Samsung’s latest flagship Galaxy Note 8 is now available in stores. Android fans and concept designers have now shifted focus to the next year’s Galaxy S9. Samsung’s rival Apple has just unveiled its brand new iPhone X with a bezel-less display and a top ‘notch.’ One concept designer tried to imagine a similar notch on Samsung’s next-gen flagship. This new Samsung Galaxy S9 concept highlights the all-screen front and the top cutout.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 concept ‘notch’ looks better than iPhone X
The iPhone X’s front design looks beautiful, though some believe it’s an odd design choice. The latest Samsung Galaxy S9 concept comes from the YouTube channel DBS Designing. Samsung’s current flagship phones have no side bezels, though there are still slim bezels at the top and bottom. The concept has an all-screen display with virtual navigation buttons at the bottom.
At the very top of the front panel, you’ll notice a slim cutout that houses the front camera, ear speaker, the iris scanner, and other sensors. This Samsung Galaxy S9 concept might have been inspired by the iPhone X’s top notch, but it looks far more sleek and beautiful than Apple’s phone. The iPhone X cutout is more pronounced than the one you see in DBS Designing’s concept.
Icons for time and date can be seen on the left side of the notch. Other icons such as WiFi, cellular strength, and battery are on the right side. The concept phone features a loudspeaker, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. The designers believe Samsung won’t ditch the 3.5mm audio jack even though its rivals such as Apple have got rid of the feature.
The concept phone has dual cameras on front as well as back
The Samsung Galaxy S9 concept phone is made out of glass and metal, similar to its predecessor. DBS Designing imagined the device featuring an Infinity OLED display with a Quad HD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The fingerprint sensor is integrated into the display. That is unlikely to be true because Samsung is still struggling with the fingerprint scanner. The feature is expected to debut with the Galaxy Note 9 in the second half of 2018.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 concept runs Android 8.1 Oreo. It is powered by 6GB RAM and packs 128GB of internal storage. There is also a 3,600mAh battery. The device would run Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 845 SoC. Samsung has signed a deal with Qualcomm that makes it the first smartphone vendor to get the initial supply of Snapdragon 845.
DBS Designing imagines the S9 with a dual camera system on the back. It consists of two 18-megapixel sensors. The device also has a dual camera setup on the front, which includes two 13-megapixel snappers for selfies.
Will the actual Galaxy S9 feature a top ‘notch’ like iPhone X? Samsung has not confirmed it, but it’s entirely possible. The Korean company was recently granted the patent for a similar cutout at the top of a smartphone. The patent was filed in May 2016, long before rumors about the iPhone X began surfacing. The patent was granted by the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS).
Galaxy S9 rumored specs
According to XDA Developers, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will have model numbers SM-G960 and SM-G965. They will retain the 5.7-inch and 6.2-inch screens from their predecessors. However, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus would offer only 4GB RAM and 64GB of base storage, sources told XDA Developers. Of course, Samsung will include a microSD card slot for further memory expansion. Just like Galaxy S8, the S9 will have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Previously, Korean site ETNews had reported that Samsung would use a Substrate-like PCB (SLP) mainboard in the Galaxy S9. The SLP mainboard will free up some internal space that could be utilized to make the device slimmer or add new features. The Galaxy S9 is expected to have a dedicated Bixby button on the side to activate Samsung’s AI assistant.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently revealed that the Galaxy S9’s dual camera system would be similar to the Galaxy Note 8. It means the setup would consist of a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens, both of which will offer optical image stabilization (OIS) to help you capture high-quality images even in low-light conditions. The telephoto lens allows for 2x optical zoom.
Galaxy S9 to be unveiled in January?
Samsung traditionally launches the new Galaxy S phones in February or March. The Galaxy S8, which launched in April, was an exception because its release was pushed back due to the Note 7 debacle. However, Korean media claims the Galaxy S9 could be unveiled as early as January next year. The development of the S9 display panel started in April 2016, about 2-3 months ahead of Samsung’s usual timeline.
According to The Investor, the S9 will be unveiled in January and go on sale in February. Sources told the publication that Samsung Display would start shipping OLED panels for the Galaxy S9 in November. Display panels are the first components to be shipped. From there, it takes about 2-3 months to fully assemble the first batch of smartphones.
The Investor claims Samsung is bringing the flagship device earlier than usual to defend its market share against Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone X, which will hit the stores on November 3rd. The iPhone X is expected to see brisk sales during the holiday quarter.
