Samsung Galaxy S9: New leaks "confirm" key features
What's the story
With the new year just around the corner, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ are nearing launch.
Fresh leaks have surfaced online that seem to reveal and confirm a lot of features of the next Galaxy devices.
The leaks are pouring in from reliable sources, including accessories retailer MobileFun, case maker Olixar (camera, fingerprint-scanner placement), SlashLeaks (Geekbench tests), and SamMobile (battery information).
Here's more!
Latest Leaks
It's confirmed! No under-display fingerprint reader
The latest reports suggest Galaxy S9 will have a 5.8-inch display and S9+ will sport a 6.2-inch display.
Also, there would be no front-facing fingerprint sensor embedded into the Infinity Edge display, which will have bezels that are "fractionally" smaller than that on S8/S8+.
The Galaxy S9 would have a bigger 3200mAh battery than S8's 3000mAh battery; battery information about S9+ is unknown.
Performance
What does the Geekbench listing reveal?
A Samsung device with model number SM-G965U1 (purportedly Galaxy S9) was spotted on Geekbench. The single and multi-core scores were 20% and 30% more, respectively, compared to Galaxy S8.
The upcoming octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC will power S9/S9+. Samsung Exynos processor variant would be available outside the US.
Galaxy S9 may come in 4GB/6GB RAM options, but S9+ will have only 6GB RAM.
Camera Placement
Cameras, fingerprint reader repositioned centrally
MobileFun has listed many cases for Galaxy S9/S9+ from Olixar, revealing the camera information.
Galaxy S9 would have a single primary camera (allegedly 16MP) while S9+ would have a dual rear camera setup (expected to be 16MP+16MP).
The camera(s) and the fingerprint scanner (heart rate sensor) are aligned vertically in the center. The flash is located on the right side of the camera(s).
Information
Headphone jack retained
Samsung is retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack on Galaxy S9/S9+; the cutouts for the same are visible in the Olixar mobile case renders. Also, the Bixby button would also be present. Geekbench listing shows the devices are testing with Android 8 Oreo.
Variants
Three Galaxy S9 variants to be launched
Previous reports claimed Galaxy S9 could be the first device to have 512GB internal storage.
Reports also said that three Galaxy S9 variants are in the making: regular Galaxy S9, bigger Galaxy S9+, and a 4-inch mini Galaxy S9.
It is expected to come in new colors like purple, black, gold, and blue along with the regular silver and grey variants.
Information
Galaxy S9 to have improved iris scanner
Apart from these specs and features, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy devices are expected to continue having the IP68 water and dust resistance. Also, they are expected to come with an upgraded iris scanner, Samsung's popular biometric security feature.
Competition
Can Samsung Galaxy S9 take on iPhone X?
Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S9 series in February 2019 and then release it globally in March.
Experts say the South Korean tech giant is "keen" to react to the pressure from the latest Apple iPhone X.
But headphone jack retention and other exciting features would give it an edge over the iPhone X and other rivals.