We now know for sure that Samsung will host its Unpacked launch occasion on Feb. 11 in San Francisco. What we do not know for sure but is that if Samsung’s subsequent flagship telephone will likely be referred to as the Galaxy S11 or the Galaxy S20, and if the biggest telephone be referred to as the Plus, the Professional or the Extremely. Little by little, leaks, renders, rumors and stories of the Galaxy S11’s official lineup are taking form, from the worth to a attainable digicam setup that takes up an enormous portion of the telephone’s again, and a doubtlessly huge battery.
Not like the $2,000 Galaxy Fold or $1,100 Galaxy Observe 10 Plus, Samsung’s subsequent premium machine will likely be designed to attraction to a lot of of us, not simply fans in search of probably the most cutting-edge or highly effective handset.
The Galaxy S11 household of telephones is Samsung’s first mainstream machine that would assist carry 5G’s sooner information speeds to the plenty. Samsung acquired a begin with 5G this 12 months, with the S10 5G, Observe 10 Plus 5G, Galaxy A90 5G and Fold (within the UK and South Korea). However these telephones aren’t focusing on on a regular basis customers, and many are variants of 4G gadgets that exist already.
Headed into the Galaxy S11 launch, Samsung is in a a lot stronger place than it was a 12 months in the past. It made waves in 2019, nabbing a CNET Editors’ Alternative award for the Galaxy Observe 10 Plus and releasing the unforgettable Galaxy Fold. 2020 is simply destined to get higher — and that goes for Samsung’s subsequent foldable telephone, too.
There are a number of specs to soak up, so right here they’re — the Galaxy S11’s most essential rumored options to date, plus what we do not know and what we expect we’d get. I throw in my very own educated guesses too, as a result of Samsung typically follows historic patterns and topical developments. Right here we go!
Confirmed: Feb 11 launch date in San Francisco
On Saturday, Samsung formally introduced its Unpacked occasion for Feb. 11 in San Francisco’s Palace of Fantastic Arts. It is broadly believed that Samsung can even take the wraps off its second foldable telephone, which bends right into a sq., much like the Motorola Razr. A leaked video posted by accident to Samsung’s official press channel a day earlier than Samsung’s affirmation, with the identical art work. An earlier rumor pinned the large disclose to Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Search for the Galaxy S11 to go on preorder shortly after Feb. 11, with models transport per week or two after the reveal. I am going to proceed to replace this story with contemporary rumors, so come again for extra.
Galaxy S11 or S20?
One factor that is nonetheless up within the air is the identify, or reasonably, the names, of Samsung’s subsequent telephone lineup. We’re going with the Galaxy S11 for now, just because it is the pure successor to the Galaxy S10. However current chatter has floated the identify Galaxy S20, which may resonate nicely with the 12 months 2020.
I’ve a factor about product names changing into ridiculously lengthy or meaningless, particularly when desirous about the next era. Sooner or later, the Galaxy S collection must high out, until you actually count on to purchase the Galaxy S17 and Galaxy Observe 24. But when Samsung had been to name it the Galaxy S20, these numbers simply get greater, sooner.
Till the rumors begin to coalesce round this one, we’ll simply preserve calling it the Galaxy S11 for now.
Three fashions, three sizes: E, Plus, Professional or Extremely?
The Galaxy S11 line is not going to be one telephone, that we all know. It is rumored to be three, identical to final 12 months’s S10 household of 4G fashions. Large, greater, “small.”
Once more, the mannequin names are nonetheless unknown. Some rumors say we’ll get the S11E, S11 and S11 Plus, however newer whispers, together with that from frequent Twitter leaker Evan Blass, recommend S11, S11 Plus and S11 Professional, which is lots nearer to Apple’s technique with the iPhone 11, the bottom mannequin for that line.
There’s even discuss that Samsung will drop the “E” and give the 2 bigger sizes the names Professional and Extremely.
Listed here are the rumored display screen sizes, in keeping with Blass:
- Smallest Galaxy S11: 6.2- or 6.4-inch
- Medium Galaxy S11: 6.7-inch
- Largest Galaxy S11: 6.9-inch
Blass additionally acknowledged that every one the Galaxy S11 telephones may have curved sides, not like 2019’s Galaxy S10E, which had a flat show that I typically most popular.
Might appear like a cross between the Observe 10 and Galaxy S10
The Galaxy S11 renders are out, and so are the idea designs, which I like as a result of they’ll carry the rumors to life.
So what may we get with Samsung’s S11 telephone? Rounded shoulders, which have develop into the Galaxy S trademark, however with a extra squared-off look harking back to the Galaxy Observe 10. A slim physique. Curved sides for all fashions, not like the Galaxy S10E’s flat display screen, which I truly actually appreciated.
The digicam array may develop into sq., off to the left, and stand proud of the floor, lots just like the iPhone 11 and Google Pixel 4. I actually hope that is not the case. Cameras that stick out are extra weak to breaking once you drop your telephone. A case is an absolute should.
5G assured, however there is a catch
I discussed 5G earlier. It is a rumored characteristic, but additionally a given. The Galaxy S11 is 99.9% seemingly to make use of the highly effective Snapdragon 865 processor in it, which chipmaker Qualcomm will not make out there to telephone manufacturers with out the 5G modem it pairs with. Ipso facto, you get a telephone with the Snapdragon 865, you get a 5G-ready telephone.
The identical goes for any areas that can bundle the Galaxy S11 with Samsung’s in-house Exynos 990 5G processor, which frequently occurs in Asia, particularly Samsung’s house nation of South Korea. (Ice Universe says Samsung is “decided” to make use of Snapdragon 865 for South Korean fashions.)
I promised a catch and right here it’s. Whereas the Galaxy S11 will likely be 5G-ready, not each telephone could possibly entry 5G. Cities and nations which might be 4G-only will solely be capable to use 4G networks, so the 5G Galaxy S11 may very nicely act like a 4G telephone.
We’ll see the way it all shakes out, however I would be stunned if Samsung used any chip other than Snapdragon 865. The Galaxy S collection is its mainstream flagship and Samsung is the world’s largest phone-maker. It should wish to put its greatest foot ahead by delivering the telephone with the “greatest” chip.
108-megapixel digicam, periscope lens, 5x optical zoom
Now for the enjoyable stuff, the digicam. We already talked about how rumors, leaks and renders predict a sq. digicam array overflowing with cameras — maybe 4 on the again of the Galaxy S11 Plus. It will get wilder.
Samsung is claimed to be outfitting the Galaxy S11 (or at the very least one variant) with a 108-megapixel predominant digicam sensor. Is that insanity? It seems like insanity. However Chinese language model Xiaomi already beat Samsung to it with the Mi CC9 Professional, which already makes use of a 108-megapixel digicam.
As well as, the Snapdragon 865 chip we talked about above can assist a 200-megapixel digicam. You is probably not utilizing all 108 million pixels on a regular basis, however having that further decision will be useful for zooming in and cropping. In the event you just like the sound of all that, thank the chipmaker for making it occur.
Here is what else you would get with the S11 digicam (at the very least on some fashions), in keeping with Ice Universe and 91Mobiles:
Display screen: 120Hz AMOLED show
We talked about telephone screens earlier, however here is what else we’re prone to get: the capacity to activate a 120Hz display screen refresh price. That can make animations and scrolling a complete lot smoother than the usual 60Hz refresh price wwe have now.
Whereas a 120Hz refresh price is nice for gaming and other fast transitions (even 90Hz like on the OnePlus 7T), it is a battery hog. The Galaxy S11 may put the facility in your palms with settings to change between 60Hz to protect battery life and 120Hz if you wish to rev up animations.
That is just about a achieved deal since each the Snapdragon 865 and Exynos 990 5G assist 210Hz screens.
A whopping 5,000-mAh battery?
Totally different measurement telephones get completely different measurement batteries, and one other rumor from the prolific Ice Universe dials within the Galaxy S11 “Plus” battery at 5,000 mAh, which is ridonculous.
Remember the fact that the “Plus” may be the “Professional” (e.g., the highest-end mannequin of the trio), which makes way more sense to me than the center telephone getting a battery that measurement. For reference, the Galaxy Observe 10 Plus battery is 4,300 mAh and battery life is excellent.
There have been some telephones with ultralarge batteries earlier than, so 5,000 mAh matches my expectations. As an illustration, the Asus’ new ROG Cellphone II is an Android specs powerhouse, which makes it a gaming beast.
In-screen fingerprint reader
I liked the idea of an in-screen fingerprint reader, till I used it within the Galaxy S10. The accuracy, pace and comfort by no means fairly lived as much as the promise for me.
My best-case state of affairs could be to the Galaxy S11 return to some type of safe face unlock, mixed with the in-screen reader. Samsung already is aware of how to do that nicely. Bear in mind, the collection acquired iris scanning within the S7, however dropped it for the S10. Google has now achieved it higher, with the Pixel 4’s gesture monitoring lending a hand.
We may at the very least see a extra strong type of in-screen biometric scanner, if Samsung decides to benefit from the Snapdragon 865’s assist for two-finger scanning, which is supposed to enhance the know-how on all fronts. I positive hope it does.
Android 10 and Samsung One UI 2
There’s little doubt that each Samsung telephone in 2020 will run on Android 10 and the corporate’s personal One UI 2, which was introduced in October and is now out there in beta.
I am rather more enthusiastic about Android 10, which brings systemwide darkish mode to telephones, gesture navigation, some significantly spectacular dwell captioning and new privateness settings. One UI 2 goals to push icons and display screen controls towards the underside of the telephone in order that they’re simpler to achieve one-handed.
Galaxy S11 collection: Value will break $1,000
Now for the query on everybody’s thoughts: How a lot is the Galaxy S11 going to value me? As at all times, it is going to rely on which mannequin you purchase.
Let’s begin with the Galaxy S10 costs for the bottom storage configuration:
- Galaxy S10E: $749, £669, AU$1,199
- Galaxy S10: $899, £799, AU$1,349
- Galaxy S10 Plus: $999, £899, AU$1,499
- Galaxy S10 5G: $1,300, £1,099, AU$2,950
5G prices the telephone makers extra to purchase and combine, so we may see a worth bump proper off the bat. You may additionally spend extra in the event you go for a mannequin with larger storage, say 512GB, assuming Samsung affords it and begins storage at 128GB.
If the biggest model (“Professional” or “Plus,” relying on the rumors) strains up with the S10 Plus pricing, it will begin at $1,000. With the 5G part and extra digicam tech, I would not be stunned to see that rise to $1,100, a worth that matches the Galaxy Observe 10 Plus as we speak.
Initially printed earlier this season and up to date steadily.