Samsung should focus its Galaxy S9 marketing efforts on owners of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, as well as users of its other pre-2017 flagships, IHS Markit analysts wrote Wednesday. While the upcoming Android flagships are expected to be Samsung’s most capable devices yet, the research firm remains skeptical about their ability to convince Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus owners to upgrade their handsets, adding that Samsung shouldn’t waste money on catering to that demographic in the first place. The Galaxy S9 lineup should instead be directly compared to Samsung-made mobile devices that are at least two years old as their owners are much more likely to be interested in upgrading their pocket companions and could be much more easily persuaded to do so due to the significant difference in terms of design, performance, and features, the analysts concluded.
According to the company’s estimates, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are still the most commonly used former flagships in the world despite being available since early 2016. Ian Fog, IHS Senior Director of Mobile and Telecoms, said Samsung should additionally focus on pointing out the differences between its upcoming offerings and main rivals such as Apple’s iPhone lineup, with those highlights including the company’s Infinity Display panels and improved imaging capabilities. The South Korean original equipment manufacturer wasn’t expected to target Galaxy S8 owners with the Galaxy S9 series in the first place, with the vast majority of recent reports suggesting the next two Android flagships from the company will mostly deliver incremental upgrades over its 2017 products. The overall look of the smartphones should remain the same, centered around an 18.5:9 QHD+ screen that curves around the long edges of the handsets, whereas the smaller Galaxy S9 is also expected to retain the same 4GB RAM base of its predecessor.
Likewise, the 5.8-inch phablet is thought to be succeeding the 12-megapixel single-camera setup of the Galaxy S8, albeit enhanced with the addition of a lens featuring a variable aperture, whereas the 6.2-inch Galaxy S9 Plus is expected to debut with a dual-camera setup using one such module and another 12-megapixel sensor mounted behind a fixed-aperture lens. The two handsets are scheduled to be announced on Sunday and should be released globally on March 16, according to recent reports.