Galaxy S9 vs. iPhone X: Samsung Price To Mirror Apple's

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are both expected to be announced in just a few days, but the European pricing for the upcoming phones has already been revealed. Apparently, the Galaxy S9 will start at €841 while the larger S9+ will start as €997.

Information on the Galaxy S9’s price was provided by notorious leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks). When these European prices are directly converted to U.S. dollars, the Galaxy S9 will cost around $1,038, while the S9+ will cost $1,229. As pointed out by The Verge, this would bring the phones in the same price range as Apple’s iPhone X, which sells for $999 for the 64GB model and $1,149 for the 256GB model.

Smartphones are typically a lot more expensive outside the U.S., so customers shouldn’t worry too much about the European pricing. It’s important to point out the leaked European pricing may be inclusive of tax, which might be 19 or 20 percent. When the Galaxy S9 reaches the U.S. market, it will likely cost much less. BGR speculates that the official U.S. pricing for the Galaxy S9 could be $850, while the S9+ could cost $950.

Although that may not be as bad as the European pricing, it still indicates that high-end smartphones are getting more expensive. To put things into perspective, the Galaxy S8 arrived last year with a $750 price tag, while the larger S8+ started at $850. Samsung’s price increase for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ may also indicate that the company’s pricing may have been influenced by its toughest competitor, Apple’s iPhone X.

When Apple first announced the $999 starting price of the iPhone X, many thought that it was ridiculous. A lot of people still lined up for the most expensive iPhone ever and it may have opened the doors for other manufacturers, like Samsung, to raise their prices for their own Android flagship smartphones. Apple is of course Samsung’s biggest rival and it makes sense that the South Korean phone maker would try to compete in the same price range.

The Galaxy S9+ with 256GB of internal storage is expected to be the most expensive model. It could cost more than $1,000. This would directly rival the 256GB iPhone X, which costs $1,149.

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ on Feb. 25 during an Unpacked event. Users will be able to watch the live stream on Samsung’s website. Samsung is also expected to show off the Galaxy S9 during Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona, which kicks off on Feb. 26.