A set of supposedly official promotional camera samples of Samsung’s Galaxy S9 lineup appeared online earlier today, having first surfaced on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The trio of images seen in the gallery below hasn’t been specifically associated with the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus but it has more likely been taken with the latter model that’s expected to feature a more capable camera, assuming the leak is legitimate. While obviously downsized, two of the newly spotted photographs suggest Samsung’s next pair of Android-powered flagships will boast high shutter speeds and have little issues with freezing motion, with one of them also being indicative of support for a high dynamic range. The third image depicting a cat appears to be aimed at showcasing the smartphone’s depth-of-field capabilities and may hint at Samsung committing even more resources to turning its upcoming handsets into ultimate mobile portrait photography tools.
Promotional camera samples are rarely perfectly representative of real-world performance and are often taken with separate lenses and other equipment mounted on the smartphones they’re meant to advertise so that the claim they were taken with those products technically still holds true, though Samsung’s Galaxy S9 series is already widely expected to deliver ultra-premium imaging capabilities and provide a noticeable upgrade over the firm’s 2017 devices. While the smaller Galaxy S9 isn’t likely to adopt a dual-sensor setup and should still rely on a 12-megapixel sensor, its main camera won’t be identical to the f/1.7 one found on the Galaxy S8, according to recent reports. Instead, the smartphone will supposedly feature a lens with a variable aperture ranging from f/2.4 to f/1.5, with the latter f-stop being a mobile industry record that the flagship duo should hold alongside Samsung’s recently released W2018 flip phone which sports an identical camera.
The larger Galaxy S9 Plus is rumored to feature the same main sensor but pair it with another 12-megapixel module, albeit with a fixed aperture. Samsung also reportedly revamped its mobile imaging software and placed additional focus on low-light photography, with its advancements being set to be showcased on February 25th when the Galaxy S9 series is scheduled to debut in Barcelona, Spain. The two devices should become available for pre-orders shortly after their official announcements and are expected to be released on a global level in mid-March.
