A major Samsung Galaxy S9 specs leak has provided us with an intriguing insight into the forthcoming flagship. And the Samsung Galaxy S9 specs leak comes via Reddit, with a picture of the proposed packaging of the smartphone having been posted on the micro-blogging site.
Box leak
The image in question pictures an individual holding what could be the box for the upcoming Galaxy S9. The legitimacy and accuracy of this picture has yet to be confirmed, but it does seem to emanate from a person who has gained access to an early version of the package.
Already picked up by a wide variety of android interested media, the Reddit post provides us with some intriguing clues regarding the Galaxy S9. This is particularly the case considering that the image contains a list of specs for the device, which many are now tipping for the final version of the smartphone.
Specs revealed
Central to the Samsung Galaxy S9 specs leak is the 5.8-inch Infinity Display featuring quad HD+ resolution. This means that Samsung will not deliver a 4K resolution mobile in the current generation of its flagship smartphone, and will instead wait for the Galaxy Note 9 before contemplating this innovation.
Another aspect of the Samsung Galaxy S9 specs leak relates to the camera to be included in the device. It has been widely anticipated that this would be a dual-camera, but instead it seems it will be a dual-pixel rear-facing camera, with another 12-megapixel sensor included.
This comes as something of a surprise, as these figures do not represent a significant improvement over the previous Galaxy S generation. With Apple’s iPhone X having outperformed the Galaxy S8 in benchmark testing, it seems that the Galaxy S9 will fail to eliminate this gap.
The leaked images also indicate that the Galaxy S9 will come complete with an 8-megapixel front-facing selfie camera, while stereo speakers, IP68 water and dust-resistance, and 64GB onboard storage will all be included. The impression created by this is certainly of an incremental improvement over the Galaxy S8, rather than a revolution in the concept.
Iris scanner
The Samsung Galaxy S9 specs leak also divulged that there will be 4GB of RAM installed as standard in the device, while the phone will also support wireless charging once more. However, if this is all rather underwhelming, the biggest feature of note that has been revealed by the image is the iris scanner to be included in the device.
It has been suggested for quite some time that Samsung would deliver a 3D face scanner in the Galaxy S9, akin to the Face ID system that Apple showcased in the iPhone X earlier this year. There has been considerable debate over whether this would come to fruition or not, with Samsung obviously needing to respond to the Apple innovation, yet perhaps lacking the logistical ability to do so.
But certainly this leaked packaging suggests that Samsung will opt for an iris scanner rather than including full face-scanning capabilities in the Galaxy S9. This probably isn’t hugely surprising, as the Apple Face ID system has taken some time and effort to develop, and if Samsung is to provide something similar then it will probably take a couple of years to manufacture and perfect.
While this is definitely an area in which the Galaxy S9 will remain behind the iPhone X, it can be noted that this is a pretty niche aspect of the smartphone.
Super Slow-mo
Another interesting aspect of the camera that is hinted at by the packaging of the Galaxy S9 is the so-called “super slow-mo” feature. This has been mentioned in dispatches ahead of the release of the Galaxy S9, with reports suggesting that the camera included in the smartphone will be capable of shooting slow-motion video at 1,000 fps. This would be a first in the smartphone niche, beating out the 960 fps limit of Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium and XZ1.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 specs leak indicates that stereo speakers will be included, and that these will be tuned by AKG. This will be a new aspect of the smartphone if it comes to fruition, and it is also believed that the Galaxy S9 will feature a functioning FM radio chip. This is based on the partnership that Samsung has already announced with NextRadio, meaning that Galaxy S9 purchasers will benefit from the best in the FM waveband.
Samsung has responded to the supposed leak by indicating that it “is unable to comment on rumors and speculation.” Not hugely surprising. But it does seem that this particular image leak has decent credibility.
Mobile World Congress
With Samsung having chosen to avoid the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as a launch platform for the Galaxy S9, it will once more be unveiled in Barcelona. The Mobile World Congress will be the setting for this event, and eyes will be particularly keenly trained on Catalonia in order to see what Samsung delivers.
With Apple’s iPhone having proved so popular in 2017, the ball is firmly in the Samsung court with regard to the Galaxy S9. So in many ways, these revelations related to the forthcoming flagship will be considered a little disappointing, as it seems to offer little in the way of the spec upgrades in comparison to the 2017 release of the S8.
Though Samsung has staged an impressive recovery since the release of the disastrous exploding Galaxy Note 7, it seems that it will have its work cut out in order to retain this momentum.
