2017 was the year of the iPhone X. The world could not stop talking about Apple’s much-anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone for a better part of the year. Now that the iPhone X has been unveiled and released, along with all the major offerings from other leading market players, it is time focus on the big launches lined up for 2018.
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ have emerged as the front-runners as the most talked-about flagship devices expected next year, on account of the renders and rumors doing the rounds as well as the time of the phones’ launch. While Samsung was expected to unveil the devices in February and start shipping by March 2018, a new report by VentureBeat suggests that Galaxy S9 and S9+ could make a debut appearance at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) scheduled to take place at Las Vegas, Nevada, in January.
Reports also suggest that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are likely to be more of iterative updates on the S8 and S8+, instead of sporting a radical redesign. The new flagship devices from Samsung are also expected to come with upgraded processors for an extra speed boost. While some reports suggest that the S9 and S9+ could be powered by Samsung’s next-gen processor, the Exynos 9810, others point to the possibility of the devices running on Qualcomm’s forthcoming Snapdragon 845. Rumors also point toward a possibility of the upcoming S9 and S9+ being rolled out with a mix of both processors – Exynos 9810 in the majority of handsets and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 in devices manufactured for targeted markets, including the US.
Another key change in the two smartphones would be the fingerprint sensor being moved to the rear, where it’ll be placed just below the dual-camera cluster. This is being looked at as a key improvement from its problematic off-center placement in the S8, S8+, and Note 8. The phones are also likely to sport the AKG stereo speakers, while the headphone jack stays, at least for another year.
There were also rumors that the S9 and S9+ would be packed with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. Latest reports on the phones features offer some clarity on that account, suggesting that the S9 would come with 4GB RAM space whereas the bigger S9+ variant will be powered by 6GB of RAM. Samsung is also reportedly rolling out a new version of the DeX dock, which is designed to place the phone flat so that it can double as a touchpad or virtual keyboard.
