Samsung has more leaks than cardboard house in a hurricane right now, as the Mobile World Congress approaches late next month. While there are a few tidbits we may not know about the Galaxy S9 and S9+ handsets, many details are already out there. Now, we may also have pre-order and release dates.
Industry insider Evan Blass, who has a track record of being right more often than not, has been able to gather some intel:
According to a C-level executive at a major casemaker, the go-to-market schedule for Galaxy S9 / S9+ is as follows:
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 16, 2018
Launch - 2/26
Pre-orders - 3/1
Ships/releases - 3/16
The announcement date falls in line with Samsung"s previous statements that it was going to announce the device at MWC, and February 26 is the start of the conference. However, Samsung has traditionally had a press conference the day before MWC starts, so there is still some question as to the veracity of the info. Of course, if you go by time in South Korea, Samsung"s home country, the eight-hour time difference would put time at the MWC in Barcelona on February 25 in time for a late afternoon or evening press conference.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+, and at least two variants, are expected to raise the stakes only slightly over the Galaxy S8 devices. The form factor is expected to be the same, but a retail box suggests an upgraded camera, possible facial recognition, a relocated fingerprint sensor, and a Snapdragon 845 processor.
No matter the exact details, the popularity of the Galaxy S8 handsets gives Samsung good reason to expect that the S9 devices will be just as popular, if not more so.