Samsung Galaxy S9 Release Date: Late January 2018 For Unveiling And Then Will Go On Sale Mid-February?

Based on a new conjecture, it seems like the release of Samsung Galaxy S9 could happen earlier than expected. Unlike the typical March – April timeline for the unveiling and market release of Samsung’s previous flagship devices, the upcoming premier phone is now rumored to be official a few weeks after the New Year.

A specific release date was not mentioned but the Korean news site The Investor shared that the Galaxy S9 could have its grand launch at the latter part of January. This speculation for the feasible earlier release was based on shipment schedule for the Samsung Display’s OLED panel, which is said to commence in November this year. Comparing it to the production time frame of the current flagship, the shipping of the Samsung Galaxy S8’s display panels began January 2017 and it was then launched to the public March this year.

The post from The Investor further shared the following.

“Display panels are usually shipped earlier than other parts such as camera modules and cases. After the panel shipments, it takes about two to three months for the phone’s entire assembly.”

If this production schedule will indeed pan out for Samsung’s new phone, then avid tech fans will get to see the Samsung Galaxy S9 just five months after the release of the Korean tech giant’s latest phone offering, the Galaxy Note 8. Moreover, following the rumors of a January unveiling, the phone could have its worldwide market release starting at the mid part of February.

Along with the release date grapevines, the Samsung Galaxy S9 with a purported code name “Star” and model number SM-GN60 is also expected to have specs like the Snapdragon 845, which is Qualcomm’s next-gen chipset, a dual-camera setup, Android 8.0 Oreo, and 4GB RAM. The base model will have 64GB native storage, according to XDA Developers, which also shared that the Samsung Galaxy S9 will still have a QHD+ Infinity Display with 1440×2960p resolution and an 18.5:9 ratio.

The Galaxy Note 8 is already boasting of 6GB RAM, however, the same XDA Developers’ report suggested that the Galaxy S9 will instead be equipped with a less-powerful 4GB RAM. As for the 2018 phone’s fingerprint reader, it is said to be placed in a “centered rectangular cutout.”

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is anticipated to compete against Apple iPhone’s 10-year anniversary offering, the iPhone 8, which is set to debut on September 12. The alleged earlier release of the Galaxy S9 could easily be one of Samsung’s strategies to defend their flagship sales from Apple’s forthcoming high-end iPhone.

Apple’s iPhone 8 event is happening on September 12th https://t.co/UP2II1flwz pic.twitter.com/UWRPW5DcaG

— The Verge (@verge) August 31, 2017

[Featured Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]