Samsung Galaxy S9 launch: everything you need to know as it happens

It’s almost time to see the new Samsung Galaxy S9, and you’ll be able to get all the information right here.

We’ll be live blogging the event from this page - so be sure to bookmark it ready - and we’ll start filling it with delightful on-the-ground goodness as soon as we’ve negotiated our way into the room… although judging by previous Samsung launches, that’s going to be far harder than it sounds.

What to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S9 launch

Well, if you’re still in the dark about what’s going to be unveiled… where have you been? The Galaxy S9 has been shaking its metaphorical smartphone booty all over the internet for weeks now, with leaks pouring out on nearly every little facet.

• Check out everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S9
• Oh, and we've got plenty of info on the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus too

But from the launch itself, we’re thinking that there’s going to be a big augmented reality component, with leaks showing that within Samsung’s Unpacked app (the official companion to the launch itself) you’ll be able to scan an image and see the new Galaxy S9 from every angle.

On stage we’re unlikely to see many surprises, with the main focus being on the Galaxy S9 itself and the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus launching alongside.

The two phones will be rather similar, with the main differences being to the screen (likely still 5.8-inch vs 6.2-inch on the ‘normal’ and Plus sizes respectively) and more battery power on the larger of the two phones.

We’re also certain that we’re going to see two cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, with just a single sensor on the smaller version. Why Samsung wants to deny the technology to the likely more popular variant is unclear, but both will have some serious camera smarts if the teasers are to be believed.

Will we see media packs announced for the Galaxy S9 pair like with last year's phone?

One of the key things we’re hoping will be announced is the Samsung Galaxy S9 price, as that’s something we’ve heard a fair few whispers about.

Sadly for those that were hoping to see an affordable Galaxy flagship, we’re expecting to hear of another price hike again - which is surprising given the leaks haven’t really pointed to many changes.

The expected price is £739 - this means we'd expect it to land around $775 / AU$1300, and for that it seems you’re only getting an upgrade in power (from the uprated CPU, likely to be the Exynos 9810 for most of the world and the Snapdragon 845 in the US) and a much better camera.

The snapper could be a lot more expensive to produce, but given the lack of upgrades we would have expected the phone to remain the same price, and the more expensive new component costs are offset by the absence of change elsewhere.

What we want to see from the Galaxy S9 launch

While we’re expecting the conference to be very much focused on the two new phones, we’re still waiting for more information surrounding the Galaxy world.

Firstly we’d love to see more from DeX, the dock for the Galaxy phones that allows you to connect monitors and keyboards to the phone and turn the device into a fully-fledged PC environment.

A smoother docking system, wireless charging and a less obvious device would all be welcome - as would improvements to the amount of things you can actually do on the desktop too, with more powerful programs on offer.

A new Gear VR hasn’t been rumored, so we doubt it’s going to turn up, but we’d love to see something new there - ideally one that’s moving closer to Daydream, with the end goal of the two platforms one day merging and the best virtual reality experiences being offered to all smartphones in the future.

And the main thing we want to see: a release date for these phones that isn’t weeks and weeks away. 

MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2018 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone.

• Will the Samsung Galaxy S9 make it onto our best phones list? We'd be tremendously surprised if it didn't...

posted by Campus94