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A set of renders depicting what’s said to be the Galaxy S9 appeared online earlier today, having been authored by smartphone case manufacturer Ghostek and being based on information that’s said to originate from sources close to Samsung’s component supply chains. The back side of the smartphone is an accurate representation of the final product whereas its top bezel seen in the renders will actually be slightly slimmer, BGR claims, citing industry insiders. The newly uncovered image seen above is understood to be representative of both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus which should only differ in terms of screen size.
The renders are also in line with recent reports that the back side of the Galaxy S9 lineup will “change a lot” compared to the Galaxy S8 series; the dual-camera setup of Samsung’s upcoming flagship is depicted as featuring vertically arranged sensors that are perfectly centered and reside above a dual-LED (dual-tone) flash unit and a heart rate monitor, with the fingerprint reader being placed beneath the two modules. The shape of the scanner appears to be largely identical to the one found on the Galaxy S8-series devices but the latest renders show the scanner to be positioned horizontally and aren’t the first to do so. The new placement should help users reach the fingerprint reader when using the device in one hand and are likely Samsung’s attempt to address one of the rare complaints directed at its otherwise widely acclaimed Android flagships, provided that the new leak is accurate.
A dedicated Bixby button is depicted as being part of the package but its position doesn’t correspond to recent rumors claiming Samsung will put more space between that key and the volume down button in order to mitigate the chances of users confusing the two. The front side of the handset still appears to feature an Infinity Display panel with curved edges and minimal bezels, with its bottom retaining the USB Type-C port and 3.5mm audio jack found on Samsung’s older high-end offerings. Ghostek itself has a less than stellar track record with Android phone leaks, having previously delivered a relatively accurate depiction of the Galaxy Note 8 prior to its release but failing to do the same with the Galaxy S8. According to recent reports, the Galaxy S9 will sport a 5.8-inch screen, whereas the Galaxy S9 Plus will be equipped with a 6.2-inch module, much like their predecessors. The two Android phablets are expected to launch in early 2018, supposedly in the run-up to the next iteration of MWC.