I did say it’s never over. Following a massive specification leak last week, I argued that we knew almost everything about Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. But now there’s new information and it’s perhaps more interesting than the predictable specs we already know…
The consistently reliable ET News has the scoop, revealing Samsung will equip the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus with two features never seen before on any Android smartphone:
1. All New Display Technology
Samsung is rightly acclaimed for impressive screen tech (including the panels it supplies for Apple’s iPhone X), but the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus look set to outdo everything that has come before.
ET News says they will be the first smartphones to launch with "Y-OCTA" (Youm On-Cell Touch AMOLED) technology. Y-OCTA allows Samsung to place the touch sensor directly on the flexible OLED layer enabling the company to significantly cut both thickness and weight. It also has the potential to make the display even more responsive in use.
2. Internal Miniaturisation
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus will also see the introduction of SLP (Substrate-Like PCB) mainboards. SLP is a circuit miniaturization technique first used by Apple in the iPhone X and will enable Samsung to free up more space inside the chassis.
Bigger batteries would seem to be the obvious benefit from SLP, but that seems unlikely to happen so Samsung may be using it for better cooling and airflow which would allow the phone to operate a maximum capacity for longer.
The downside is ET News says SLP will only be used in Exynos versions of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus and an archaic licensing agreement with Qualcomm forbids Samsung from shipping Exynos-based smartphones to the U.S. Instead, U.S. customers will exclusively get Snapdragon 845-based variants, and that has additional downsides.
New Tricks But A Familiar Face
While these new tricks will mean there’s more to the new Galaxies than meets the eye, the reality is the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus will look almost identical to last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus - something I confirmed when I exclusively revealed the Galaxy S9’s final design last month.
As such Samsung will need to employ some of Apple’s marketing nous when it comes to exciting users about externally indistinguishable upgrades. Perhaps the smartest move would be to remind customers that two of their best features is what rivals continue to throw away…
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