Samsung Galaxy S9 release date: MWC 2018 invites confirm Feb. 25 launch, improved camera performance

Samsung's official invitation to its MWC 2018 "Unpacked" event Samsung

It is official: Samsung Galaxy S9 is launching on Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

The confirmation comes from the tech giant's invitation for a "Samsung Unpacked" press conference at the trade show, depicting a large purple "9" on a black background. It does not give away much, but its tagline does say "The camera. Reimagined," giving credence to rumors that S9's biggest difference from its predecessor is found in the camera department.

It remains to be seen how Samsung improved the handset's snappers, but recent leaks, according to Android Authority, claim the phone maker would utilize its new ISOCELL sensors for S9 series. These sensors would allow the devices to record video in 1080p with a whopping 480 frames per second, also opening doors for super-slow motion footage. There should be boosts in low-light photography, too, as well as enhancements in the dual sensors and extremely thin modules.

As for the phones themselves, both the standard and Plus variants are expected to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 or Samsung's Exynos 9810 chips. As has been the case with all of Samsung's recent flagship phones, the processor will vary based on region. The chip will reportedly be coupled with 4 GB of RAM and 3,000 mAh battery for the 5.8-inch S9 and 6 GB RAM and 3,500 mAh battery for the 6.2-inch S9 Plus.

Other rumored specs include dual stereo speakers, IP68 water and dust resistance, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, earphones tuned by AKG, an iris scanner, and wireless charging support.

Samsung has yet to announce the pre-order and release dates, but famed leaker Evan Blass said last week that the Korean company would accept pre-orders on March 1 and ship the phone on March 16. Price details are under wraps as well. If anything like the S8, though, the handsets are expected cost around £689 and £779.

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