The United States Federal Communications Commission certified two Samsung-made devices that are widely believed to be the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, as suggested by a set of documents published by the regulator on Wednesday. The Galaxy S9 is identified by the model number SM-G960F, whereas the Galaxy S9 Plus is also known as the SM-G965F. Both variants of the newly approved handsets are believed to be of the unlocked variety, whereas carrier-specific versions are yet to receive approval from the FCC. Samsung applied for having its upcoming Android flagships certified in mid-November, with the documentation itself not revealing any particular details about the devices as it even lacks a traditionally included design sketch.
Regardless, the appearance of the Galaxy S9 series in the FCC’s database suggests the handsets are now close to being ready for a commercial release in the U.S., at least from a certification standpoint. According to a wide variety of reports, leaks, and rumors that emerged online in recent months, the Galaxy S9 lineup won’t be a significant departure from the Galaxy S8 family and will instead be positioned to deliver a refined user experience that’s more likely to prompt more consumers to embrace Samsung’s bezel-less devices than it is to convince existing owners of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus to upgrade. That isn’t to say the next-generation flagships from Samsung won’t introduce some innovations but the majority of them will be relatively incremental in nature and reserved for the larger Galaxy S9 Plus, whereas the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 is understood to be nearly identical to its direct predecessor save for having a better system-on-chip.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S9 Plus should have 6GB of RAM as opposed to 4GB and adopt a dual-camera setup similar to the one featured by the Galaxy Note 8, though with two sensors arranged in a vertical manner. Samsung is widely expected to officially announce its Android 8.0 Oreo-powered flagships at Mobile World Congress 2018 which is starting in late February, with both devices being rumored for an early March release. Pricing details of the Galaxy S9 lineup remain unclear but the series is likely to start at around $700.