Samsung Galaxy S9 Price: Android Flagship To Cost More Than Predecessor

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S9 flagship smartphone is now expected to cost more than its predecessor after its alleged pricing for the South Korean market was leaked online.

South Korean news outlet Etnews reported Monday that the Galaxy S9 is going to debut with a more expensive price tag than last year’s Galaxy S8. The publication got this information from a partner local carrier who disclosed some pertinent information about the premium Android handset.

An official of the South Korean carrier maintained that despite the bump in pricing, the S9 will still be considered reasonably priced by most consumers. “Although the domestic price of the Galaxy S9 will increase, it will be decided at a level where consumers do not feel burdened,” the official was quoted as saying.

When Samsung released the Galaxy S8 last year, the device was valued at 935,000 Korean won or US $875. For this year, the Galaxy S9 is expected to hit the market with a price tag amounting to somewhere between 950,000 to 999,000 Korean won or US $890–$935. According to Phone Arena, this suggests that the S9 could debut in the U.S. with a price tag that’s 10 percent higher than the S8’s value when it launched with a $750 market value.

Other information that was recently leaked include the preorders and availability of the S9. As per Etnews’ sources, the S9’s “reservation sale” will run from March 2–8. The sources indicated that preorders will be accepted throughout this period before the new flagship device officially rolls out. Unfortunately, the sources indicated that this is for the South Korean market. Whether the preorder period will be the same for the U.S. remains to be seen.

Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy S9 at a pre-show event before Mobile World Congress next month. At the launch event, the South Korean tech giant is expected to not only talk about the specs and features of the new Galaxy S flagship entry, it is also rumored to detail its sales schedule and pricing for the handset at the event.

IBTimes learned late last week that Samsung sent out invitations for an Unpacked event scheduled for Feb. 25, a day before the kickoff of MWC in Barcelona, Spain. The invitation does not reveal much about the new product. It simply shows a big “9” logo and the promotional tagline: “The Camera. Reimagined.” The latter strongly suggests that Samsung has equipped the new smartphone with advanced camera technologies and cool camera features.