Samsung Galaxy S9 Name Confirmed in Earnings Report, Will Be Focused on Camera and Bixby

Samsung Galaxy S9 has been publicly acknowledged as the name of the company's next flagship smartphone. In the press release announcing fourth quarter and FY 2017 results, the South Korean giant said that the launch of the Galaxy S9 would help the company's mobile business grow, thanks to an increase in the sales of flagship products. It also detailed focus areas for its premium smartphone segment this year. Samsung is also said to ramp up production of mobile processors on premium phones.

In its earning report on Wednesday, Samsung for the first time acknowledged that its upcoming flagship phone range would be called Galaxy S9. While press invites sent out earlier this month reveal a big '9', this is the only instance wherein Samsung has officially mentioned the 'Galaxy S9' branding.

"Looking ahead to 2018, demand for smartphones is expected to rise thanks to growing replacement demand for premium smartphones. In order to expand the sales of premium smartphones, Samsung will strengthen product competitiveness by differentiating core features and services, such as the camera and Bixby, and reinforce the sell-out programs and experiential stores," the Samsung release said, clearly mentioning focus on the camera and Bixby features of its premium smartphones. We can expect new features in both these areas to be launched with the Galaxy S9.

To recap the rumours of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+, the smartphones are expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC in the US and China, and the Samsung Exynos 9810 SoC in other markets, including India. They can be expected to offer with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 512GB inbuilt storage. The camera on both smartphones will get a major overhaul with features including a "Super Speed" mode, "Super Slow-mo" mode. A variable aperture of f/1.5 to f/2.4 is also expected. The Galaxy S9+ is expected to sport a dual rear camera, while the Galaxy S9 will have a single rear camera. Earlier reports have suggested the Galaxy S9 series will be the most expensive in the range.

Talking about mobile processors, Samsung will look to ramp up production for premium smartphones and expand sales of 3-stack camera sensors. The company is expecting adoption of dual cameras and 3-stack FRS (Fast Readout Sensors) to increase. Production ramp-up for second-generation 10nm processors is estimated to grow with higher incorporation expected in 2018 flagship phones.

The report also mentions that while total smartphone shipments decreased due to optimisation in the low end segment, sales for the Galaxy Note 8 rose from the previous quarter. In 2018, the company will increase premium phone sales and maintain profitability in mid-range and low-range segments.