Samsung might plan on introducing the upcoming Galaxy S9 flagship series during an earlier-than-usual launch event, at least according to a recent tweet from industry leakster Ricciolo who has a fairly accurate track record. The source also adds that the next model will take advantage of a dual camera setup, and will have a few new “tricks” up its sleeve similar to the iPhone X’s. Exactly what this implies is unknown, and the vagueness leaves room for quite a few possibilities, ranging from the inclusion of a Face ID-like feature building on top of Samsung’s existing Iris Scanner to the omission of a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 will reportedly feature a dual camera configuration making it the first flagship in the series to adopt this characteristic. The device will also be faster than the ongoing models, which is a given for a brand new flagship phone set to succeed its predecessors, however, the Galaxy S9 will reportedly attempt to combat one of its biggest rivals – the iPhone X – by adopting new features similar to Apple’s own flagship. Now, there have been reports to suggest that Samsung is looking for ways to relocate the rear-fitted fingerprint scanner onto the front of the device, and one way to achieve this on a full-screen panel is to hide the sensor behind the display in an area unpopulated by pixels. This notch, as it were, could be similar in terms of looks to the Apple iPhone X’s front-facing camera housing in that it would sacrifice a small part of the display surface. On the other hand, Samsung’s “new features” or “tricks” said to share similarities with the iPhone X’s might translate into the lack of a fingerprint sensor replaced altogether by a Face ID-like feature. Samsung already implemented the Iris Scanner on the Galaxy Note series and in theory the OEM could continue to improve this feature to the point where using it would be more convenient than relying on the fingerprint scanner.
It’s not clear what other “tricks” the Galaxy S9 might borrow from the iPhone X given that Samsung’s flagship is already wrapped in glass to provide wireless charging support, and has a decent IP rating for dust and water resistance. It has been previously rumored that the upcoming model will ditch the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and while this could be described as a move that follows in Apple’s footsteps, it arguably doesn’t count as an upgraded feature for many Android smartphone users. As for the Samsung Galaxy S9’s potential early market launch, this could be a way for the Korean tech company to try and maintain its market supremacy in the wake of the iPhone X’s launch. Historically speaking the ongoing Galaxy S8 as well as the 2015 Galaxy S6 have been announced in the month of March prior to an April market launch, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S7 was indeed released a month earlier than usual in March of 2016 following a February unveiling.
Yes you'll see an earlier announcement of #GalaxyS9 with dual cam,"faster"and with some new"tricks"(they say) ala #iPhoneX 🧙♂️ pic.twitter.com/T0ZJlhS0L4
— Ricciolo (@Ricciolo1) November 13, 2017