The Galaxy S9 price and release date are both moving up, according to a new report out of Asia. Perhaps Samsung is hoping to placate consumers with the earliest release date yet, but if the price rises by as much as it might, the Korean electronics giant may replicate the same problems Apple had with the ultra-pricey iPhone X.
Samsung Galaxy S9 price and release date moving up
According to ET News, a senior official said they planned to take preorders for the Galaxy S9 for about a week, from March 2 through 8 in South Korea. Samsung is expected to reveal the S9 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 26, so the dates line up with that. However, with the Galaxy S9 release date reportedly set for so early in March, it would be the earliest release of all the Galaxy S phones.
The Galaxy S9 price is also moving up, unfortunately. Citing a mobile carrier official, ET News said that the phone’s price will increase, but an English translation of the article states that the price will be set “at a level where consumers do not feel burdened.” The Galaxy S8 was priced at 935,000 won in Korea last year, so carrier officials reportedly expect the Galaxy S9 price to be set between 950,000 won and 999,000 won.
ET News doesn’t mention international release dates or pricing, but it’s pretty safe to say that prices will likely rise outside Samsung’s home market too. The S8 started at $750 in the U.S. last year, so the only question now is just how much higher the Galaxy S9 price will be for U.S. consumers this year this year.
Here’s what to expect in the Galaxy S9
While revealing the Galaxy S9 price and release date, ET News also said that the S9 line-up will include both iris and facial recognition which will work better than previous technologies. The S9 Plus is said to have a vertically-aligned dual-lens camera and is expected to sport bezels that are thinner than those on its predecessor. Samsung is also reportedly planning improvements for the autofocus on the S9 Plus’ camera.
We’re now less than a month away from the expected reveal date for the Galaxy S9, so it’s no surprise that the rumor mill is churning out stories on a daily basis. Bezels continue to be a hot topic in 2018, with companies looking to slim down even further for their next flagships.
Twitter leaker OnLeaks tweeted new images which show a comparison of the bezel sizes for the Galaxy S8 Plus and the expected bezel sizes for the upcoming Galaxy S9 Plus.
Because many people seems to be confused about #GalaxyS9 and #GalaxyS9Plus bezels since new renders have been revealed by someone else… You welcome… ? pic.twitter.com/GyWwyLgb7Q
— Steve H. (@OnLeaks) January 27, 2018
This comparison examines factory CAD images which demonstrate how the size of this year’s phone is smaller, but the size of the display is the same. It basically means that the S9 will have a larger screen-to-body ratio than its predecessor. Although we won’t know until the Galaxy S9 release date arrives and people first start putting their hands on it, there is a chance that it will have the biggest ratio of the entire Galaxy line-up so far.
“Intelligent Scan” feature revealed
SamCentral completed a teardown of the APK for the most recent Android Oreo beta for the Galaxy Note 8, and it revealed a number of features that don’t exist in that phone. As a result, most are generally assuming means that the features hinted at in the APK teardown could be coming in the Galaxy S9.
One of the features is something called “Intelligent Scan,” which the ET News report on the Galaxy S9 price and release date also mentioned. Experts believe Intelligent Scan is likely some kind of new biometric authentication feature which combines facial recognition with iris scanning, CNET explains. The code unlocked by SamCentral seems to suggest that Intelligent Scan can not only unlock the user’s phone but also sign them into websites on their device.
The descriptions of the feature make it seem like this feature is Samsung’s direct challenge to the Face ID scanner on the iPhone X. The company certainly does need to up its game in this area because many were disappointed with the facial recognition feature on the Note 8.
