Samsung Galaxy S9 component details leak, sound legit

• ETNews has leaked more details regarding the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus.
• Previous camera rumors were reaffirmed: a single 12 MP sensor with a variable aperture for the S9 and a dual 12 MP setup for the S9 Plus.
• The devices are also said to include a new, smaller printed circuit board system, and 5.77-inch and 6.22-inch displays.

The Galaxy S9 has been confirmed for an unveiling at MWC 2018 next month. As the launch date draws nearer, leaked information is going to be increasing, starting with some hardware news for you.

The rumor comes from ETNews and while it’s not backed by official sources for the moment, the breadth of knowledge the site seems to have about the device and its supply chain lends credibility to the claims.

Let’s first look at the camera details. ETNews reaffirmed that the S9 will have a 12 MP rear camera with f/1.5 variable aperture lens (up to f/2.4)—the smallest ever for Samsung (the S8 and Note 8 cameras came with an f/1.7 aperture). We’ve offered some insight as to what variable aperture means here, meanwhile, the Galaxy S9 Plus is said to make use of dual 12 MP cameras with respective f/1.5 and f/2.4 cameras. These cameras are also expected to support slow-motion video, which a previous leak pegged at 1,000 fps.

The S9’s (and likely S9 Plus’) front camera is said to come at 8 MP, with autofocus and the iris-scanning technology seen previously. The report claims the Galaxy S9’s iris scanner will be integrated in the front-facing camera, while the Galaxy S9 Plus will have a discrete iris scanner and a regular selfie camera. It’s not clear why Samsung would go down this route, but space limitations and supply constraints are two possible explanations. The iris scanner/camera combo on the Galaxy S9 is said to be manufactured by two Korean suppliers—Partron and MC Nex.

Samsung is also said to be saving space inside the device thanks to a new type of printed circuit board (PCB). This “substrate Like PCB” (SLP) technology is said to be “thinner and narrower” than the previous technology and will be used in models with Samsung’s Exynos chip, which are expected to account for 60% of total sales. What this would mean for the Snapdragon variant released in the West wasn’t speculated upon, but it should theoretically mean that the Exynos models have more room for internal components.

Another interesting detail is that both the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9 Plus will use the Y-OCTA display technology, which integrates the touch layer in the encapsulation layer of the OLED display, rather than using a distinct film-type layer like on older generations of Samsung’s displays. Y-OCTA was only used on the Galaxy S8, but with the new generation, both the S9 and the S9 Plus will take advantage of it. Y-OCTA displays are thinner, have better optical properties and are reportedly 30% cheaper to manufacture.

Other tidbits from the report include further claims that the devices will feature 5.77-inch and 6.22-inch displays (for the S9 and S9 Plus, respectively) with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner provided by Taiwanese company Aegis Technology.