UPDATED 01:37 EDT / FEBRUARY 06 2018

EMERGING TECH

Latest renderings showcase the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ ahead of Feb. 25 launch

In less than three weeks, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will unveil its latest flagship at Mobile World Congress, and with the many reports and leaked images, there are unlikely to be many surprises on Feb. 25.

The latest renderings of the Galaxy S9 (pictured left) and the larger S9+ come from noted leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks), who shared the images on Twitter Monday. As previously reported, the renders show a similar design to the Galaxy S9’s predecessor and will retain the slim bezels and a near edge-to-edge Super active-matrix organic light-emitting diode or AMOLED display.

The image of the rear of the device shows the upgraded camera setup for the larger Galaxy S9+. In previous S models, there were no differences between the standard S device and the S+ model, apart from size. This year things will change with a new vertical dual rear-facing camera for the S9+, a first for the S lineup.

Both the S9 and S9+ will receive upgraded camera features, something that Samsung also highlighted on its Unpacked event invite. Previous reports suggest the Galaxy S9 will feature a single 12-megapixel camera with variable aperture from f/1.5 to f/2.4. The Galaxy S9+ will have the same variable aperture, together with a second 12-megapixel camera with a fixed aperture.

The rear of the device also shows the repositioned fingerprint scanner, as well as the Lilac Purple color option. The new devices will also come in Midnight Black, Titanium Gray and Coral Blue.

A 1.3 percent decline in iPhone shipments for the last quarter of 2017, down to 77.3 million units from the previous year’s holiday quarter, was still enough to push Apple Inc. into first place ahead of Samsung, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corp. Apple, however, remained in second spot for the full year in 2017 with 215.8 million units, compared to Samsung’s 317.3 million shipments.

The South Korean tech giant will reportedly drop its Galaxy S numbering for 2019. Next year’s flagship will reportedly not be called the Galaxy S10, but rather Samsung will call it a familiar-sounding Galaxy X. When Apple released its latest iPhone it broke from its conventional naming history and called its premium device the iPhone X.

This also isn’t the first time that a Galaxy X name has been floated around and has consistently been used when referring to the company’s long-awaited foldable device, which could also make an appearance this year or be delayed until 2019.

Here’s a look at the latest Galaxy S9 features, which we may see on Feb. 25:

Intelligent Scan

Not to be left behind the iPhone X’s Face ID feature, Samsung will reportedly have new biometric technology in its latest flagship. Reports emerged last month that suggested the company was working on a new face-and-iris-scanner combination. A recent patent filing by Samsung describes how the new feature will work.

Referred to as Intelligent Scan, the new feature will use both the Galaxy S9’s iris scanner, scanning both eyes, and face scanner to do a double verification of a person’s identity.

With the current Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8, consumers have to select between either the iris scanner or the face scanner.

This more robust feature would make it more effective than using a face scanner only and would allow the tech giant to compete directly with Apple’s Face ID.

Samsung hasn’t yet confirmed whether they are working on the new technology, so we will have to wait until the end of the month to see if it makes an appearance in the new flagship. If it does, it may not only be Samsung’s latest smartphone that benefits from the latest technology, with the patent describing its use in everything from cameras to personal computers and televisions.

The latest render of the Galaxy S9+ showing the new dual rear-facing cameras, via Evan Blass.

The latest render of the Galaxy S9+ showing the new dual rear-facing cameras, via Evan Blass.

Battery

The latest reports have also confirmed previous reports that Samsung will stick to the same battery size it currently uses in the Galaxy S8 and S8+ at 3,000 mAh and 3,500 mAh respectively.

Price

TechRadar, citing a U.K. industry insider, reports the Samsung Galaxy S9 will cost £100 more than the current Galaxy S8, which will mean consumers will need to fork out £789 for the updated flagship.

If the U.S. price is inflated by the same amount, consumers can expect to pay in the range of $850. No pricing details are available for the plus model; the Galaxy S8+ currently costs $825.

The Galaxy S9 will reportedly be available for preorder on March 1 and will go on sale on March 16.

Image: Evan Blass/Twitter

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