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Samsung's Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus stop by the FCC
- Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are listed on the FCC
- The listings do not share much, apart from network bands and connectivity options
- This is the earliest we’ve seen a recent Galaxy S flagship certified by the FCC
Folks are understandably excited about the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. After all, they’re looking for the phones to address some of the faults that their great predecessors had. That excitement will surely build, now that the Galaxy S9 duo was spotted at the FCC.
According to the listings, the SM-G960F and SM-965F were certified on December 27. The “F” has previously signified the international unlocked model, though the letter will change, depending on the carriers and region where the phones are available.
Apart from a long list of network bands and other types of connectivity, however, the listings do not say much else. They don’t even show what the phones look like, though we don’t expect a drastic departure from the pair of Galaxy S8 flagships.
What is important to keep in mind is how early these FCC listings have showed up. Droid Life correctly points out that the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, and Galaxy S7 stopped by the FCC in March 2017, July 2017, and February 2016, respectively. More to the point, all of them showed up at the FCC one month before they were available for purchase.
As such, we wonder whether it’s realistic to expect the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus to at least be announced in January. That would line up with reports that the phones will make their first public appearance during CES 2018, though those same reports also peg Samsung holding an Unpacked event in March for an official announcement.
Then again, this is more likely a case of getting FCC certification out of the way early so Samsung can continue to focus on making the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. The phones are expected to feature displays that cover more of the front than their predecessors’ displays did, and along with more powerful internals, they are expected to feature a fingerprint scanner in an area that actually makes sense: around back, near the middle.
You can check out our regularly-updated Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus rumor hub and stay tuned for our CES 2018 coverage to see if Samsung makes a splash with its new pair of flagship smartphones.