Samsung’s Galaxy A9 Star lineup is now official following weeks of rumors and a handful of leaks, with the South Korean tech giant debuting the series in China. The Galaxy A9 Star and Galaxy A9 Star Lite are priced at the equivalents of $575 and $420, respectively, with both being available in Black. The Galaxy A9 Star can also be purchased in White, whereas the alternative color option of its smaller counterpart is simply called Blue. Both devices are available for pre-orders from Samsung’s Chinese arm as of today, with advanced orders being set to close on June 14 before the duo is released on the following day.
The Galaxy A9 Star comes with a 6.28-inch FHD+ panel that’s a Super AMOLED affair and advertised as yet another Infinity Display from Samsung, featuring an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, the same one adopted by the Galaxy S9 and every other Android flagship from the company since the Galaxy S8 series. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 is powering the device together with 4GB of RAM, whereas the Galaxy A9 Star also boasts 64GB of storage space expandable via a microSD card tray by up to 256GB. A dual-camera setup on the back of the smartphone features a 24-megapixel sensor and a 16-megapixel one, whereas another 24-megapixel unit is located on the front. Besides a rear-mounted fingerprint reader and dual-SIM capabilities, the Galaxy A9 Star also offers Android 8.0 Oreo-based Samsung Experience 9.0, Bluetooth 5.0 support, and a 3,700mAh battery. The handset is 162.4 x 77 x 7.55mm in size and weighs 188 grams.
Samsung‘s Galaxy A9 Star Lite is a more affordable and somewhat less capable option that features a 6-inch Infinity Display with an FHD+ resolution and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 450 chip. While its memory configuration and front-facing camera are identical to those of the other model, the main imaging system of the handset is more modest, sporting a 16-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel one. The Galaxy A9 Star Lite is 160.2 x 75.7 x 7.9mm in size and tips the scales at 191 grams, in addition to being powered by a 3500mAh battery. Neither device is expected to launch outside of China in its current form but Samsung may opt to rebrand at least one of the newly unveiled models and release it in other markets in the second half of the year.