Expect to pay more for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ when they arrive in March

If you're planning to buy the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, do set aside more budget this time as the handsets are said to cost more.

The spokesperson of one of the three South Korean telcos told ETNews that the retail prices of the Galaxy S9 handsets will go up although the price points will not make the consumers feel burdened.

The expected price range for the Galaxy S9 is reportedly between 950,000 won (~S$1,163) and 990,000 won (S$1,212). In comparison, the Galaxy S8 was launched in Singapore at S$1,148. Assuming that the Galaxy S9 costs S$1,212, it would be a 5 per cent increase in price.

A senior Samsung official shared that Samsung would focus on user convenience for the Galaxy S9 series instead of embarking on a new design. He added that the reservation sale in Korea would begin on 2 March and last a week. Retail availability is expected to be on 16 March.

Well-known tipster @evleaks shared the official photo and some specs of the Galaxy S9 handsets over the weekend. The handsets are believed to come with more advanced facial recognition capabilities based on an Intelligent Scan feature found inside the APK for the Galaxy Note8's Oreo beta.