UPDATED 00:36 EDT / FEBRUARY 16 2018

EMERGING TECH

Teaser videos for Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S9 focus on camera enhancements

In just over a week, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will unveil its long-awaited flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S9.

Thanks to the numerous reports and leaked renderings over the last few months, there will be few surprises on Feb. 25 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. What’s more, when the company announced the date of its Unpacked event, it hinted at the camera improvements for both the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Now the South Korean giant has unveiled three teaser videos on its Samsung Mobile Korea YouTube channel that highlight some of the device’s upcoming features, leaving little to the imagination for what will likely be one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2018.  

For months, reports have indicated that despite the Galaxy S9 and S9+ looking very similar to its predecessors, both devices would see upgrades when it comes to the camera. Unlike previous years when the standard S-model and the plus-model were exactly the same, apart from size, this year will see the S9+ also get a dual rear-facing camera.

Teaser videos

‘Super Slo-Mo’ mode

The video starts off with a selection of high-speed adrenaline shots and finishes off with a super slow shot of a person in a wingsuit.

The “Super Slo-Mo” mode was all but confirmed last month when the packaging for the Galaxy S9 was leaked online. The super-slow video is expected to be between 960 and 1,000 frames per second. The device is also expected to offer 120fps at a 4K resolution. That would be double that of Apple Inc.’s latest iPhones, which offer 60fps, the previous best.

Unfortunately, U.S. customers will likely miss out on that because it will only be available for Samsung’s Exynos 9810 chipset. U.S. customers will get Qualcomm Technologies Inc.’s latest Snapdragon 845 chip, which can’t handle 120fps 4K video recording.

The licensing agreement between Qualcomm and Samsung reportedly dates back to 1993 and prevents Samsung from selling Exynos-equipped phones in the U.S.

Last month, the European Commission fined Qualcomm $1.2 billion for allegedly paying Apple to ignore rival chipmakers. It’s anybody’s guess whether this decision will have an impact on the relationship between Samsung and Qualcomm.

Low-light photography

Samsung’s next video highlights the device’s ability to take photos in very low light, a feature that was first made available on Google LLC’s Pixel smartphones. Samsung’s leaked aperture specs, however, could allow the company to set some new benchmarks.

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.

3D animated emojis

Not to be outdone by its biggest rival, Samsung will reportedly add its take on Apple’s Animojis, or animated emojis, which are highlighted in the company’s final video.

Samsung isn’t the first Android company to set its sights on Animojis. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.’s Honor brand blatantly copied Apple’s feature with the launch of its Honor V10 flagship in November.

Samsung’s 3D Emoji feature will reportedly be more advanced than Apple’s Animoji, according to ETNews, despite the Galaxy S9’s front-facing camera not being as advanced as the iPhone X.

3D Emoji will reportedly be able to detect fine movements of a user’s face and create a 3D character. Users will be able to use the 3D character as an alternative to emoticons in chat apps and select from a variety of animal characters.

Price

When it comes to a price tag for the new flagship there have been conflicting reports.

Earlier this month a U.K. industry insider reported the Galaxy S9 would cost £100 more than its predecessors, giving it a price tag of £789. If the price in the U.S. is inflated by the same amount, this would mean the S9 would cost about $850. However, the latest report to emerge from TechRadar suggests there will only be a £50 increase, compared to the Galaxy S8, and will cost £739.

Headphone jack

Unlike some of the latest flagships, like the iPhone X, Huawei Mate 10 Pro and the Pixel 2, Samsung will retain the headphone jack on its upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+.

This was “confirmed” earlier this month, when renowned leaker Evan Blass posted an image showing the upcoming device, with headphone jack, on the updated DeX dock. The original DeX dock was unveiled with the Galaxy S8 and provides a connection between the device and a monitor.

The updated version, currently referred to as the DeX Pad, is expected to be unveiled on Feb. 25 and will reportedly sport a new design that will allow the Galaxy S9 to lie flat, allowing the smartphone’s display to be utilized as a touchpad or keyboard.

Image: Screenshot from Samsung video

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