Galaxy S9 Leaked Specs: Here's What to Expect

The Galaxy S9 and S9 + will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress, with a special event on February 25, and the new phones will arrive in stores on March 16.

But what should you expect from these two Admiral ships? Similar designs to the current orientation of the Galaxy S8, but with significantly improved cameras, a much more powerful processor and some surprises.

Based on multiple leaks and rumors from multiple sources, including a filtered retail box, here are the specifications for the Galaxy S9 and S9 + at this point. These specifications are not definitive (many things could change by the end of February), but they should give you a good idea of what to expect from Samsung.

Design and Ads
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 + may not look very different from their predecessors and it would not be bad. We loved the designs of the Galaxy S8 and S8 +, thanks to their infinity screens, which go from one end to the other, and the clear resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels on both phones. One change you'll like is that Samsung has to move the fingerprint reader under the lens of the camera so it should be easier to reach without looking. This sensor was located in the S8 to the right of the lens.

The S9 and S9 + should have similar Super AMOLED panels at 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches, respectively. However, we hope that Samsung will be able to increase the brightness and color accuracy on the screens of its new flagships since the iPhone X has exceeded the 8th and 8th S8 on our OLED face-to-face. We also expect that Samsung will leave the headphone jack alone as this feature is an advantage over Apple's product, as well as other flagship Android products like Google Pixel 2 or Motorola Z2 Force.

cameras
We've seen evidence that Samsung "reinvented" the cameras on the Galaxy S9 and S9 +, and recent reports seem to confirm this. In particular, a filtered image of the Galaxy S9 package shows it will have a super-speed dual-pixel camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels. We do not know exactly what super speed means, but we believe that the S9 and S9 + will offer an even faster shot than the S8.

Interestingly, the S9 will apparently have two openings classified f / 1.5 and f / 2.4. This would allow f / 1.5 to be activated in low light conditions. And as reported by ArsTechnica, opening f / 2.4 S9 would allow for a greater depth of field.


The Galaxy S9 + should be even better because it would include a second lens with 2x optical zoom and a portrait format like the Galaxy Note 8. You should also expect a live focus feature that allows you to adjust much of the desired background blurring effect. As with Note 8, you should be able to easily adjust it during recording or after recording.

CPU, RAM, and memory
According to a VentureBeat report, the Galaxy S9 will offer 4GB of RAM and 64GB of standard storage, while the S9 + will grow to 6GB and 128GB. A microSD card slot will still be available for expansion.

The biggest news is the additional but unacknowledged Snapdragon Full 845. Not only will this processor be up to 25% faster than the Snapdragon 835 chip in the S8 Galaxy, it will provide many more benefits.

On the one hand, the 845 processor has an improved image signal processor, which means that the S9 and S9 + should be able to capture images faster, and possibly 480 frames per second slow motion video recording. The 845 chip also offers better HDR photos, which should enable the S9 to compete better with Google Pixel 2.

A faster charge should also be available through the Snapdragon 845 as it is sold as advanced biometric security and ultra-fast Gigabit LTE speed.


Stereo audio jack and headphones
Despite rumors that Samsung may be giving up the headphone jack for the Galaxy S9 and S9 +, recent reports suggest Samsung remains. And that's a good thing, though there are many excellent wireless headphones available for those who want to cut the cable.

Samsung has already demonstrated with the S8 that it can offer a waterproof IP68 design with a 3.5mm plug, and we do not see why Samsung would come into this formula since the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone Jack.

A welcome change from the audio front could be the stereo speakers for both the Galaxy S9 and the S9 +, which are powered by AKG. Samsung has fallen behind in terms of sound quality behind HTC so it would be nice to see that here the company reinforced its game.

Battery life
The Galaxy S9 and S9 + are likely to carry the same size batteries as their predecessors. This is according to the headlines of Android, which states that the S9 will have a 3000 mAh battery and the S9 + a battery of 3500 mAh. However, these phones should be able to last even longer with a fee. That's because Qualcomm promises that the Snapdragon 845 chip GPU will have 30% better energy efficiency. In addition, the 845 processor has four efficiency cores for the A55.

software
It's safe to say that Bixby's assistant on the Galaxy S8 did not set the world on fire. In fact, many lobbied for Samsung has urged to allow users to reassign the Bixby button to another feature. However, it seems that the Galaxy S9 should better integrate the AI Bixby into the common UI, rather than having the functionality somewhat isolated.

According to the leak of Iceiverse, a new Galaxy AI UX will feed the Galaxy S9, which will incorporate more elements of artificial intelligence and machine learning. It is also expected that Samsung will try to leverage the momentum behind Bixby by bringing all of its other devices and electronics together, which was a key issue for the company at CES 2018.

overview
On the surface, the specifications of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 + are not so different from those of the Galaxy S8 and S8 +. But Samsung does not have to make any radical changes. An improved camera, smarter software, a faster processor, a longer battery, and a more robust sound could help Samsung retain the title of the best Android phone and pose a serious challenge to the iPhone X as the best generic phone.