The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus will be unveiled on February 25, 2018 at Mobile World Congress. Enhanced hardware and new facial recognition
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are taking shape. Samsung has decided to anticipate the times and launch its first top of the range Android of 2018 at the end of February (on February 25 or 26 according to the latest rumors) during the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona (the international trade fair dedicated to mobile devices).
Rumors about the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus released in recent weeks have allowed to outline in broad strokes the characteristics of the two smartphones. Compared to last year's model, there should be no major differences. The Galaxy S8 was one of the best smartphones of 2017 and paved the way for all the borderless devices that came out in the following months. From a design perspective, the Galaxy S9 won't show any major changes, Samsung will only try to reduce the top and bottom bezels to leave more space for the Infinity Display. Here's what the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will look like.
Features Galaxy S9
In comparison to last year, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will not only differ in screen size. According to the latest rumors, the two devices will have a data sheet with some differences. The Galaxy S9 will mount the Exynos 9810 chipset (as performance and architecture very similar to the Snapdragon 845) supported by 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage (expandable with a microSD). The screen will be a 5.8-inch Infinity Display (with slightly rounded sides) with QuadHD resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. From a design point of view, the percentage of the screen should exceed 85% of the space present in the front.
Turning to the photographic compartment, the Galaxy S9 will have an 8 Megapixel front camera that will integrate a new sensor for 3D face scanning (FaceID style) and a rear photo sensor with a 1.5 focal aperture that will allow you to change the aperture before the shot in a similar way to DSLRs coming up to F/2.4. The rear will also feature the fingerprint sensor, which will be position under the camera. The battery will be 3200 mAh and will support fast charging. Next to the USB Type-C port will also find place the 3.5mm audio jack.
Features Galaxy S9+
The "+" will not only stand for the larger size of the device, but the Galaxy S9 Plus will have better technical features than its little brother. The smartphone will mount the Exynos 9810 chipset supported by 6GB of RAM. As for the storage space, four options will be available: 64GB/128GB/256GB/512GB (the last one will only be available in some countries). The screen will be 6.2 inches with a QuadHD resolution and an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Again, Samsung will try to file down the bezels as much as possible to leave room for the display.
The Galaxy S9 Plus's photo compartment will consist of a dual rear camera with a focal aperture of 1.5 and with optical image stabilizer and an 8-megapixel front lens. Due to more space available, the facial recognition sensor will be separate from the front camera. The main photo sensor will have a special technology that will allow you to record videos in super slow motion (480fps) with a FullHD resolution. None of the smartphones on the market can guarantee such quality (the Sony XZ Premium allows you to record videos at 960fps, but with a lower resolution). The new ISOCELL sensor (this is the name chosen by Samsung) will also allow you to take more defined images in low light conditions.
The Galaxy S9 Plus will mount the new SLP motherboard that will allow you to mount larger batteries, For this reason, the battery of the Galaxy S9 Plus will be 3500mAh. Also here will find place the 3.5mm audio jack.
The new features of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus
If under the point of view of design and technical features are few new features introduced by Samsung, the same can not be said for the functionality. The South Korean company has invested a lot in facial recognition and some applications designed specifically for users.
With regard to facial recognition Samsung has developed a system very similar to that of the iPhone X. The technology developed by the South Korean company is called Intelligent Scan and should simultaneously use both face and iris scanning to improve the security of the device. Thanks to this new system, unlocking via the face should work even in low-light conditions.
Samsung has also developed a new app for monitoring physical activity. The Health app will allow people to keep tabs on their vitals and daily workouts. Una funzionalità molto richiesta dagli utenti che utilizzano lo smartphone durante l’attività fisica per ascoltare la musica: in questo modo potranno raccogliere anche i dati sull’allenamento.
Chipset Exynos 9810: le novità
Una delle novità più importanti del Samsung Galaxy S9 è il nuovo chipset Exynos 9810. Il processore, oltre a garantire una maggior potenza, metterà a disposizione alcune nuove funzionalità che andranno a migliorare lo smartphone.
- Download più veloci. Il SoC integra un modulo LTE Cat 18 che supporta una velocità di download fino a 1.2Gbps. Si tratta di un altro passo verso il 5G e che permette al Galaxy S9 di essere utilizzato anche nei visori VR.
- Audio migliorato. Il Galaxy S9 e il Galaxy S9 Plus avranno un doppio speaker che associato al nuovo chipset garantirà una riproduzione dell’audio migliore. Samsung ha ottimizzato anche il consumo della batteria.
- Intelligenza artificiale. Con l’Exynos 9810 Bixby dovrebbe fare un salto di qualità. Questo è quanto promette Samsung. L’intelligenza artificiale dell’azienda sudcoreana sarà in grado di riconoscere gli oggetti nelle foto e sarà molto più utile agli utenti durante la vita quotidiana.
Accessori Galaxy S9: la DeX Pad
Lo scorso anno, insieme al Galaxy S8, l’azienda sud-coreana presentò anche il Samsung DeX, un accessorio che permette di collegare lo smartphone a uno schermo e di utilizzarlo in modalità desktop, come se fosse un computer. Per il Galaxy S9, Samsung ha pronto una versione 2.0 della sua docking station: la DeX Pad. Si tratta di un accessorio dove collegare lo smartphone e che permette di utilizzarlo in modalità orizzontale, come se fosse un touchpad o una tastiera virtuale. Il dispositivo ha una porta USB Type-C dove collegare lo smartphone e due porte USB di Tipo A, dove si potranno collegare delle periferiche esterne (tastiera, chiavetta USB). In addition, there is also the HDMI output to connect the DeX Pad to a screen. The docking station will also have a cooling system to not overheat the Galaxy S9's internal circuits when used in desktop mode. No news regarding the official price.
Price and release date Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus
As anticipated at the beginning, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be presented during the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona. According to the latest rumors spread by Evan Blass, Samsung is organizing an event for February 26, the opening day of the fair. But it is not excluded that the South Korean company anticipates the presentation by a day. The pre-order phase will open on March 1, while the market release is set for March 16.
The prices of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus have also been revealed. The base model of the Galaxy S9 will have a list price of 899 euros, while to buy the Galaxy S9 Plus you will need to spend 1049 euros.