Samsung fans are eagerly looking forward to the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The phones are set to be unveiled this Sunday at the Galaxy Unpacked event. Thanks to the rumor mill, we know pretty much everything about the Galaxy S9 and its bigger sibling. Now a Korean publication has revealed when Samsung would start accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy S9. Yes, they have also mentioned the release date.
Sources at wireless carriers told The Investor that Samsung would start taking pre-orders for the flagship duo through carriers such as KT, LG Uplus and SK Telecom from February 28th, just days after unveiling the new devices. Pre-orders in major international markets should also start on the same date. The phones will hit the store shelves on March 16th. But there is some really good news for pre-order customers.
Samsung will start shipping the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus units to pre-order customers on March 9, a week before the start of global sales. If you pre-order the Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus, you’ll get your hands on the device between March 9 and March 15. Sources told The Investor that Samsung recently “sent out the pre-order and release schedules to mobile carriers” in its home country.
Previously, German publication WinFuture had claimed that pre-orders for the Galaxy S9 models would start on the same day Samsung unveils them. That’s February 25th. WinFuture added that the devices would hit the stores on March 8th.
Separately, reputed tipster Roland Quandt claims that the Galaxy S9 Plus will be available in 256GB storage option. Quandt found reference to the 256GB Galaxy S9 Plus (SM-G965) in South Korea’s Lost and Found Authority’s database. The smaller Galaxy S9 appears in the 64GB model only. There is no mention of 128GB storage in the database. Quandt has also tweeted the high-resolution images of Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus before launch.
Korea Phone Lost & Found Center (yes, they apparently have an official, cross carrier, "authority" to report lost (and found) phones) says the Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965) also comes as a 256 GB variant. src: https://t.co/Z3zVA5B8iM pic.twitter.com/DVBPNpm49M
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 21, 2018
Gigantic res pics of the Galaxy S9+? Yep. Got these too now. Again, add :orig to the end of the pic URL to get the full resolution. No, I do not have pics of the purple and grey ones yet, at least not in this size. @evleaks has got you covered on these. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/V0NP5OnumR
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 21, 2018
Samsung will allow the Unpacked event attendees to experience the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus in augmented reality through its Unpacked app that you can download for free. Currently, the Unpacked app shows a countdown to the Feb.25 event. The content section in the app redirects users to a YouTube video teaser. There is an AR button at the top right side that will allow attendees to view the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus in AR after scanning their Unpacked event badge.
Reddit user Thesbros discovered after tearing down the Unpacked app that Samsung had designed 3D models to show you the new phones in AR. The 3D models will be made available only to the Unpacked event attendees. The 3D models aren’t within the Unpacked app. They are available on Samsung’s website instead. The Korean company might be planning to keep the AR experience a secret until the event kicks off.
Not much is known about the Galaxy S9’s pricing, but the rumor mill expects Samsung to increase the prices with the new model. ETNews claims the regular Galaxy S9 would cost between $875 and $925 in Samsung’s home country, up from the Galaxy S8’s $720 starting price. The US prices are expected to go up by $100. However, Android Headlines recently reported that the regular S9 would cost $750 in the US through AT&T while the larger S9 Plus would set you back by $850. Samsung may also offer trade-in deals to encourage you to buy the latest phones.
The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are going to look similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, as multiple leaks have confirmed. The phones will have the same 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED displays. The devices will be available in a new Lilac Purple color. The phones are said to feature an upgraded Bixby AI assistant, Samsung Pay, an iris scanner, facial recognition technology, an IP68 rating for water-resistance, and dual stereo speakers. The fingerprint sensor has been relocated to below the rear camera module.
The Galaxy S9 would have a 12-megapixel main camera and an 8MP front shooter. The S9 Plus would also feature an 8MP shooter on the front, but it would house two 12-megapixel sensors on the back. Samsung recently teased the low-light photography, the super slo-mo feature, and an Animoji-like feature that will likely be called AR Emoji. The AR Emoji will allow users to turn their facial expressions into cartoon characters and share with their friends.
Samsung is said to include 4GB RAM in the Galaxy S9 and 6GB RAM in the S9 Plus. The upcoming flagship phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 845 or Exynos 9810 depending on the region. As has been the case in the past, the US will likely get the Snapdragon variant. Recent benchmark results suggest that the Exynos variant will be more powerful than its Snapdragon counterpart. The S9 is said to pack a 3000mAh battery while its bigger sibling would offer a 3500mAh battery pack.
