A new promo for Samsung’s Galaxy S9 lineup emerged online, once again showing “the camera reimagined” tagline and hinting at the photography-focused mobile experience the South Korean tech giant is set to start offering this spring. The poster that can be seen above reiterates Samsung’s next Unpacked event is taking place on February 25, a day before Barcelona, Spain-based Mobile World Congress 2018 opens its doors to the public. The company has been teasing its upcoming Android flagship series for several weeks now, with the vast majority of its promos being focused on the imaging capabilities of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.
According to recent reports, the upcoming flagship duo will once again utilize 12-megapixel rear sensors but ennoble them with the addition of a new lens with a variable aperture ranging from f/2.4 to f/1.5, with the latter f-stop being an industry record that the Galaxy S9 series should share with Samsung’s W2018 flip phone. The inclusion of such a lens should improve the low-light performance of Samsung’s next ultra-premium offerings and provide users with even more versatility. While the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 is expected to retain the single-camera setup found on the back of the Galaxy S8, the 6.2-inch Galaxy S9 Plus is widely expected to debut with a dual-camera system, with its secondary sensor also being of the 12-megapixel variety, mounted behind a fixed-aperture lens, according to numerous rumors. A dual-LED flash will still be part of the package but situated to the right of the camera, occupying the same sport that accommodated a fingerprint reader last year. The fingerprint sensor will be moved below the camera and oriented horizontally, presumably so as to be easier to reach, previous leaks suggested.
Samsung is also said to have prepared an improved mobile photography experience on the software side of things, having supposedly created a blend of Apple’s Animoji and Snapchat’s Bitmoji that will allow users to create digital avatars and animate their emoji collections by recording their faces. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus will be powered by the latest and greatest mobile chips the industry has to offer, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 and Samsung’s own Exynos 9810 promising to deliver unprecedented levels of energy efficiency and performance. The two Android 8.0 Oreo-enabled handsets are expected to start retailing in mid-March, starting at around $800, depending on the market.