Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ launching in India on March 6

We had heard rumors of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ possibly launching in India on March 6th, following a leak that gave us details on how much these handsets would cost in the country. Samsung has now confirmed that to be the case and has sent us an invite for the launch event in New Delhi. This is the fastest release of a Samsung flagship in India; some reports say sales will begin on March 16th, which would mark the first time the country has been included in the list of initial launch countries. Not that it’s exclusive to India, as the Korean giant is finally releasing a flagship phone in many regions so quickly after the unveiling, along with offering most color options and at least one of the higher storage variants in most markets.

Galaxy S9 and S9+ launching in India on March 6

In India, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be powered by the Samsung Exynos 9810. Samsung has listed the purple, blue, and black color options on its Indian website and is taking pre-bookings for a small upfront payment. The storage variants include 64GB and 256GB, although the latter is only available in Midnight Black. This may change later on or it might not; the Galaxy S8+ with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage had also launched in India in black, so don’t be too hopeful about the possibility of buying the new Lilac Purple or Coral Blue version with 256GB of on-board storage.

If a leaked document is to be believed, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ won’t command too high of a price premium over what the Galaxy S8 and S8+ cost at launch in India. Of course, nothing is official at the moment, but we’ll bring you all the details on March 6th as we’ll have boots on the ground at the launch event. For now, check out our hands-on experience with the Galaxy S9 and also see all our coverage of Samsung’s latest and greatest flagship.

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[Poll] What’s your favorite Galaxy S9 color?

Now that the official unveiling of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is over, it’s time to ponder over purchase related questions. Samsung has made choosing between the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ more difficult this time by equipping the plus variant with more RAM and a dual-camera setup at the back. So, the choice between the two is no longer just a matter of screen size.

Fortunately, Samsung is not discriminating between the two models when it comes to available color options at least. The Galaxy S8 was available in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Coral Blue, Arctic Silver, and Maple Gold colors at launch. For the Galaxy S9 duo, Samsung is going with Midnight Black, Lilac Purple, Coral Blue, and Titanium Gray (in some markets). Of these, the company believes the new Lilac Purple will be a crowd favorite.

Samsung came up with a Rose Pink color option for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ months after their launch. So, in case if you are not impressed with the current colors, there is still hope that Samsung might launch new options later this year.

Since the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are made from glass, they will be fingerprint magnets just like their predecessors. The Midnight Black may be the tried and tested choice, but it is also more prone to fingerprints than the other colors.

Which is your favorite color option? Cast your votes below and let us know your thoughts.

What's your favorite Galaxy S9 color?

• Coral Blue
• Midnight Black
• Titanium Gray
• Lilac Purple
• Can't say before seeing them in person
• I like all of them

Results

• Coral Blue 37%, 10 votes
  10 votes 37%

  10 votes - 37% of all votes
• Midnight Black 19%, 5 votes
  5 votes 19%

  5 votes - 19% of all votes
• Titanium Gray 19%, 5 votes
  5 votes 19%

  5 votes - 19% of all votes
• Lilac Purple 15%, 4 votes
  4 votes 15%

  4 votes - 15% of all votes
• Can't say before seeing them in person 11%, 3 votes
  3 votes 11%

  3 votes - 11% of all votes
• I like all of them 0%, 0 votes
  0 votes

  0 votes - 0% of all votes

Total Votes: 27

1 March 2018

×

You or your IP had already vote.

• Coral Blue
• Midnight Black
• Titanium Gray
• Lilac Purple
• Can't say before seeing them in person
• I like all of them

×

You or your IP had already vote.

Results

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Galaxy S9+ has the best smartphone camera according to DxOMark

Camera reference publication DxOMark published the results of its Galaxy S9+ camera test today and it says that the Galaxy S9+ has the best smartphone camera on the market right now. It features a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.5 and f/2.4 variable aperture lens and a secondary 12-megapixel lens with a 2x tele and f/2.4 aperture lens. There’s Optical Image Stabilization for both lenses and Dual Pixel PDAF on the main sensor.

Galaxy S9+ wins best smartphone camera crown

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are the first smartphones from Samsung to offer a camera with variable aperture. The camera uses the f/1.5 aperture in low light conditions to maximize light capture while it uses the slower f/2.4 aperture for more detail and sharpness in bright conditions.

With 2x optical zoom on the secondary camera of the Galaxy S9+ and a Super Slow-motion video feature that records at 960 frames-per-second, DxOMark says that the Galaxy S9+ offers “one of the most comprehensive smartphone imaging feature sets” available on the market today.

The Galaxy S9+ has now taken the top spot in DxOMark’s rankings with a total score of 99, it edged out the Google Pixel 2 by just one point. The publication further adds that the handset’s camera doesn’t have any obvious weaknesses and performs very well across all its test categories. The individual Photo score of 104 is the best that DxOMark has seen so far while the Video score at 91 is among the best.

To put together its detailed camera reviews, engineers at DxOMark capture and evaluate more than 1,500 test images and more than two hours of video in controlled lab environments as well as in natural indoor and outdoor scenes with the camera settings at default.

The in-depth review is now live on DxOMark’s website so do check it out if you’re interested in the handset’s imaging prowess. Not only does Samsung’s latest flagship has the best smartphone display crown, it has also taken the best smartphone display crown, making it the Android flagship to beat in 2018.

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Samsung’s new design patent shows a ‘foldout’ display

Samsung’s efforts to make a phone with a foldable display, often referred to as the Galaxy X, are no longer a secret. It is no more limited to the rumor mills on the internet as the company has started officially commenting on the project at various forums. Recently, the CEO of Samsung’s mobile division, DJ Koh, confirmed its existence at a press event at the World Mobile Congress, even though he refused to offer any launch time frame.

New Samsung design patents

Until the launch of the foldable smartphone draws close, and credible leaks start emerging, patents filed by Samsung are our best source to get an idea of the mysterious device. While these patents may not be the final confirmation, they help us peek into the ideas explored by the company. Samsung has filed many foldable display related patents in the past, some of which we have covered as well.

Patently Mobile has discovered and reported on some new design patents awarded to Samsung by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Design patents don’t reveal any technology, specifications or materials, leaving us with only diagrams depicting the patented design.

The most interesting design patent among these is a ‘foldout’ smartphone, similar to the recently launched ZTE Axon M. The biggest difference is that unlike the ZTE phone, which uses two separate displays for its foldout design, Samsung’s patent shows one large foldable display.

Next, we have a design patent for a smartphone without any physical buttons or ports. While such a design will result in a blemishless look, only time will tell how practical it is.

Samsung has also been awarded a design patent for a “Wearable Electronic Device” made out of a wraparound display. This design blurs the line between a smartphone and a smartwatch.

There is no guarantee that any of these patents will turn into real products. Companies file patents and trademarks for many things which never make it to the market, so don’t put too much hope into any of these.

You can head over to Patently Mobile to have a look at more of these diagrams.

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Galaxy S8 February 2018 security patch rolling out now

Samsung has gradually been rolling out the February 2018 security patch to compatible devices and with the month now over, it has finally released the latest security maintenance release for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. Both handsets have now received the February 2018 security patch in the United States.

Samsung also rolled out the same patch for the unlocked Galaxy Note 8 in the United States a few days ago. The Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge have already received this update.

Galaxy S8 February 2018 security patch

As we have pointed out recently, Samsung has been taking it rather slow with the February 2018 security patch roll out. It appears that most compatible devices may not receive the latest patch well into the month of March which has begun today. Samsung might very well decide to skip ahead to the March 2018 patch.

The security maintenance release for the month of February 2018 brings fixes for five critical vulnerabilities as well as dozens of medium-risk and low-risk vulnerabilities. It also features fixes for 16 vulnerabilities found in Samsung’s software.

The company is now rolling out firmware version G950USQS2BRB1 for the Galaxy S8 in the United States and G955USQS2BRB1 for the Galaxy S8+. The relevant firmware files can be downloaded from our firmware section here for the Galaxy S8 and here for the Galaxy S8+.

Those who are based in regions where the Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update has already been rolled out need not concern themselves with this update. That’s because Oreo for the Galaxy S8 comes with the February 2018 security patch. The United States is one of the markets where Oreo hasn’t been released yet and it’s going to take even longer for carrier-locked devices.

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Galaxy S9 pre-orders reportedly below expectations in South Korea

A new report out of South Korea claims that the Galaxy S9 pre-orders have been below expectations so far in Samsung’s home country. Samsung started taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ in South Korea yesterday and industry watchers are saying that so far the pre-orders have fallen shy of expectations.

Galaxy S9 pre-orders

Industry watchers mentioned in the report claim that the Galaxy S9 pre-orders for both models of the new flagship did not reach those of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ in the first six hours after pre-orders were opened. Samsung hasn’t revealed any official figures as yet so it’s difficult to be sure whether or not that is the case.

An employee of a local carrier is quoted as saying that while many customers are asking about the new phones, the actual number of pre-orders appears to be “a tad smaller” than last year. The report mentions that the LG V30S ThinQ has received a similar reception in South Korea. It’s LG’s revamped version of the V30 with new artificial intelligence features.

It merits mentioning here that these observations are from the very first day after pre-orders were opened so it’s likely that the numbers could pick up down the line. Moreover, it has only been a few days since the Galaxy S9 was officially unveiled so Samsung will gradually ramp up its marketing efforts to get more customers to pre-order the handset.

Samsung already expects that the Galaxy S9 will outperform the Galaxy S8 in terms of sales. The CEO of Samsung’s mobile division recently said that the initial response has been above expectations from consumers even though the Galaxy S9 doesn’t bring a lot of cosmetic changes which is usually what they are most attracted by.

Seeing as how we’re on the subject of Galaxy S9 pre-orders, don’t forget to check out our Galaxy S9 pre-order deals for a handful of key markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

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