The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to launch within the next few months, and leaks are coming with increasing frequency. From what we’ve seen thus far, it seems as if the phone will be an upgrade over the Galaxy S8, but will largely play it safe. Our most recent knowledge about Samsung’s upcoming flagship, courtesy of Slashleaks, suggests that we’ll see a Galaxy S9 headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Headphone Jack
This recent leak comes from a picture posted to Slashleaks. The photo shows the phone’s USB-C flex cable, and conveniently included in the frame is a shot of the traditional Galaxy S9 headphone jack.
The trend with recent flagships from Apple and Google seems to be to ditch the headphone jack. As phones get slimmer, many manufacturers are ditching the jack in order to save space. There’s little doubt at this point that the lack of a headphone jack is a detractor rather than a positive, however. With Bluetooth technology not quite at the point where wireless headphones can reliably replace traditional headphones or earbuds, a Galaxy S9 headphone jack is a refreshing inclusion that makes it easier to listen to your favorite tunes without expensive new headphones or a special adapter.
The source of this leak is pretty reliable, but it’s important to take any rumors and leaks ahead of launch with a grain of salt. Until we get our hands on the phone after the official announcement and launch, the existence of a Galaxy S9 headphone jack is still very much up in the air. If past history is any indication, however, it would make sense that Samsung would retain the headphone jack. The company would join OnePlus as one of the few remaining smartphone manufacturers that have yet to jump ship in favor of an all-in-one USB-C port.
The Galaxy S9: What Do We Know?
While the news of the Galaxy S9 headphone jack is no doubt a good thing, there are some questions regarding whether Samsung is taking enough of a step forward with their upcoming flagship. As mentioned above, it seems that the S9 will be largely iterative, improving upon the specifications of the previous phone but not really adding anything too significant.
Perhaps most upsetting is the rumor that the Galaxy S9 will retain a single sensor rather than having a dual-camera setup. A combination of a monochrome and RGB camera would likely make for better photos. While the Galaxy line has always had quality lenses, there’s an opportunity to change things up and perhaps improve upon their tested formula that the company is going to take.
After the reveal of the iPhone X, Apple has taken the mobile world by storm with innovative new technology. Face ID is unlike anything we’ve seen before, and it’s a major upgrade from previous face recognition technology. The novel ability to continue to unlock the phone as appearances change – such as growing facial hair or wearing glasses – is a unique benefit that makes the iPhone X Face ID tech a convenient and secure feature. Despite reports of flaws with Face ID such as a purported inability to recognized Chinese faces, it’s overall a successful tech that has set Apple apart from the crowd.
While the Galaxy S9 headphone jack may actually be enough on its own to convince buyers to side with Samsung, considering the divisiveness of smartphone manufacturers’ decision to omit such a key feature, it isn’t really a departure from the design of the S8. Samsung has seen great success with their Galaxy line despite a failure to provide unique tech, but will that really be enough to compete with Apple in this upcoming generation?
The phone will likely be revealed at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona around the end of February, with a launch following shortly thereafter. It remains to be seen whether Samsung will actually include a Galaxy S9 headphone jack, as well as what additional features we can expect from the upcoming phone that will make it an obvious upgrade from the Galaxy S8.
While we have a couple of months to go before we see the phone, you can tide yourself over by looking at these leaked renders – included below courtesy of MobileFun.
