Following on the tail of his Lilac Purple Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus leak, Evan Blass has released an official render of the Coral Blue Galaxy S9.
Evan Blass is a noted leaker in the Android community with a track record of accurate information, and he has recently posted an image of a Lilac Purple coloring of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. Earlier today, Blass again tweeted out a picture of a brand new color for Samsung’s upcoming flagship – The Coral Blue Galaxy S9.
…and (by popular demand) Coral Blue. pic.twitter.com/NCTEB3GIDj
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 7, 2018
As expected, the Galaxy S9 branding is featured on the back of the phone, directly below the Samsung branding. The Coral Blue Galaxy S9 Plus will feature the dual camera that we’re expecting from Samsung’s higher-end model, while the base S9 will only have a single lens. An LED flash is located next to the lens, as well as a sensor with an unknown purpose which may very well be a heart rate sensor.
Right below the two lenses is a fingerprint scanner, which has been moved to a more convenient position when compared to the Galaxy S8. Still, the scanner is on the rear of the phone which is a bit of a disappointment – especially considering the fact that Samsung is rumored to have an under-display scanner technology in development. As bezels on phones have gotten smaller and smaller, it’s become increasingly difficult to include any technology besides the screen on the front of the phone. Samsung addressed this issue by moving the scanner to the rear, but it’s not quite the same feel when everyone is used to a fingerprint scanner in the more traditional position. Hopefully with the release of the Galaxy Note 9 later this year we see this new technology implemented.
While the bezels of the phone are still razor thin, you’ll notice a similarity to the Galaxy S8 in that the bottom bezel is noticeably smaller than the one on the top. The front of the display also features a number of sensors, including technology for the front-facing camera and included Iris scanner as well as the proximity and light sensors. The Coral Blue Galaxy S9, as with the rest of the S9 line, will also feature curved sides and rounded corners.
The power and lock button will be located on the right side of the phone, while the volume up, down, and the button to activate Bixby will be placed on the left. In terms of design, the Coral Blue Galaxy S9 should be identical to the S9 Plus version, albeit with a single-lens camera rather than dual-lens.
It’s expected that both of these new handsets will be announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 25, with a launch shortly thereafter. As far as known specifications so far, the Coral Blue Galaxy S9 will feature Exynos and Snapdragon processor variants depending on where the device is sold. The Galaxy S9 will have 4GB of RAM, while the more powerful Galaxy S9 Plus is expected to include 6GB, although this hasn’t yet been confirmed by Samsung.
While the Coral Blue Galaxy S9 is a nice color variant we haven’t seen much of before, the fact remains that the phone overall doesn’t really have anything groundbreaking to offer consumers. Outside of the power upgrades that come with each new generation of phone, the Galaxy S9 doesn’t innovate in any way outside of some camera improvements. While the quality of a smartphone camera is important to many people, it pales in comparison to brand new technology like Face ID from Apple.
With the iPhone X, Apple managed to capture a large portion of the holiday market. While sales have already started to slow down, the phone managed to become the fastest-selling iPhone to date – despite its near $1000 price tag. Apple has proven that new features convince customers to buy, so it’s a little disappointing that the release of the Coral Blue Galaxy S9 is still largely iterative, even when taking the fancy new color into account.
We hope to see more innovation from the company with the release of the Galaxy Note 9, expected later this year.
