One of the biggest highly anticipated events of the technology world is finally underway — MWC 2018, and it has gotten off to a flying start. Samsung — a synonymous name in most countries around the world, has taken the stage to get the new Galaxy S9 series of flagship smartphones. then you can catch up with all the new stuff here.​

Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+

We have been waiting for a long time to see what Samsung had in store for its fans in 2018. While there was no mention of the rumoured Galaxy X foldable smartphone, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ were shown to the world. Samsung’s latest flagships will start at $719 (approximately Rs 47,000) for the smaller Galaxy S9 and go up to $839 (approximately Rs 54,000) for the Galaxy S9+. However, expect the Indian prices to be more than the US prices, approximately on par with the S8’s first price tag.

Inside, both the S9 and S9+ contain a 10nm Snapdragon 845 chipset for the North American markets whereas the rest of the world will experience an undisclosed version of Samsung’s own Exynos chipset with a similar architecture. The S9 gets 4GB of RAM as standard whereas the S9+ has to make do with 6GB of RAM. Both the models are available in storage capacities of 64/128/256GB, with expandable storage up to 400GB. They run Samsung’s new custom UI based on Android 8.0 Oreo. Bixby also makes a comeback as Bixby 2.0 with new capabilities such as identifying buildings, translating text from an image and identifying nutritional levels from food articles. However, as in typical Samsung style, they will be available sometime later this year. Samsung’s biometric authentication system now uses the iris scanner and the facial recognition setup for added security. The S9 is backed by a 3000mAh battery whereas the S9+ gets a 3500mAh battery. And, if you wondered, the 3.5mm headphone jack stays (hurrah).

Since the beginning of 2017, smartphone manufacturers have been pushing for narrow-bezel displays. Samsung was one of the first ones to utilise this trend by narrowing the bezels on their flagship S8 and later the Note 8. Apple answered back Samsung with a similar narrow bezel display on their flagship iPhone X. However, Apple’s solution of putting a notch within the display area for housing all the sensors wasn’t received positively by tech enthusiasts. It seems that Samsung has a solution to the issue. 
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A recently uncovered patent filed by Samsung shows a new implementation of a full-screen display on a smartphone. The new arrangement opts for all the sensors embedded under the display, thus making for a full-screen display experience. The patent shows the smartphone utilising an under-the-display fingerprint sensor, which doubles up as the home button. All the other sensors such as the front camera, proximity sensors and the earpiece are shown embedded in the display. Samsung also mentions the requirement of a pressure-sensitive display as found on present-day Apple iPhones. The patent also shows no bezels around, thus making it possible to achieve a 100 per cent screen-to-body ratio.

​We have seen several similar patents showing new technologies that often don’t make it to the production version of a smartphone. However, Samsung’s foldable smartphone, dubbed by some as the Galaxy X, is expected to show up either sometime this year or early next year. A full-screen arrangement on a folding smartphone will certainly help efficient utilisation of space, maximising the surface area of the screen.

A month ahead of Galaxy S9 launch, a new feature has been surfaced in the Settings APK called of Oreo Beta build called – Intelligent Scan, which combines iris scanner and facial recognition for unlocking the phone.
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According to SamCentral, the researcher claims “I used APKTool on the Settings APK for the Note8 Oreo beta. I found something very interesting, Intelligent scan! According to the strings in the Settings apk, the Intelligent scan is a combination of both Iris and Facial recognition. It uses Iris Scanner and Face Recognition together for better results even in the low or very bright light. This is currently not in the Note8, S8, or S8 active Oreo beta builds. The video in there is below is a copy of the Settings apk. It also uses "face and iris recognition together for better accuracy and security."

At this year’s CES, Samsung gave out the tentative date by which we can expect the rumoured Galaxy S9 to break cover — the MWC 2018 in Barcelona towards the end of February. This leaves us with almost a month’s time, which means the rumours of Samsung’s popular flagship offering will start offering believable information. And we already have one that’s hard to term as fake — someone on the Internet has got hold of the Galaxy S9’s retail package, holding all the specifications.

GizChina’s report gives out an in-detail leak of the alleged Galaxy S9, showing the phone in all its glory. The Galaxy S9 and the S9 Plus are shown from the rear — the ‘standard’ S9 confirms the initial rumours of the smaller model sporting only a single rear camera whereas the bigger S9 Plus will sport dual camera setup aligned vertically like the iPhone X. Both of them sport the fingerprint sensor underneath the camera module, just like the recently launched Galaxy A8 models.

​However, the report also showcases another leaked photo that gives us a glimpse of the official retail box, holding all the specifications. The box states that the Galaxy S9 will come with a 5.8-inch quad HD+ sAMOLED display, a 12MP Dual Pixel rear camera with (f/1.5 and f/2.4) aperture, a super Slow-mo camera, 8MP AF selfie camera, AKG-tuned stereo speakers, iris scanner, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The camera seems to have a variable aperture, which could drastically improve the low light performance of the Galaxy S9.

It seems that Samsung has a lot of goodies stored under the wrap for the upcoming CES 2018. The company has announced an updated version of the Notebook 7 Spin that comes packed with a quad-core eight-generation Intel Core i5 processor and support for an Active Pen stylus. The Notebook 7 Spin was originally released back in 2016.
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At CES 2018, Samsung will launch the new Notebook 7 Spin (2018). The company says that the new Notebook is designed for working professionals, students and those looking for entertainment.

The key highlights of the Notebook include a fingerprint sensor, which will work with Windows Hello security suite. The multi-functional laptop boasts a 360-degree screen, which users can twist and turn. The company has notified that the Active Pen will be sold separately. The Notebook 7 Spin sports a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. At the heart, there is an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor clubbed with 8GB RAM and a 256GB of inbuilt storage.

The South Korean giant says that the laptop comes with an improved battery life and claims that the Notebook 7 Spin can last a whole day on a single charge. The Notebook also comes with one port each for USB-C, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and HDMI. The new Notebook 7 Spin (2018) will be available later this year.

The flagship smartphones are bleeding cutting technology for the prices they are offered. However, all of them bog down in the power source department. Recently, we have heard about Apple throttling older iPhones to elongate the life of their batteries. And now, Samsung has been in the news for battery issues in their flagship Note 8 and S8 models.
It is not the first time that Samsung has been in trouble with the batteries on its phones. In 2016, Samsung had a disastrous episode with the Galaxy Note 7 that ended up exploding due to faulty batteries. The Note 7 was eventually pulled off the market. The current case related to Samsung batteries is different though (one that doesn’t end ruining beautifully crafted smartphones). Several Galaxy Note 8, as well as Galaxy S8/S8+ owners, have been reporting their phones to not respond once the batteries discharge to zero per cent. Despite plugging in the charger, the phones are not charging, preventing them from booting up. In short, the phones are just becoming unusable.

However, this is Samsung, which means that the users get a reply from the company if anything goes wrong. Therefore, in response to a foreign publication, the company said, “Of course, Samsung is taking all reports of this kind seriously, we only received a very small number of customer inquiries that could be linked to charge management, and unfortunately we can only comment on the matter further if we have more detailed information about the affected devices.”

As the company said, nothing can be said about the incident until Samsung’s investigation finishes. It can possibly be some units been affected by this issue in certain parts of the world. As WinFuture points out, most of these complaints came for areas where the temperatures have been falling drastically, which means that the issue could be similar the one that Apple faced a few years ago with its iPhones that failed to operate optimally in extreme weather conditions. As of now, nothing can be derived from the situation until the investigation concludes. If you are one of the unlucky Note 8/S8/S8Plus users, then it is advisable to hold on until the company clarifies.

Samsung has been rumoured to unveil its Galaxy S9 in the first quarter next year. One of the biggest alterations coming to the new flagship will be an increased screen-to-body ratio which could reach up to 90 per cent.
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Several rumours hinted Samsung could achieve the high ratio with the upcoming device. The Galaxy S9 is also said to be taller than its predecessor.

But a report from Dutch website GlaxyClub claims otherwise. The report says Samsung will use the same 18.5:9 display ratio as the Galaxy S8. However, the company would increase the screen-to-body ratio in a different manner, and the one that makes more sense.

The most recent speculations suggest that the Galaxy S9 would come with smaller bezels, especially at the bottom where Samsung is trying to make them nearly invisible.

The Galaxy S9 lineup will comprise of two models, just like the previous generations. This indicates we will get a 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 and a Plus-sized 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+.

The smaller variant could feature a single-lens camera and 4GB of RAM, while the bigger variant will incorporate a dual camera setup along with 6GB RAM.

The devices are most likely to be showcased in March at a dedicated event and will hit the shelves in April.

The good news is that most of the premium Android phones these days offer some form of quick charging via their USB-C adapters. In the case of the latest iPhones, you can get fast charging, but only if you pay extra for both a 29-watt power adapter and a USB-C-to-Lightning cable (about $68 total). 

For our first round of testing, we wanted to find what battery percentage these phones could reach in 30 minutes of charging with their included adapters. The phones were on, but the screens were turned off. With the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, we used both the standard AC plug and the fast-charging gear to bring you both sets of results.

The OnePlus 5T led the pack, reaching an impressive 59 percent in 30 minutes. The advantage for the OnePlus? Unlike most other Android phones, it doesn't use Qualcomm's QuickCharge technology. Instead, it employs the proprietary Dash Charge, which delivers higher amperage than QuickCharge and uses dedicated circuitry in the charger itself for heat management. (Android Central has a great explainer on how Dash Charge works.)

However, it's important to note that these iPhones charge slower than the rest of the field even with their included adapters. For instance, the iPhone X hit only 17 percent after 30 minutes.

Among other phones, the Galaxy Note 8, S8 and S8+ were all in the same ballpark, at 35 to 38 percent, and the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL had comparable results.

So how about after an hour? The OnePlus 5T once again took the prize, reaching 93 percent in 60 minutes. The LG V30 snagged second place, at 86 percent, and the latest iPhones all vied for third place, though the iPhone X had the most capacity, at 81 percent. And, yes, you could argue that you need to cheat to hit these numbers with the iPhone, because you have to buy extra gear.
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Overall, if filling up your phone fast is a top priority, the OnePlus 5T is the champ. And at $499, it's also the most affordable phone you can get that comes with flagship-level specs and performance.

Samsung’s flagship smartphones are always touted to be the next big thing and the upcoming Galaxy S9 is no exception. The Galaxy S series smartphones represent the best in the world of Android and next year’s Galaxy S9 has to lock horns with the iPhone X. Therefore, it has to have the latest technologies, which could even mean dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Yes, a Weibo user, who claims to have sources inside Samsung, has stated that Samsung’s next-generation flagship smartphone will be shipped with Bluetooth earphones. These wireless earbuds will be tuned by AKG in the same way as they have been tuned for the Galaxy S8 and Note 8. While that may certainly be good news for the techno-savvy crowd, it raises one critical question related the Galaxy S9 — is the 3.5mm jack doomed on Samsung’s flagship?

As for this tipster, he says that prototype units of the S9 are still rocking the headphone jack. However, Samsung might ditch it in the 11th hour if their Bluetooth headset turns out to meet the Samsung’s satisfaction. They could also be settling for the USB Type-C port in the same way Google adopted it for their second generation Pixel smartphones. Is this good news or bad news?

Well, if you have an arsenal of a good pair of headphones and pricey AUX cables, then you will be left with no choice rather than to depend completely on that pesky ' Type-C to 3.5mm’ converters.  If you have already made the transition to the wireless camp, then it’s a no-brainer. However, take this leak with a pinch of salt as this is still a rumour. The 3.5mm jack has been one of Samsung’s USP amongst other old-school features and could even stay alive on Samsung flagships for the next few years.

South Korean giant Samsung seems to be prepping to showcase its flagships in 2018, and looks like we already have an idea how the upcoming device will shape up. Latest leak spotted by Forbes hints a mini variant of the Galaxy S9, while the other two will be similar to its predecessors.

If the reports are to be believed, all three models will boast a dual-edge curved Infinity display. Unlike, previous mini variants, Samsung will give the same design to all of the models to make a strong foothold in the mid-range division.

The leaks also suggest that the flagship will have dual camera setup with BABR coating 'broad-band anti-reflection.' The fingerprint sensor is also expected to be relocated on the rear panel.

The device model SM-G960F was spotted in a Geekbench listing scored 2680 points in the single core test which far exceeds that of the Google Pixel 2 which gained1685 points. The device still doesn’t beat the iPhone X which scored a whopping 4218 points.

The listing also reveals that the smartphone will have the Exynos 9 series 9810 which was recently announced. It will be backed by 4GB of RAM and will have support for Gigabit speeds on LTE.

Samsung is also said to launch the device with Snapdragon 845 processors. Qualcomm is reported to sell the entire first batch of the Snapdragon 845 to Samsung for the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The flagship will come with Android Oreo out-of-the-box.
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The smartphone is expected to see the light of day at MWC 2018 held in Barcelona, Spain. The company is reportedly planning a launch event for February 25.