Samsung Galaxy S9 unpacked event – camera in focus

Last night, Samsung sent out invites to its Galaxy S9 launch event next month. It’s time to put February 25th in our diaries and book a trip to Barcelona.

There does seem to be an error though. We have checked our inbox and spam folder, but no invitation.

But, soldiering on with the news (although still feeling a little unloved), We knew that Samsung going to unveil its new flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress (MWC) conference in Spain. MWC officially runs from February 26th to March 1st.

Sneaky

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that the Samsung Unpacked sneaks in the day before, kicking off at 6PM CET (5PM GMT / 12PM ET / 9AM PT) on Sunday, February 25th.

Naturally, the event will be live streamed via Samsung’s website for those of us not attending in the flesh.

Focus

There is generally a teaser with hints on what new bit of kit will be the centerpiece, and Samsung have been quite open about it this year.

The invite text, “Camera, reimagined,” does put the Sammy snapper in focus, although not exactly groundbreaking. Cameras are “reimagined” every year by pretty much every phone brand from Apple to Samsung, LG to Huawei.

Variable aperture

Word is that this might point to being a variable aperture camera. Samsung is already shipping this tech on the W2018 flip phone.

This works just like a real camera. There are a set of very small aperture blades that open and close with the changing light levels. Look at the pic below and see them in action.

In ideal lighting, the W2018 uses an f/2.4 aperture, but it can switch to f/1.5 if it needs to pull in more light.

The thing is that the W2018 is likely to be priced at over $1,500. Could this have an impact on the S9?

Rumours

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus rumors promise a large-screened, slim-bezelled phone with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and a dual-camera setup on the S9 Plus.

Rumors also include Samsung’s own version of Apple’s Face ID secure face unlocking, and an in-screen fingerprint reader.

The usual

Those looking for a safe bet can put their hard-earned on that the latest Galaxy phone will have a slightly improved battery, a killer screen, and some nifty but potentially gimmicky experimental features.