It’s only mid-November, but we already have plenty of Galaxy S9 rumors to enjoy, which seems to reinforce earlier reports saying Samsung wants to bring the phone to market earlier than expected. Questionable design schematics and benchmarks from untrusted sources, rumors from well-known leakers, and minor Samsung announcements, they all point to the Galaxy S9. And just this morning, we told you about Galaxy S9 benchmarks that just leaked (spoiler: it doesn’t come close to matching the iPhone X).
One of the latest Galaxy S9 reports out there suggests the Galaxy S9 will once again copy the iPhone when it comes to some critical features. But it’s mostly good news.
Weibo leaker Ice Universe says the current Galaxy S9 prototype still has a 3.5mm headphone jack. But he also says the phone will come with a new AKG headset that may be a wireless one.
If any of that is accurate, it suggests that Samsung is at least toying with the idea of killing the ancient sound port, just like Apple and Google did. Keeping it would give the Galaxy S9 a limited advantage over the iPhone and the Pixel in the short term. But the future is wireless, and Samsung would just be prolonging the inevitable.
At the same time, Samsung may be looking to offer its customers an AirPods-like headset that would be a lot cheaper than the IconX headphones because it may ship with the phone. And that’s regardless of whether the Galaxy S9 has a 3.5mm port or not. Google launched its own AirPods rivals, but they’ve gotten terrible reviews so far.
The Galaxy S9 will copy the iPhone in at least one other significant way. It’ll be the first Galaxy S phone to pack a dual lens camera, some 15 to 18 months after Apple launched the iPhone 7 Plus. That’s something we’ve known for a while, given that the Galaxy Note 8 has a dual lens camera as well.
But the same Ice Universe says the camera will have a BBAR coating. That’s short for broad-band anti-reflection, and its purpose is to prevent glare, ghosting, and anti-reflection. In case you were wondering, that’s not something you’ll find on any iPhone, but professional camera lenses do have it
