Samsung plans to release Galaxy S9 in January, report says

The Galaxy S9's OLED panel shipment is said to begin in November.

Samsung Electronics has just launched the much-praised Galaxy Note 8 and in a matter of few months, it will be releasing its next-generation smartphone, at least according to a new report. Samsung fans might be seeing a glimpse of the Galaxy S9 by January 2018.

The Investor Korea on Thursday had reported that Samsung could be gunning for an early release of the Galaxy S9. Quoting The Bell, the publication said the South Korean tech giant's display arm, Samsung Display, will begin shipping the OLED panels by November.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy S9 is likely a modular phone powered by Snapdragon 845

This is two months in advance compared to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus whose OLED panels were released in January 2017. The devices were first launched on 29 March.

After the panels, other hardware components are expected to be shipped immediately, including the camera modules and cases. Based on previous production of smartphones, Samsung is usually targeting to wrap up the assembly of the phones within two to three months.

From this timeline, it is plausible for Samsung to pull off the Galaxy S9 debut by the end of January and global launch by mid-February.

In August, IBTimes Singapore had reported that Samsung is planning to make the Galaxy S9 a full-fledged modular smartphone. The company's move is reportedly part of its strategic plan to overhaul next-generation smartphone's functionality.

As a modular device, the Galaxy S9 will have an added ability apart from being able to call and text, take photos, etc. Meanwhile, Samsung has already started its initial orders of the Snapdragon 845 processor chips from Qualcomm.

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