SAMSUNG S9

Galaxy S9 price, release date and specs: Samsung confirms MWC launch for S9, S9 Plus

                                                                                 THE GALAXY S8 may have arrived on shelves mere months ago, but reports claim that Samsung has already started production of next year's flagship: the Galaxy S9. 

We've done some digging, and this isn't all we know about the so-called Galaxy S9, so we've rounded up everything we know about the handset so far. 

Specs- 5.8in / 6.2in QHD+ Super AMOLED curved display (570ppi / 529ppi)
- Android 8.0 'O'
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (US) / Samsung Exynos (UK)
- Cat 18 LTE support (1.2Gbps download speeds)
- Display embedded fingerprint scanner
- Dual rear-facing camera
- Bixby AI assistant with dedicated button
- USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack

Release dateSamsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will launch at MWC in February, where it will also spill details on the handset's release date. 

Price
There's no word yet on pricing for the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. If anything like the S8, expect handsets to fetch around £689 and £779 SIM-free.

Latest news 
10/1/17: Samsung's mobile boss DJ Koh has confirmed that the Galaxy S9 will launch at Mobile World Congress in February. Speaking during a press event at CES, attended by ZDNet, Koh said that the handset at the trade show in February with the sales date also to announced at the event.

8/1/17: A new leak courtesy of China's Weibo claims to have details on the RAM and storage configurations of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. If legit, expect the Galaxy S9 to be offered in two versions - one with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and the other with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. The Galaxy S9 Plus will be offered with 6GB RAM as standard and will be made available with a choice of 64GB, 128GB or 256GB storage. The post also notes that Samsung could launch a 512GB model of the phone, but this likely will be "temporary" and offered in "select markets" only. 

3/1/18: The first hands-on images of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus have appeared online (above), courtesy of Weibo (via Androidandme). The in-the-flesh snaps don't reveal much we don't already know, but appear to confirm rumours that the handsets will feature the same shiny, glass design as their predecessors, along with a repositioned fingerprint scanner. While the also Galaxy S9 on left has just one camera, the Galaxy S9+ on the right has a dual camera setup.

2/1/18: New renders of the Galaxy S9 (below) appear to confirm that the smartphone will, er, look near identical to its Galaxy S8 predecessor. The images, shared on Weibo, do suggest that some changes are coming though, including an iPhone-esque vertical dual rear camera, a repositioned fingerprint scanner and - despite earlier rumours - a 3.5mm headphone jack.