Samsung Galaxy S9: News and rumors

The Galaxy S8 may be the Samsung phone to have right now, but in 2018, it will likely be replaced by another phone in the company’s range, which we’d all expect to be named the Galaxy S9. Although the S8 only began reaching store shelves in the last several months, talk has already begun regarding its successor. It’s very early days, but here’s what’s already being rumored for the next Galaxy phone.

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 being rumored the device will use the next top-of-the-range Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, known at the moment as the Snapdragon 845. Like the Galaxy S8 did with the Snapdragon 835, the Galaxy S9 may get the new chip before other manufacturers.
The deal could already be in place, with a known industry commenter publishing on the Weibo social network saying Qualcomm has agreed to send the initial run of Snapdragon 845 chips to Samsung, ready for the Galaxy S9’s launch in 2018. Samsung had the monopoly on the Snapdragon 835 processor, which powers the Galaxy S8, and chip supply for other manufacturers during the first months of 2017 was low.
It’s not the first time the rumor has spread. A report published by The Investor quoting sources speaking to the Aju Business Daily stated 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 rumor 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, as does the authenticity of the rumor. Apparently, the chip will have eight cores.
Nothing else is known about the Galaxy S9, but we’ll keep you updated here as we hear more. For now though, if you want a new Samsung, phone grab yourself a Galaxy S8, because we’re still up to a year away from seeing a sequel.

Display

The Galaxy S8 set a precedent for Samsung’s flagships with its edge-to-edge curved display. Now it’s 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-sized S9 will feature a 5.77-inch panel, while the bigger S9 Plus will receive 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, very early in the Galaxy S9 rumor 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.
Another interesting aspect of the report claims that Samsung will once again look to tackle on-screen fingerprint recognition with the Galaxy S9. The company failed to incorporate the feature in the Galaxy S8, and may miss the boat on the Galaxy Note 8 as well. The industry has made major strides since Samsung last attempted the feat, however: 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.

Name and release date

Samsung has apparently started developing the Galaxy S9 in earnest, and the code name 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’s also said development has 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, which requires time to integrate. However, no official sources have confirmed this story, therefore treat it as speculation for now.
A release date during the first half of 2018 is anticipated.
Update: Samsung may have signed a deal with Qualcomm for the first run of Snapdragon 845 chips.