Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are only a couple of months away. But thanks to the rumor mill, supply chain leaks (and now benchmark appearances), we won’t have to wait until the official unveiling to know about the phone’s features and specifications. Now the Galaxy S9 Plus running Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 845 SoC has appeared on the Geekbench.
Galaxy S9 Plus still can’t beat the iPhone X
The new Snapdragon processor is faster and more energy efficient than the Snapdragon 835 that powers the Galaxy S8. It also brings tons of improvements in terms of AI processing, camera performance, and security. The Snapdragon 845-powered Galaxy S9 Plus will certainly be more powerful than the devices running SD835. However, the S9 Plus lags far behind Apple’s iPhone X in benchmark tests.
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The Galaxy S9 Plus with model number SM-G965U1 has been spotted on Geekbench. It runs Snapdragon 845 and packs 6GB RAM. The ‘U’ in the model number indicates that it is an unlocked model. The smartphone scored a handsome 2422 points in single-core and 8351 points in multi-core tests. It is about 27% better than the Galaxy S8 Plus, which had scored 1929 and 6084 points in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.
The benchmark numbers are quite high considering no other Samsung smartphone has ever scored higher than 2000 points in single-core and 7000 points in multi-core tests. The Galaxy S9 Plus might be the most powerful Android phone when it hits the store shelves early next year, but it will be no match for Apple’s iPhone X. The 10th anniversary iPhone running A11 Bionic chip had scored a record 4204 points in single-core and 10110 points in multi-core tests on Geekbench. The iPhone X would be about five months old by the time the S9 Plus releases.
The Galaxy S9 Plus spotted on Geekbench runs Android 8.0 Oreo. Samsung will add its custom Samsung Experience UI on top of Android. The upcoming phones should receive new software updates faster than before, thanks to Google’s Project Treble. The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus would be incremental upgrades over this year’s flagship models.
What Olixar’s case renders tell us about the Galaxy S9
The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus cases have revealed the phone’s design, confirming many of the previous rumors. The Olixar cases are listed for pre-order on MobileFun. It is not known what Olixar has based its case renders on. Smartphone vendors traditionally provide a mockup of their upcoming phones to case makers to ensure that accessories are available when the phone hits the store shelves.
Olixar had accurately leaked the design of the iPhone X. The renders show that the Galaxy S9 Plus would have a vertical dual camera setup on the back. The smaller Galaxy S9 would feature only a single camera on the rear panel. Samsung will reportedly differentiate between the two by keeping better features such as the dual camera and 6GB RAM exclusive to the larger model.
The fingerprint sensor has been relocated to below the camera module to address one of the biggest concerns expressed by users. The Galaxy S8 and Note 8 owners had complained that the fingerprint scanner on their devices was difficult to reach. According to the case renders, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus would retain their predecessors’ bezel-less Infinity display with no physical home button.
The power button, Bixby button, and volume rockers are where they were on the Galaxy S8. The upcoming phones will also retain the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Galaxy S9 specs, release date
Though the US version of Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus would run Snapdragon 845, most other countries would get the Exynos 9810-powered variant of the devices. A recent leak from China suggests that the Galaxy S9 would include a bigger 3200mAh battery compared to the S8’s 3000mAh. The Chinese tipster did not reveal the battery capacity of the larger S9 Plus.
The upcoming phones would retain the 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch screen sizes of their predecessors. They will also have an IP68 rating for water- and dust-resistance like the Galaxy S8. It means the phones will be able to survive in five feet deep water for up to 30 minutes. The devices are said to be available in gold, blue, black, and purple color options, though we could also see them in Arctic Silver and Orchid Gray colors.
The Korea Herald reported earlier this month that the Galaxy S9 would feature an advanced iris scanner. Sources told the publication that the S9’s iris scanner would recognize users with enhanced accuracy even when they are wearing sunglasses or moving their eyeballs. It would work even in poorly-lit conditions. The Korea Herald claims the new iris scanner would be faster, safer, and more reliable than the previous generation.
The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will likely be unveiled on February 27 Korea Time. Samsung is planning to hold an Unpacked event on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Sources privy to Samsung’s plans told Bloomberg that the device would go on sale in early March.