Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is just weeks away unveiling its Note8 device at an Unpacked event on Aug. 23, but it’s the company’s other upcoming flagships that are dominating the rumor mill.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ aren’t due out until the first quarter of 2018, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of speculation and renders from making the rounds.

Rumors for the 2018 S9 suggest Samsung will retain its existing fingerprint scanner on the rear of the device, a possible larger battery and a Snapdragon 845 chip.

Samsung to stick with rear fingerprint scanner

Rumors initially started making the rounds back in February that Apple Inc. was working on incorporating a fingerprint scanner into the display of its upcoming iPhone 8, due out next month. Those rumors were subsequently discounted after it emerged the company was battling with the technology.

Since Apple is no longer doing it, it seems Samsung no longer feels the pressure to incorporate the same technology in its Galaxy S9. Considering Samsung Display is manufacturing the OLED display for the iPhone 8, the company will be well aware of what features will and won’t be present in the display.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, Samsung will instead stick to its rear-mounted fingerprint sensor found on the Galaxy S8, which will likely disappoint users who weren’t thrilled with the feature in the current flagship.  

“Since OLED iPhone has canceled under-display fingerprint recognition/Touch ID function, and as Galaxy S9 will have the new selling points of upgraded iris recognition and dual camera, Samsung has no need to risk adopting under-display optical fingerprint solution in a hurry,” the analyst wrote.

The earliest we are likely to see an embedded fingerprint scanner in a display is the third quarter of 2018 with the launch of the Note9 and latest iPhone.

Larger battery

According to the Korean media ETNews, Samsung is planning to include a new type of motherboard in the Galaxy S9, which would allow the inclusion of a larger battery.

The motherboard would be based on the substrate-like printed circuit board, or PCB, technology that allows manufacturers to fit more components onto a single board, but retain the current size. The new technology is rumored to only be used in units powered by the Exynos chipset, while the units with Qualcomm Inc. processors will retain the High-Density Interconnect technology.

This rumor could remain just that considering the fiasco of the exploding batteries in the Note7. Rumors for the Note8 due out this month suggest the company has opted for a smaller 3,300mAh battery.

Display

Rumors suggest that the upcoming Note8 will have a similar design and display as the current Galaxy S8 and S8+ and the same seems to be the case for the Galaxy S9. According to The Investor the S9 will retain the 5.77-inch panel while the S9+ will have a 6.22-inch display.

The concept design released last week from GalaxyS9Blog.com (pictured above) shows the S9 retaining the Infinity Display of its predecessor, but it also shows an embedded camera, speaker and iris scanner.

Considering we are many months away from the launch of the Galaxy S9, there are bound to plenty of rumors about the display, either confirming or denying these rumors and renders.  

Under the hood

Samsung is reportedly working closely with Qualcomm Technologies Inc. on a next generation Snapdragon processor, speculated to be called the Snapdragon 845.

The two companies also worked closely on the chip currently in the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip was exclusive to Samsung until April 2017.

Dual camera

With the Note8 expected to get dual rear-facing cameras, the same feature is expected to make its way to the Galaxy S9.

Launch

If Samsung sticks to the same release schedule as the current Galaxy flagships, which launched in March, we are still at least seven months away from laying eyes on the new S9. That launch was pushed out as the company focused on testing following the Note7 disaster.

However, rumors state that development is already underway on the S9, months ahead of the S8. This could point to an earlier launch date at the beginning of 2018, Samsung launched the S7 in February at Mobile World Congress 2016. Or it could mean the company is planning new technology and features for the S9 that will take longer to develop.  

Image: Dennis Haslam; Flickr