Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ release date, specs rumors: Upcoming flagship will be the last in the S series

Promotional image for the Samsung Galaxy S8, featuring the Infinity DisplaySamsung/smartphones/Galaxy-s8

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have already been confirmed to make an appearance at the start of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 later in February. Some people might think that the launch event will be just another annual showcasing of the tech giant's latest flagship iteration. However, it appears that the Galaxy S9 unveiling this month will be monumental as it is rumored to be the last smartphone in Samsung's S series.

As reported by Tech Radar, there are rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S9 will be the last handset to receive the "S" moniker. as the South Korean firm is expected to call its future flagship smartphones as the Galaxy X. Interestingly, Samsung is reportedly no longer giving an iterative number to the names of its upcoming handsets. If the supposed successor of the Galaxy S9 next year will be called the Galaxy X, the 2020 and 2021 versions will get the same tag. 

Tech analysts that have spoken with Tekz24 claims that calling each upcoming Samsung flagship smartphone as the Galaxy X will make the naming system easier. Although, this might be confusing to the public as it will be harder to distinguish each Galaxy S smartphone update from another. Likewise, Samsung has already confirmed that there will be a foldable Galaxy X device that will be separate from the S series, thus it is unlikely for the company to call the future Galaxy S smartphones as the Galaxy X.

In other news, BGR reported that the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will introduce a more convenient position for the fingerprint scanner. The latest render leaks available online show the biometric reader of the upcoming flagship phone below the rear camera lens. Users have been complaining about the placement of the fingerprint reader just beside the camera module because of the risk of smudging the lens as they try to access the scanner to unlock the phone.

In spite of this possible rear design update, some people are not convinced that the new fingerprint reader position in the Samsung Galaxy S9 will fix the problem. This is why some tech experts are suggesting to incorporate an in-display fingerprint reader instead, but it appears that such display technology is not yet available for the company.