Samsung Galaxy
The Galaxy S9 release date is believed to be March 16. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to be announced on Feb. 25 and be showcased during Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018. Leaks and rumors regarding the upcoming Samsung smartphone have been popping up left and right, and here’s a roundup for fans who are waiting patiently for the new flagship Android device.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Specs

The Galaxy S9 is expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The larger Galaxy S9+ will also be powered by the same Qualcomm processor, but it may arrive with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as its standard memory capacities.

Both the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will feature Samsung’s OLED Infinity Display, but the former will have a a 5.8-inch screen size while the latter will have a 6.2-inch screen size. Both Samsung phones will have a screen resolution of 2,960 x 1,440, according to Gizmodo.

It was previously leaked that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will both arrive with the same battery capacities as their predecessors. This won’t really be a huge issue considering that the Snapdragon 845 is not only powerful, but more power efficient than the Snapdragon 835.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Design & Cameras

The Galaxy S9 won’t feature any major redesign and will closely follow the same aesthetic look of the Galaxy S8. Rumors suggest that the S9 may have slightly thinner bezels, but recent leaked renders for the phone make it a bit difficult to tell if that’s true.

The Galaxy S9 is expected to arrive with a single rear-facing camera with a 12-megapixel sensor. The Galaxy S9+ will feature a dual-camera setup that will be vertically aligned on the device’s back. Both variants will finally have the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner below the camera module instead of being on the right-hand side.

Previous leaks and rumors suggest that the Galaxy S9 cameras will arrive with a new variable aperture lens. This type of lens will make it possible for users to capture better low-light photography. Thanks to a leaked retail box of the Galaxy S9, there is now information that the camera on the device will also support Super Slow-Mo video.

Galaxy S9 New Features

The Galaxy S9 is expected to arrive will dual stereo speakers. One speaker will be placed on top of the S9, while the other is placed at the bottom. The dual stereo speakers on the phone are also believed to support Dolby Surround sound and tuned by AKG. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S9 will also include a pair of AKG headphones in the box.

The Galaxy S9 will also be copying the Animoji feature of Apple’s iPhones X. Samsung’s version is reportedly called “3D emoji,” but its official name may actually be “3D Stickers.” Rumors suggest that Samsung’s 3D emoji feature will be more advanced than Apple’s Animoji. Samsung’s recently released teaser trailer for the Galaxy S9 also hints at that possibility.

Samsung is also expected to introduce something that’s called Intelligent Scan. The new feature is expected to be the Galaxy S9 version of Apple’s Face ID biometric system. Intelligent Scan is believed to use a combination of iris scanning and facial recognition.

Lastly, the Galaxy S9 is expected to be announced alongside the new Samsung DeX Pad, the successor to last year’s DeX Station. The DeX Pad will be backwards compatible and will work with Samsung’s previous flagships. The DeX Pad will also allow users to lay down their Galaxy S phones flat and let them use the smartphone as their touchpad.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Pricing & Release Date

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to cost $100 more than their predecessors. If this turns out to be true, the Galaxy S9 will have a starting price of $850, while the Galaxy S9+ will start at $950 or even more. The rising cost of the phones has been attributed to Apple’s pricing for its $999 iPhone X.

According to Evan Blass (@evleaks) the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be available to pre-order on March 1 and will start shipping on March 16.