Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ Launch Now Rumoured for MWC 2018

After some initial leaks and hints for a CES unveiling, it is now reported that Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February next year. The new development is in line with the the recent reported dismissal of a sneak peek at CES. This would make the Galaxy S9 launch earlier than the Galaxy S8, which was announced in March this year and then went on sale in April.

MWC has often been a place for smartphone vendors to showcase their flagships. And this year, Samsung is apparently leveraging the huge public-gathering to showcase the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The South Korean company has scheduled the launch on February 27, as reported by South Korean outlet The Bell. It appears that the schedule is in the local time of South Korea. Therefore, the official event would take place sometime on February 26 for the European and North American regions. MWC, on the other hand, will be conducted between February 26 and March 1.

The Bell reports that due to the swift growth of the iPhone X across the global markets, Samsung is hosting the Galaxy S9 launch one month earlier than its predecessor. Quoting an industry observer, the news source states that the March launch of the Galaxy S9 would also help the company expand sales of the Galaxy S8 in the meanwhile.

Some recent reports state that the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ both will have "nearly identical" aesthetics of their predecessors - with Super AMOLED "Infinity" display panels in 5.8- and 6.2-inch sizes, respectively. Both are rumoured to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor in the US, while their global versions would have Exynos 9810 SoC. Further, the new Galaxy series flagships are reported to have an improved iris scanner that would take on Apple's Face ID, which is available on the iPhone X.

The report by The Bell claims that components such as the printed circuit broad (PCB) of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be mass-produced by the end of this month. However, Samsung hasn't announced any details about both the rumoured devices.

Earlier today, a set of renders suggesting the build of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ surfaced online. The render showed a rear-facing fingerprint scanner - below a single, primary camera sensor, similar to the Galaxy S8.