Galaxy S9: Samsung’s 2018 Flagships Just Had Their Code Numbers Leaked, March Release Date Likely

With the Galaxy Note 8 fully saturating the mobile market, all eyes are now on Samsung’s highly-anticipated follow-up to its universally-acclaimed Galaxy S8 smartphone — the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. While details about the upcoming flagship devices have been elusive, recent leaks have begun to emerge from the South Korean tech giant, with the latest being the flagship smartphone’s firmware and model numbers.

The code numbers, which were obtained by tech site SAM Mobile, suggest that Samsung will be debuting two flagship units next year. With this in mind, it seems that the Asian tech firm would be following its tradition of releasing a regular-sized and plus-sized S-series unit, just as it has done since the days of the Galaxy S6.

According to the SAM Mobile report, Samsung is hard at work in developing the firmware for its two new Galaxy S smartphones, with each device being tagged as G960FXXU0AQI5 and G965FXXU0AQI5. These firmware designations all but confirm that Samsung will be releasing two devices with the code numbers SM-G960 and SM-G965 next year.

While the code numbers have not been officially linked to the Galaxy S9 and S9+, Samsung’s S-series has traditionally utilized the SM-G9xx code for years. The recently released Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, for example, were designated with the code numbers SM-G950 and SM-G955, respectively, according to a SlashGear report.

Considering the format of the recently retrieved code numbers, there seems to be a good chance that Samsung might be releasing a Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in early 2018. The South Korean tech giant has a tendency to stick with its traditions, as evidenced by the release of the Galaxy Note 8 a year after the controversial Galaxy Note 7 disaster. Thus, while the official names of SM-G960 and SM-G965 remain unknown for now, it seems safe to assume that the upcoming smartphones would be called the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are rumored to be Samsung’s best smartphones yet, with early rumors pointing to a device that is visually stunning inside and out. So far, speculations suggest that the Galaxy S9 would feature a curved display on all sides, a powerful dual-camera sensor, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, up to 6GB of RAM and finally, an embedded fingerprint sensor.

The release date of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ remain unknown. Considering Samsung’s tendency to stick with its routine, rumors are high that the first 2018 flagships would be unveiled in late March, with deliveries starting in early-to-mid-April. Pricing for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ has not been leaked either, though speculations are high that the upcoming flagships would be comparable in price to their 2017 counterparts.

[Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images]