We know the Samsung Galaxy S9 is launching this quarter, but until now we didn’t know when exactly. That has now changed, however, thanks to one the best leakers on the planet – @evleaks.
According to Mr Blass, the Samsung Galaxy S9 will get a release date on March 16, following a launch on February 22. In addition to this, pre-orders for the phones will start on March 1.
This ties in with current thinking that suggests the Galaxy S9 will launch at MWC 2018. This has been rumoured (and then confirmed by Samsung) for a good long while, however, we had no indication of when the actual phones would be available to buy until now.
Of course, Mr Blass’ statement is not fact; though it is as close as we’ll get to it until Samsung officially unveils the phones on the 22nd.
Samsung will release two Galaxy S9 handsets – the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ – with the latter being the more expensive model. Expect to pay iPhone X-type money for that handset, while the standard model should be a bit cheaper (£700-£800) SIM-free.
The Galaxy S9 really has its work cut out for it in the US and UK, after the release of Apple’s iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus handsets which have been selling like hotcakes since they became available late-on in 2017.
“In the first full quarter after the launch of its three new models, Apple grew its share relative to Android brands,” said a research note from CIRP’s Lowitz, seen by 9to5Mac.
It added: “If we compare the change in share from the September quarter to the December quarter of this year and last year, Apple clearly improved its market position. It gained ten percentage points from the September to the December quarter both years, but as it had a better September quarter in 2017 than in 2016, this resulted in an overall stronger December quarter.”
Samsung needs a strong performance from its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 in 2018 in order to close the gap. A viable route to achieving this would be under-cutting Apple with respect to price and beating it on features. Whether this happens remains to be seen, but we can always remain hopeful.
Value for money is sorely underrated and underrepresented at the moment in the phone space.
