy Note 8.
Rumors suggest that Samsung has been looking for a way to integrate the fingerprint sensor into the phone’s display, but a new report notes that the company may have ditched those plans. The report comes from South Korean publication, The Investor, and it says that Samsung has been working on an in-display sensor for years — but it reportedly keeps running into technical difficulties that prevent the tech from working properly. Still, that doesn’t mean Samsung isn’t working on an in-display fingerprint sensor at all — on the contrary, the report suggests that its still planning the tech for the Galaxy Note 9.
Another leak from TechDroider basically shows two concept images of the phones, and it looks like the phones are almost identical to the Galaxy S8, save for the near elimination of the phones’ chins. It also shows that Samsung may get rid of the headphone jack — although Ice Universe said in a separate tweet that Samsung will keep the headphone jack.
Software
The Galaxy S9’s software remains a mystery, but a new tip gives an idea of what to potentially expect.
A tweet from Chinese leaker Ice Universe hints that Samsung might have a few new software innovations in the works. While it’s unclear what Galaxy AI UX is exactly, it could be related to artificial intelligence and machine learning. This means the Galaxy S9 may come equipped with a more tailored user experience. With AI, the device will be able to pick up on what goes on around it while it’s being used — which allows it to become smarter. With the Bixby logo underneath, we can only assume that these features will be included in the Bixby assistant.
According to SamMobile, Samsung’s engineering team has kicked off development of two separate sets of firmware for the Galaxy S9, one for the regular-size phone (G960FXXU0AQI5) and the other for the S9 Plus (G965FXXU0AQI5). The code names would appear to confirm the rumoured model numbers, SM-G960 and SM-G965.Camera
As far as the Galaxy S9’s cameras go, the phone could feature dual cameras, with placement similar to the Note 8. But they’re likely to be much more capable.
Samsung is working on a sensor capable of shooting at 1,000 fps, according to a new report published by ETNews. It’s expected to enter mass production in November, months ahead of the Galaxy S9’s rumoured release date — leaving plenty of time for Samsung to incorporate it into the design.
The rumour, if true, would be something of a triumph for Samsung’s imaging division. Sony’s Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ Premium have sensors that can shoot 960 frames per second, the highest of any smartphone. But the Galaxy S9’s sensor would best them.
Specs
The Galaxy S phones are among Samsung’s most powerful devices, and some of the best smartphones you can buy, so we should expect the S9 to follow the tradition. It’s rumoured the phone will use the next top-of-the-range Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, rumoured to be the Snapdragon 845. Like the Galaxy S8 did with the Snapdragon 835, the Galaxy S9 may get the new chip before other manufacturers.
A report from XDA Developers corroborates previous rumours that the Galaxy S9 will not only include the Snapdragon 845, but will be shipped with Android Oreo 8.0. The source also claims the device will have 64 GB of internal storage. Geekbench is reporting the S9 will have 4GB of RAM on board.
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A deal could already be in place — a known industry analyst publishing on the Weibo social network says Qualcomm has agreed to ready an initial batch of Snapdragon 845 chips for the Galaxy S9’s rumoured launch in 2018. Samsung had the monopoly on the Snapdragon 835 processor, as chip supply was low for other manufacturers during the first months of 2017.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard the rumour. A report published by The Investor said Samsung and Qualcomm would team up again for the Galaxy S9, and the new phone may use a next-generation, as-yet-unconfirmed processor.
Little has been said elsewhere about a Snapdragon 845 processor. A rumour originating from a Weibo social network source at the beginning of 2017 said a future Qualcomm chip referred to as the Snapdragon 84x would be revealed during the final three months of 2017. Whether this will end up being an 840 or 845 remains to be seen. Apparently, the chip will have eight cores.
Recently spotted by BGR, a press release for Samsung’s 36 CES 2018 Innovation Awards listed its latest flagship processor as Exynos 9 Series 9810. A report from Geekbench appears to confirm the Exynos 9810 processor. BGR also lists “third-generation custom CPU cores, upgraded GPU, and gigabit LTE modem with industry-first 6CA support. It is built on second-generation 10nm process technology.” This could be the next-generation Galaxy S chip, meaning the Galaxy S9 is likely to receive a 10nm processor instead of 8nm chips.
The press release also listed the Isocell SLIM 2X7 which allows for a thinner camera module. This could also mean that Samsung is planning on making the Samsung Galaxy S and Note flagships even thinner than its predecessors. But Samsung made no references to the Galaxy S9 in its announcement, so it’s still unclear if the innovations listed on its press release will apply to the device.
Display
The Galaxy S8 set a precedent for Samsung’s flagships with its edge-to-edge curved display. It was recently reported that the company has decided on screen sizes for the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus.
The news comes from South Korean publication The Bell, by way of The Investor, and claims the regular-size S9 will feature a 5.77-inch panel, while the bigger S9 Plus will sport a 6.22-inch screen. Those sizes may sound familiar, because they’re exactly the same as the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.
After the Galaxy S8’s significant leap forward, it’s not terribly surprising Samsung would play it safe in the Galaxy S9, refining its display tech rather than revolutionizing it. It’s very early in the Galaxy S9 rumour cycle, however, and as Apple has shown with the multitude of display technologies surrounding its upcoming iPhone 8, there’s time for those plans to change — if they’re even true at all.
The industry has made major strides since Samsung last attempted the feat. Vivo presented a public demo of the first-ever device with on-screen scanning in June, and Qualcomm hashed out serious plans about letting manufacturers sample their implementation of the tech before the end of the year.
While the device will retain the same shape and form as past Galaxy devices, it’s still unclear whether it will include the rounder Galaxy S8 display or if it’ll mimic the squared-off shape of the Note 8’s screen.
Galaxy S9 Mini
According to a recent tip, Samsung could also be working on a full-screen compact smartphone. With the Samsung Galaxy S9 confirmed, this could very well be the Galaxy S9 Mini. Unfortunately, the tipster — Ice Universe — wasn’t able to confirm the unit’s identity but did describe the device to have a small, full screen that’s less than 5 inches.
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Code names and release date
Samsung apparently started developing the Galaxy S9 in earnest, and the codename it has given the device has been leaked by The Bell. According to the report, the Galaxy S9 is code-named Star, and a larger version of the phone, which we can assume is the S9 Plus, is known as the Star 2. It is rumoured that development started several months earlier than it did for the Galaxy S8, which may imply either an earlier release date or the inclusion of new features and technology that require time to integrate. No official sources have confirmed this story.
While a previous report from VentureBeat said Samsung may preview the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2018, further reporting from The Korea Herald has indicated that Samsung may not be looking to showcase the device at the trade show in order to compete with the iPhone X. Samsung’s statement seems deliberately vague, so it may be a decision has not yet been made. Regardless of CES appearances, it still appears Samsung will formally launch both phones in March, as there are already press events planned.
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