The Samsung Galaxy S9 and the LG G7 are scheduled to launch in January, as the iPhone X continues its surge in popularity.
The next flagship smartphones from two of Apple's biggest rivals in the smartphone industry are apparently being announced sooner than expected in a bid to challenge the iPhone X.
Samsung Galaxy S9, LG G7 Release Date
The iPhone X has been dominating its current competition, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the LG G6. This is probably why Samsung and LG are hastening their plans to release their next flagship device, as the companies look to provide a better challenge against Apple's premium smartphone.
According to Business Korea, the Samsung Galaxy S9 will be unveiled in January at CES 2018, confirming a previous report from reliable leaker Evan Blass of VentureBeat. Samsung, however, will still be holding an official Galaxy S9 announcement event in March, according to Blass.
The Business Korea report, however, claimed that a second flagship smartphone, the LG G7, will also be launched in January 2018. The company's previous flagship devices, the LG G5 and LG G6, were unveiled in late February at the Mobile World Congress, so a January launch would also be much earlier than expected for the LG G7.
According to analysts, the LG G6 arrived to the market earlier than its competitors and, as a result, saw a significant level of success. This likely played a role in LG's decision to launch its next flagship smartphone even earlier.
Samsung Galaxy S9, LG G7 Rumors
The Galaxy S9 was described as an "iterative update" to the Galaxy S8, with one of its significant upgrades being the inclusion of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845.
However, Business Korea, citing, Tech Advisor, claimed that the LG G7 will also be packing the Snapdragon 845. This will eliminate one advantage that the Samsung Galaxy S8 had over the LG G6, as the former then had exclusivity to the Snapdragon 835.
Other Galaxy S9 rumors involve the smartphone's fingerprint reader. According to an Android Headlines report, Samsung has tapped a new fingerprint scanner supplier for the upcoming device, which is expected to relocate the fingerprint sensor below the rear camera to avoid users smudging the camera lens with their finger. A new patent, however, suggests that Samsung is working to finally embed the fingerprint sensor under the display, though it is unclear if the technology will be ready for the Galaxy S9.
There are also rumors that Samsung is working on a third model in addition to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The new model will reportedly be named the Galaxy S9 Mini due to its smaller size.
