Samsung’s Galaxy S9 is already a contender for the title of the most widely leaked 2018 smartphone, having been spotted on dozens of occasions in recent months, both in renders and real-life images. Yet another photograph of the handset’s front panel now emerged on the Internet and is in line with previous reports about the upcoming flagship which Samsung appears to be positioning as an incremental upgrade over the Galaxy S8 lineup. While initial rumors suggested the South Korean tech giant may be looking to break the 90 percent mark with the screen-to-body ratio of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, later depictions of the handsets indicated the opposite, having shown devices that are largely identical to their predecessors in terms of aesthetics.
The newly uncovered front panel that’s said to belong to the smaller Galaxy S9 adds more credence to those reports, suggesting that consumers can expect a screen-to-body ratio of approximately 85 percent. The bottom bezel of the handset may be marginally smaller but not to the point that one would be likely to see the difference unless the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 are compared side by side. The latest leak also suggests Samsung’s Infinity Display will be making a return together with its 18.5:9 aspect ratio that’s still the tallest in the industry. The Galaxy S9 should sport a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with a QHD+ resolution that’s identical to the one featured by the 2017 flagship, with the screen itself wrapping around the long edges of the phone’s case which has been a hallmark of Samsung’s premium devices for nearly three years now.
By most accounts, the Galaxy S9 will miss out on most upgrades Samsung is planning to introduce to its most popular lineup, though it’s still set to ship with a more powerful chip in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 and Samsung’s own Exynos 9810, depending on the market. Unlike the Galaxy S9 Plus, the smaller device is expected to retain the single-lens camera setup and 4GB of RAM, though it’s still unclear whether such an incremental upgrade will also make its price lower compared to the one attached to the Galaxy S8 last spring. The Android flagship duo is expected to launch at MWC 2018 in late February and start retailing by March.