Samsung Reveals Galaxy S9 Launch Date, Teases 'Reimagined' Camera

Samsung has sent out press invites for an Unpacked event for Feb. 25, 2018, a day before MWC kicks off in Barcelona, Spain. The invitation heavily suggests the launch of the Galaxy S9 and teases new features for the flagship Android phone’s camera.

The press invite simply shows a big “9” logo along with the slogan “The Camera. Reimagined.” Samsung’s invitation also informs fans that they will be able to watch the Unpacked event for the Galaxy S9 live on Samsung’s website. The event will begin at 6 p.m. CET (12 p.m. EST/9 a.m. PST).

It’s very likely that members of the press will be able to get some hands-on time with the handset right after the launch event. The Galaxy S9 is also expected to be showcased even further for MWC 2018 attendees.

The invite doesn’t really say much about the Galaxy S9, but the slogan does give everyone an idea of what to expect. It’s been a while since any of Samsung’s Galaxy flagships have had any major improvements in this department and it looks like that’s about to change this year.

Earlier this week, Samsung outed its new ISOCELL camera sensors. The new sensors are focused on improving HDR image capture, slow-mo video and hardware optimization for dual cameras. A couple of weeks ago, an alleged retail box for the Galaxy S9 was leaked online and it showed that the S9 may feature a variable aperture camera and that it could be capable of recording “Super Slow-Mo” video. The new ISOCELL camera sensors are capable of capturing 1080p full HD videos at 480 frames-per-second, as pointed out by Android Authority.

IBT also reported yesterday that a video showing an alleged Galaxy S9 unit surfaced online. The short 10-second video did’t give away much of anything, but it does appear that the S9 will have a slightly thinner bottom bezel than the Galaxy S8. Other than that, the Galaxy S9 is expected to look very similar to the S8 because it’s a minor upgrade compared to its predecessor.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is rumored to arrive with a 5.8-inch Infinity Display that has rounded corners and curved edges. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor will power the device along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S9+ will have a larger 6.2-inch display, dual cameras on its back and 6GB of RAM. There’s no concrete information yet on what cameras the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will have, but both of them are rumored come with one 12-megapixel sensor for the back, and an 8-megapixel sensor up front.