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Leaked benchmark shows the Galaxy S9 will be just as ‘boring’ as we expected

Published Dec 21st, 2017 1:33PM EST
Galaxy S9 Benchmark
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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The Galaxy S9 is Samsung’s next flagship smartphone. It’ll be Samsung’s most powerful handset ever, a recent benchmark leak suggested, as the handset is expected to pack better hardware than its predecessor.

The Galaxy S9’s design, however, will be “boring,” which means the phone will be nearly identical to the Galaxy S8. The Galaxy S9’s rear side is getting a makeover, as the fingerprint sensor will be found under the camera. The Plus model, meanwhile, will have a dual-lens shooter.

A new leak further reinforces the idea that the Galaxy S9 won’t have any notable design improvements over its predecessor. HTML5Test lists a Samsung SM-G960F device running Android 8.0 Oreo that obtained a 517 score in a browser test. SM-960 is the model number of the Galaxy S9, previous leaks revealed.

The browser benchmark test reveals the aspect ratio of the screen is 2.05:1, which is exactly what the Infinity Display on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 models have to offer. That means the Galaxy S9’s screen will not be taller, and Samsung will just use a similar OLED display for the upcoming flagship.

That’s not bad news, considering that the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 were regarded as having the best screens in the mobile industry, up until the iPhone X arrived. It’s likely Samsung will further improve the screen quality of next year’s flagship phones as well — they just won’t look much different at a glance.

Recent reports suggested the Galaxy S9 would be even taller, as Samsung was looking to further increase the screen-to-body ratio. Other rumors then said the aspect ratio of the Galaxy S9 wouldn’t change compared to the S8, but that Samsung would reduce the size of the bezels. And now, new reports claim that Samsung abandoned these ideas and is sticking to the Galaxy S8 design for one more year, at least when it comes to the front side of the phone. The HTML5 browser test further reinforces that idea.

What’s also interesting about this benchmark is that it lists a much higher score than any other Samsung phone. You may not be happy about the Galaxy S9’s design, but there’s no question the phone will deliver an even better experience than the S8 when it comes to raw performance.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.