Samsung Galaxy S9 Release, Ship Dates Leaked

It’s getting to be Galaxy S9 season, and that’s a big deal in Android land. Samsung’s annual flagship phone release sets a benchmark by which all other phone releases are judged, and now we know when it will (probably) happen. Serial phone leaker Evan “evleaks” Blass has posted the announcement, pre-order, and release dates for the Galaxy S9.

Things get underway in just a few weeks on February 26th. That’s when Samsung will take the wraps off the Galaxy S9. We’ll have specs, images, and pricing at that time. The date coincides with the opening days of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. That means lots of hands-on videos and first impression content will hit the web as the show begins. This threatens to drown out any other phone announcements at MWC.

If you already know you’re going to drop the cash on a Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus, the big day is March 1st. Pre-orders should be live at that time, but there will most likely be some variation across different markets and carriers. Samsung has moved toward a more global launch for its flagship phones, but US carriers like to roll their own Galaxy launch deals. Keep an eye out for possible bundle deals and whatnot. However, Samsung handles the unlocked units even in the US, so those phones should be available for pre-order right on time. It has also been doing a much better job of keeping unlocked phones updated than it used to.

Phones will reportedly ship and hit store shelves on March 16th — that’s exactly two months away. Pre-orders usually head out a few days early in order to land on doorsteps on (or close to) release day. Any pre-order bonus items typically ship a few weeks after the phone does.

According to a C-level executive at a major casemaker, the go-to-market schedule for Galaxy S9 / S9+ is as follows:

Launch – 2/26Pre-orders – 3/1Ships/releases – 3/16

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 16, 2018

By all accounts, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will be evolutionary products in Samsung’s portfolio. It will fix several of the mistakes from the GS8 family without taking any big risks, and why would it? Samsung’s strategy is working wonders as it continues selling huge numbers of phones while rivals like LG struggle even to justify having a smartphone division. The GS9 should shift the fingerprint sensor lower on the back of the phone to make it more accessible, and the bezels will slim down even more. There should also be stereo speakers and possibly a dual camera setup on the Plus variant.

The dates all seem plausible, but we’ll know for sure in just over a month at Mobile World Congress.

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