Samsung Galaxy S9 release date, specs leak: Box for upcoming flagship reveals dual-pixel camera, 5.8-inch Infinity Display with HD+ resolution

Promo image for the Samsung Galaxy S8, featuring its Infinity Display designSamsung/smartphones/Galaxy-S8

Even as Samsung has yet to release the first official teasers for its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S9, the public already anticipates its arrival in the coming weeks, in line with the company's previous launch schedules of its premium Galaxy S phones. Thanks to the handset's leaked retail box, it is now expected that the Samsung Galaxy S9 will sport a 5.8-inch quad HD+ Infinity Display, which is not much of an improvement over its predecessor.

The latest information surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S9 came from Reddit, wherein a user posted the images of the alleged retail box of the upcoming smartphone. The box includes the list of features of the Galaxy S9, and one of the noticeable specs detail is the 5.8-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED bezel-less screen that follows the Galaxy S8's Infinity Display design. This goes against the earlier rumor that the S9 screen will deliver 4K resolution graphics, although a quad HD+ display is still an impressive feature.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 retail box also shows the descriptions for the handset's front and rear-facing cameras. The box reveals that the 2018 flagship phone will have a 12MP dual-pixel camera at the back, supported by an optical image stabilization feature. The interesting part is that the list also adds an aperture range of f/1.5 to f/2.4. It is not clear if this description pertains to a dual-lens camera setup, although it could also be just a single-lens shooter, just like in the Galaxy S8, but with variable aperture. While it may not have the power of a dual camera, the Galaxy S9 will have the ability to choose between f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures, depending on the required condition for the shot.

After the dual-pixel camera, the box shows the Samsung Galaxy S9 to sport an 8MP front-facing camera, yet another similarity with the Galaxy S8. The smartphone is also listed with IP68 dust and water resistance on the box, as well as an iris scanner feature, 4GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage, and wireless charging capability.

According to Tech Radar, the latest leaked specs info on the Samsung Galaxy S9 might not be what the public is expecting, given that Samsung's rivals has already stepped up their game by introducing new cutting-edge features. Apple's latest flagship handset, the iPhone X, stole the limelight with the new Face ID system via TrueDepth camera technology. The iPhone X is also said to have higher benchmark ratings over the Galaxy S8, so the next iteration being a slightly improved version will not help Samsung in the smartphone race.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is rumored to appear at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 this February. The tech expo will likely showcase everything that the Galaxy S9 has to offer, including a potentially larger battery capacity and new position for the rear-positioned fingerprint reader from the Galaxy S8.